tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2194028084970054472024-03-13T20:48:26.276+00:00Purple InkPurple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-90219579744936942552020-07-17T11:01:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:54:20.626+01:008 Black Creatives/Artists to Check Out and Research by Frida Lamb-Camarena<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1f7c1584-7fff-e83e-bb2e-53d66aff4b2a"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> 1) Ann Lowe</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mk9RjfsTNTmblPf-nlHFuaY6n5qIf73CwAXNoaj-OZ4vh29hq8bSQsGIqWTJN7yHSJkaWT1vwDvSwsY56HKWEf3ZHkMYHoteIJOd30LlzKGH5MPuDMMRHM5vzRAhOtrEtuEBI3Y8HJauz382ag" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img alt="The Remarkable Story of Ann Lowe: From Alabama to Madison Avenue ..." border="0" height="173.98214316368103" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/mk9RjfsTNTmblPf-nlHFuaY6n5qIf73CwAXNoaj-OZ4vh29hq8bSQsGIqWTJN7yHSJkaWT1vwDvSwsY56HKWEf3ZHkMYHoteIJOd30LlzKGH5MPuDMMRHM5vzRAhOtrEtuEBI3Y8HJauz382ag" style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; margin-top: -14.30307162553072px; white-space: normal;" width="127" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">LOWE</span></td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1f7c1584-7fff-e83e-bb2e-53d66aff4b2a"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Born in 1898, Lowe was a notable couturier among high society of the 40s and 50s, designing for the Du Ponts, Roosevelts, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Kennedys – most famously, the dress for Jacqueline Bouvier’s marriage in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">1953 to future president John F. Kennedy, though when asked who made her dress, Jackie Kennedy would allegedly reply with just “a coloured woman”. In 1946, Lowe designed the dress that Olivia de Havilland wore to collect the Best Actress Academy Award, though the name on the dress was attribut</span></span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1f7c1584-7fff-e83e-bb2e-53d66aff4b2a"><span style="font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">designer Sonia Rosenberg. Lowe’s most prominent signatures are her handiwork, flowers and trapunto (quilting) techniques. She did not receive public credit for her work on the famous Kennedy wedding dress and was often swindled of hundreds of dollars for her designs from wealthy clients due to racial discrimination.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">JOHN ROGERS</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2) Christopher John Rogers</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Winning the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2019, Rogers’ gaudiness and extravaganza has won over the fashion world in recent months. His work is opulent, consciously over-the-top and requires charisma and flair to pull off. His designs bring drama, as reflected in the performative aspect of the models on his runways. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Florine </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Démosthène</span></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YLhNIWET604a0rN2zUJlz7oKd0B45ljeasOfifk3M8p2HYQZFCm7_Lid0sxcuQscLvs9X-g7Smfx1XSqGmrqvsz17XtdQGXFmyE80ry-F6j4NUUDuumRFSXR-d2TCpcfdwBSA7YYT_PEWvtUuA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Visual Art: "Untitled," by Florine Demosthene – The Feminist Wire" border="0" height="176.6289074420929" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/YLhNIWET604a0rN2zUJlz7oKd0B45ljeasOfifk3M8p2HYQZFCm7_Lid0sxcuQscLvs9X-g7Smfx1XSqGmrqvsz17XtdQGXFmyE80ry-F6j4NUUDuumRFSXR-d2TCpcfdwBSA7YYT_PEWvtUuA" style="margin-top: -9.885920628905296px;" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DEMOSTHENE</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Raised between Port-au-Prince and New York, the multi-media painting and collage artist’s work is a contemporary take on the body, questioning stereotypes and common perceptions of the black female body in particular, and examining the human condition. She says of her work: “my art has been a peeling away of layers of preconceived ideas… this slow shedding process can be viewed as a continual rebirth of my identity.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark Clennon </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clennon is a photographer who has risen to prominence after a viral photograph taken in front of Trump Tower during 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in New York: he describes his work as “whimsical defiance”, capturing </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">black “existence, whether or not the white eye is looking.” Clennon has an eye for </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">colour and composition, resulting in beautiful, striking photographs emphasised </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by political</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fiqlw3XMPt7GAYJNpaW88g-QM_wz0mWdZbNaEIdLyP17CH32q9Ao0lO3E4i81Ce5aw0lJuCYSGkRboH9wpCU15Wf1W5ul8cqNUbCCQw-GkLKOwW2t3Ut4tnunSc1avotOR-C0maKbW5Vp3YT-g" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fiqlw3XMPt7GAYJNpaW88g-QM_wz0mWdZbNaEIdLyP17CH32q9Ao0lO3E4i81Ce5aw0lJuCYSGkRboH9wpCU15Wf1W5ul8cqNUbCCQw-GkLKOwW2t3Ut4tnunSc1avotOR-C0maKbW5Vp3YT-g" style="margin-top: -53.798721104860306px;" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">climate, though he feels conflicted in regard to his rising success: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why is it now </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that another Black man dies, and I’m getting this type of recognition?”