#BlackLivesMatter: A call to courage and empathy (10/06/20)

This week I feel that I need to move away from my usual tips for wellness and acknowledge the challenging times we are facing. Please note that I am writing this from a position of white privilege, as a person who has never experienced racism and thus I welcome feedback and discussion relating to this article.

As human beings we cannot ignore the collective pain and suffering that we are experiencing and/or witnessing both locally and globally in response to toxic racism in our society. The tragic death of George Floyd through police violence cannot be minimised in a larger debate around racism and inequality, however we also cannot ignore the long history of oppression and injustice in health, wealth and opportunity that BAME citizens face; the high exclusion rates of Black boys from schools, inequality in the criminal justice system, the Windrush scandal and the high Covid-19 death rates in the BAME population, to name but a few. The current protests are a turning point towards the need for real equality; enough is enough.

The mission of #BlackLivesMatter is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to combat racist violence and to create a space for imagination, innovation and joy for Black communities. This message is increasingly supported by a multiracial community who are recognising that racial hierarchies are so ingrained within society that they often exist outside of our conscious awareness. The protests provoke an emotional response for many of us, and shame plays a part in this. Shame that if you are a BAME person you will never be worthy of the same opportunities as a white person; shame that you are not doing enough to support the cause if you are not actively protesting; shame if you are a privileged white person who doesn’t experience racism; media-induced shame that if you are joining outdoor protests, you are causing a second Covid-19 peak. Shame leads to fear, blame and disconnection in society - exactly what we don’t need more of right now.

There are two antidotes to shame: courage and empathy:

Courage is being brave enough to move through vulnerability, uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. For too long racism has bred shame in our society. It has been shut down, not talked about and has spread until it has become ingrained in the social system. This is the time to find the courage to show up and talk about racism, to understand people’s views and take actions to support the cause and educate ourselves on what we can do and how we can educate our children about racism.

Empathy is also really important here. We need to understand why racism exists and how it manifests if we are to eliminate it. We can practice empathy by recognising and respecting experiences of racism and by communicating that we recognise and appreciate the emotional impact of racism on members of our society.

To be truly empathetic to what is going on in the world right now we need to find the courage to embrace the vulnerability and discomfort surrounding racism. It’s hard and it can be unpleasant, but we all have a place in this movement to cultivate a culture that can lead to real change.

Acknowledgement
The definitions of courage, empathy and shame in this article are taken from the work of Dr Brene Brown: www.brenebrown.com

Resources:
A really comprehensive list of petitions, funds, charities, books and education resources that support the Black Lives Matter movement can be found here:
https://www.itsnicethat.com/…/resources-supporting-black-li… and here: https://docs.google.com/…/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-V…/mobilebasic
Podcast - Brene Brown interviews Ibram X. Kendi on his book How to Be an Antiracist:
https://brenebrown.com/…/brene-with-ibram-x-kendi-on-how-t…/
An article on the practice of cultivating courage: https://www.mindful.org/five-ways-to-cultivate-courage/