Fighting racism means Staying Awake- not just being woke…

Change is in the air. A better world is in our dreams and becoming real. Life is changing on the ground. For the first time in my life, I feel like THIS IS IT. Even though change is sometimes unsettling and challenging: this change feels good. It feels like a whole new generation of people are all waking up anew to an old truth.

The tools we use and the messages we share may have changed but the truth underneath is the same as years gone by. Inequality and racism is killing us- so what will we do to change it?

We may feel connected and awake because we consider ourselves campaigners against racism. But really, how woke is our antiracism? “Woke”feels like new word but it’s an old concept. If we want change we have to be brave enough to wake up to what needs changing.

It might not be easy to wake up, but it is worth it. Being awake means we have to look outside at what is going on in the world. But just as importantly, we have to know how to wake up to ourselves and our responsibility. We have to question ourselves, check on our own behavior, and carry new lessons learned with strength and joy, ready to assist others.

During this time of isolation and social distancing, while this new chapter in the fight against racism has finally come I’ve personally had to check my privilege. A lot.

Just because I experience prejudice and I stand for equality doesn’t mean I’m free from privilege. We all have some privilege, some advantage handed to us by the way the system works.

I’m a white, young gender fluid person who grew up in an economically privileged area, with no road blocks built on race put in my way. I have challenges and I experience discrimination: but none of it comes because of my race. That affords me a certain freedom to stand up to racism and to be actively antiracist.

It doesn’t matter who we are, we can figure out how to use that privilege to help those we know have disadvantages- we can stay awake to that advantage and help mitigate where it hurts other . Being awake, being “woke” is an active choice. We have to KEEP CHECKING ourselves so we stay awake to what we can do to carry the work forwards, beyond ourselves.

What can you do to wake up in your life?

How can you stay truthful but spread hope and compassion too? So much of our daily grind is about having to fight for our own survival within the oppressive system which we’ve inherited.

Economic, social, and personal parts of our lives are all overlapping, and the divisions that separate us are automatically reinforcing each other. To survive we have to make so many small and large adjustments everyday, have to fight within the system for our place.

That fight for our own survival makes it hard to look at root causes of repression. Our relationship with the system naturally keeps us apart, and even rewards us for being at odds with each other. It keeps us protecting our privilege without even realising we’re perpetuating the system’s divisions: patriarchal colonialism, hyper -capitalism, white supremacy are all still working hard to keep us divided.

Working against that to stay awake and to fight that division is hard. It’s that division which is at the heart of racism. Racism is systemic and yet its results are personal. Confronting that is also hard. You will realise you’re not as woke as you thought.

You’re going to fail, and fall down hard when you start to stand up as as an antiracism campaigner- don’t kid yourself.

As Women’s & Equalities at North Oxfordshire Labour Youth, I try to lead by example. As a human, I make A LOT of mistakes. Actually, every other thing I do is a mistake. But I’m not ashamed of that. In fact I embrace that process: listen, learn, make a mistake, pick myself up, learn some more, pass it on. Repeat.

And it’s actually a great example. Because making mistakes, owning them and then learning from them is what’s needed to make things change for the better. It’s what we need to see from our leaders more and more.

If you think you’re always right, then you’re definitely doing it wrong!

As anti racism campaigners we’re not here to BE right all the time: we’re here to always DO BETTER. Being teachable and vulnerable is part of good leadership. In fact it is an integral part of everything that you need to be a strong antiracism campaigner.

We also need to model leadership, team work and practice rigourous self-care. Your feelings and your health are important, so be watchful of them. We don’t need to martyr ourselves to be useful- so pay attention to your feelings, and know when you’re running low and need to change gear. Nurture yourself and be self protective.

Feelings are like the barometer of your inner self. It’s good to connect with them. BUT they’re actually not the greatest force in this fight.

It’s terribly romantic to believe that shedding righteous tears sows the seeds of real compassion and dissolves divisive problems.

In fact, growing empathy and manifesting liberation for all, often looks like thinking and strategising, like listening instead of talking, and like being willing to accept you’re wrong instead of automatically thinking you’re right. It also involves some real discomfort, and sometimes you actually fall flat on your face.

That’s all okay.

Being a feeling person is important. We can use that as a basis to build empathy, to understand that we’re dealing with oppression which is bigger than us. We can work on unpicking our privilege, so we can figure out what role we’re supposed to take in the fight against racism.