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) Pradaolic</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Myla, in charge of popular Instagram account pradaolic, is a 19-year-old queer makeup artist based in Manchester. She finds inspiration in drag queens and sitting on the grass in her garden to connect with nature. In an interview with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Allure, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">she states, “I used to struggle a lot with my sexuality… My queerness… she’s the one in charge of making every creative thought I have come to life, the one that makes me who I am today, the one that lets each look’s energy speak for itself”. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>6) Khadija Saye</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xpfOqc7QlHll8CbareLpWfeAEt0kntXw7V7NsrJZ0kYl6euHnTOHM26iujk_dmjly-DqbVYUrncaJHDbVsIgKS53zCYKFAigV-ajoqgYM0MXhw6EiWgnmM6NkHPeoU9lPxHMo1nHQ_0U1P4yKw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="on Twitter: "Pradaolic… "" border="0" height="195.45352792739868" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xpfOqc7QlHll8CbareLpWfeAEt0kntXw7V7NsrJZ0kYl6euHnTOHM26iujk_dmjly-DqbVYUrncaJHDbVsIgKS53zCYKFAigV-ajoqgYM0MXhw6EiWgnmM6NkHPeoU9lPxHMo1nHQ_0U1P4yKw" style="margin-top: -29.249620854854584px;" width="157" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saye was a Gambian-British photographer and the youngest exhibitor in the Diaspora Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale, where her series of photographs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dwellings: in this Space we Breathe, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">based on Gambian spiritual practices, was exhibited. Much of her work focused on her cultural identity, and the self-described </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“deep-rooted urge to find solace in a higher power”. She died aged just 24 in the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>7) Ellen Gallagher </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Born in 1965 to an Irish-American mother and African-American father, Ellen Gallagher is an artist whose work largely refers to racial stereotyping. Some of her most well-known pieces, including </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DeLuxe (2005)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, involve modifying advertisements found in magazines targeted towards the African-American demographic; using multi-media techniques including </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photogravure" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">photogravure</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, etching, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collage" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">collage</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, cutting, scratching, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_printing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">silkscreen</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> printing</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offset_printing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">offset lithography</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. She uses repeated motifs and iconography throughout her work to reference minstrel shows,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IAUN9e_QJzImKZ6xamzHNKZ86VFmddL1RXW2GXa-5mGFKxSX9B9d2no53660cHayRGzI0wApBaIkvFHeoTp6C8QvqQg2YVBAGThi6d6Vf70MCh7YD7oVcOzFKo34zN7k7G10ucgqsHYzZ1JITw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="60 Best Ellen Gallagher images | Ellen, Pictograph, Prints" border="0" height="212.94169306755066" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IAUN9e_QJzImKZ6xamzHNKZ86VFmddL1RXW2GXa-5mGFKxSX9B9d2no53660cHayRGzI0wApBaIkvFHeoTp6C8QvqQg2YVBAGThi6d6Vf70MCh7YD7oVcOzFKo34zN7k7G10ucgqsHYzZ1JITw" style="margin-top: -43.418806940317154px;" width="165.00001966953278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GALLAGHER</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the transatlantic slave trade.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>8) Naima Green</b></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1KTh0o4OF88zP33FgHk7MiRAz9K5meBNiTDLGuJmFACm5V8V1qdf8wRni_JCDPx50IPHUz3a-JRuzyt2a_471mUlaNiaOm9ziocKsx7ox6Ms7reX-N9XeCxR3RPwtFAIQztbi6r7aOqQHj58yg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Photographer Naima Green reimagines Catherine Opie's famous 'Dyke ..." border="0" height="244.5024288892746" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1KTh0o4OF88zP33FgHk7MiRAz9K5meBNiTDLGuJmFACm5V8V1qdf8wRni_JCDPx50IPHUz3a-JRuzyt2a_471mUlaNiaOm9ziocKsx7ox6Ms7reX-N9XeCxR3RPwtFAIQztbi6r7aOqQHj58yg" style="margin-top: -40.75121930241585px;" width="163" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GREEN</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Green is a queer artist residing in New York, who has undertaken photography projects involving her friends and people in her own communities. Her 