What is most important is that we all KEEP GOING.You can cry trying if you want to. But if we’re going to change things for the better we’re going to need to be focused on doing the work which needs doing. Pick yourself up when you make a mistake and learn the lessons while you move onwards. Don’t wallow in your grief. That’s not productive.

As we confront racism as campaigners, we know that it has many forms. Every type of racism is vile and unacceptable. As antiracism campaigners we address all forms of racism with equal vigour. Hate is hate. Whether it’s expression is systemic or personal. Anti-Semitism is from the same poison chalice that serves up Anti-Blackness. All hate must be transformed into something better, must be taken from its wrongness and made right. That’s by far the most important work of antiracism: transformation. From hate to hope.

When we address the degradation and division of racism, hiding underneath all those cruelties, we find hope. But like a newly-bloomed red rose, it needs careful tending to grow even stronger roots and more beautiful flowers next year.

Based on my own reaching and rooting, here’s little list of my own anti-racism do’s and dont’s.

We can open our eyes anytime and wake up. It’s never too late to start the journey and start to do the work. We appreciate you. We see you. We know you’ve come here to end racism and help make the world a better place

Antiracism is about the work we do deconstructing systemic supremacy and building something better in its place.Transforming something ugly and small and sad into something hopeful. Creating a world big and kind enough to include us all.

I offer my insights here to bring you hope, and share my knowledge. My points are definitely based on real mistakes I made when I began actively campaigning, what advice I got from other more seasoned campaigners as well as what I learned from my experiences in supporting marginalised people and standing up to racism in real life.

DO SAY SOMETHING. Use your voice! Silence is compliance. If you’re using social media, talking to friends, see racism happening don’t get emotional, get smart. People who are stuck in racism need to have a way out. We should always have a message and a way forward we can offer for those who need to do better.

Share your solidarity with people who are getting the rough end of racism. Intervene. Protect. Prevent.

When you see racism, stand up to it, name it and speak out. Yes it’s a fight, but remember to fight with honour and to fight smart.

We ALWAYS go high…

DON’T POST A BLACK SQUARE and then feel like you’ve done something to change the world. It’s not enough. Trust me. Whether it’s a black square, or changing your profile name to include a BLM hashtag, these things are “nice”but they’re not the real work. Just being a bystander won’t be enough. It feels tough to put yourself out there and do more, but we will need all our campaigners to be active and brave in the fight. Keep pushing yourself to move the line forwards and ask yourself: “what can I do today to dismantle racism?” Then do it.

DON’T EXPECT TIME WITHOUT £££. Black people and people from ethnic minorities have been dealing with racism forever. It’s not right to put the burden of hate on those experiencing it. It’s not useful for you decide what constitutes racism right. But somehow you’ve got to do the work yourself. White people must take responsibility to get rid of all racism and to do the most work to make that happen. However, if you’re white you don’t have to do ALL the work yourself- you just have to be committed to do all the work you can.

DO REACH OUT. This time is harder for some than it is for others. The fight is exhausting but it’s a stark privilege to be able to learn about racism, rather than wake up to it everyday. Reaching out can look like checking in on people of colour in your community, but not fussing over them or requiring them to reassure you. ASK what YOU can do to help. It can also look like opening space for marginalised people where you ha e power. Reach out from your circle, and don’t stop reaching til we have a circle that includes everyone!

DON’T BE FRAGILE. You may sometimes feel weak but that’s what makes you really strong person. Our experiences make us what we are. Being vulnerable isn’t the same as being fragile.Tuis work May be hard, but you won’t break if you bend, and learn. Normalize being wrong and making mistakes. If you do something wrong; hold yourself accountable and use your learning to get stronger for the next time.

DO UNITE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. You will be surprised how many in your local area want to speak up about racism, and collectivity we speak louder. Find people who want change and make it together. Hey, there are a whole load of us right here in ARC. But why not unite more people who want a better world together? More unity means more strength and more diversity. Someone else’s ideas might be better than yours (sorry) or you might have the tools and resources that others need.

RISE LIKE LIONS AFTER SLUMBER,
IN UNVANQUISHABLE NUMBER
FOR THE MANY,
NOT THE FEW

Claudia Collett