2019 project </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pur Suit </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a deck of playing cards made up of photographs of queer, trans and non-binary people in Brooklyn, inspired by Catherine Opie’s little-known early 1990s work ‘Dyke Deck’. Green’s ongoing project </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jewels from the Hinterland</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, depicting black people in parks, was sparked after she noticed that minorities are always depicted in cold, desolate spaces to show urban decay and poverty. She said of the project: “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've had a few people say that they can't understand my photographs because, for them, being black in nature conjures up images of slavery... that is incredible”. She aimed to capture </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“regions that black urbanities are not expected to inhabit. Our hinterlands.”</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><br />
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-5125190705849811142020-07-17T11:00:00.000+01:002020-07-17T14:57:26.077+01:00A Short Story by Ayla Di Biasio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Shukri Abdi: Rallies mark refugee girl's death anniversary ..." height="360" src="https://www.thetrafficseo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/shukri-abdi-rallies-mark-refugee-girls-death-anniversary.png" width="640" /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So you’ll meet us at the river at four?”, she asked, her wide, blue eyes staring into mine.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yep, four.” I answered.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Great, I'll see you there!” </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then she walked away, her blonde ponytail swaying behind her as she joined her group of friends. They giggled and walked inside to class. Things were finally working- the start of secondary school had been hard but she was finally making friends.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the school bell rang at 3:35 she left the school excited and arrived at the lake where everyone was. The girls sat in the grass in shorts and their school shirts gossiping.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She went over and sat down. Then the girl in the middle looked up at her, a smirk curled up on her face.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hey why don’t we have a dip in the lake? It's shallow and plus it's so hot today” she smiled at her, “What do you think?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her face flushed red- she never learnt how to swim. She told the girls this as she kneeled in close but they reassured her it was fine. It was shallow water, right? and she had her new friends there if anything happened.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, she got in the water. The girls made her get in first and said they would get in after and show her the way.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The water was quite cold and not that shallow but she reassured herself it was fine because her new friends were there. She got in and then the other girl did. She held her hand into the water. It was calm. The other girls sat at the bank talking. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then all of a sudden, she let go of her and swam away. She struggled in the water and asked for help but they just laughed. Then they left. It was just her in the cold waters. The panic set in and she tried to get out. It almost felt like the water was pulling her down. The ledge was too far for her to get to and she couldn’t stay up. She reached out and shouted for help but no one heard. Then everything went cold and dark and she couldn’t breathe. Her body was discovered in the river the next day.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was tasked with writing a short story for Purple Ink about the Black Lives Matter Movement. But I can’t do that. I can’t make up a story because there already are stories. Stories about real people and how our justice system failed them. What you just read was the real story of Shukri Yayhe-Abdi. She was a 12-year-old Somali refugee. She was muslim and wore a hijab. Last June she was drowned by her classmates.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They said they would meet her at the lake and then left her there to drown. The school did nothing. In fact even before this happened they reportedly ignored claims Shukri was being bullied. And after her death they ignored these claims again. Her family and friends have had to stand up to school and correct these claims that she was not bullied. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In June 2019, when she died, the police put in barely any investigation and her death was ruled a tragic accident even though there are signs of foul play like bite marks on her arms and previously mentioned bullying which was ignored by the school board. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The mayor of Manchester said he would look further into the case on June 8</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but as of now nothing else has been publicly said. This is disappointing because Shukri Abdi was murdered and justice needs to be served. Not enough has been done for her. This is even more shocking when we look at the Madeleine Mcann case, in which a young white girl disappeared 13 years ago and still hasn’t been found. However, 13 million pounds has gone into a search for her and she has had so much media attention. I’m not saying that Madeline’s life doesn’t matter but here is a clear example of injustice in the UK police- a white girl goes missing and there is so much money and media attention poured into finding her and then a Somali muslim refugee is murdered with evidence of the killers and it’s ruled an accident until after 2 weeks of protesting when her case is reopened. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So in conclusion our justice system needs to be rewritten and the stories of these people who were wronged need to be written so we don’t forget. Say her na</span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">me, Shukri Ab</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">di.</span></i></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-89632154799944744602020-07-17T10:59:00.000+01:002020-07-17T11:02:31.415+01:00BLM conversations in non-black POC households: why is it so difficult? By Chloe Ballera <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Ability to have difficult conversations is a key ..." height="356" src="https://miro.medium.com/max/1200/1*PDP6-MUMXkUzvPVc8eOJuQ.png" width="640" /><br />
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The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement is undoubtedly taking the world and forcing the public to take a step back, reflect on their actions towards the black community and have these all-important conversations on how to create a better world one day at a time. However for some families, this discussion is not as easy to carry out as one may think it is, especially for non-black people of colour (POC). <br />
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I assume, you are currently thinking to yourself, “Why? Why can you not just sit down with your parents and ask them their opinions on BLM? Surely it is not that difficult. ”. Well, let me tell you, it is just that difficult. <br />
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Being raised in a Filipino household, it goes without saying that growing up, I was more than aware of the several hundreds of years that Spain, US, Japan and the UK collectively colonised The Philippines. Contrary to certain beliefs, colonisation by these countries did not contribute to the development of the Filipino people, as well as the countless countries in Africa, the Americas, Oceania and Asia that endured subjugation; even after the country declared its independence, there is one unfortunate thing that survived: colonial mentality. <br />
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Colonial mentality is a form of internalised oppression, where one believes their own culture is inferior to that of the colonisers, and this can take form in various ways; hating the colour of your skin and taking extreme measures (e.g bleaching your skin) to achieve your desired skin tone, not wanting to date people from your own race because ‘it’s just a preference’, rejecting your culture’s food or media because you think it’s subpar - the list goes on. Let us look deeper into the issue regarding skin colour; the skin-whitening industry has a huge market in The Philippines, with a predicted 50% of the population using whitening products. Everywhere you look, posters for creams and adverts of soaps plague the country to brainwash its people into thinking ‘white is beautiful’, despite studies highlighting the dangers that come with abusing such products. Hearing my own niece cry and seeing how utterly distraught she was because she believed her gorgeous tan skin was ‘ugly’ in comparison to my own fair complexion was heartbreaking; at the age of 6, my niece was already swept up in the myth cast upon her by the Filipino media that the natural skin tone she was blessed with was not beautiful, that her ‘morena’ skin prevented her from being perceived as pretty. It is this same reason that the Aeta people, who are believed to be the true indigenous people of The Philippines, are ostracised from society because of their dark skin colour and type 2-3 hair. Labelled ‘negritos’ by the Spaniards, the Aeta people were placed at the bottom of the caste system used during Spanish rule, with people of full Austronesian blood nicknames ‘Indios’, placing just above the Aetas in the system. This hatred of darker skin colours bled into the 21st century and remains to be seen as a flaw rather than a feature that is appreciated. <br />
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<b>But how does this relate to discussing BLM with family members?</b><br />
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Racial prejudice against black people is prevalent amongst Filipinos, whether we recognise it or not. The colourism towards dark-skinned Filipinos paves the way for prejudice towards black communities. Readers from non-black ethnic minorities know that family members, particularly the older generations, stubbornly hold racist views. Respecting your elders is more than a common practice but is seen as a way of life, particularly in Asian communities, and to challenge their views would be seen as insolent. As if the clash between western culture and our parents’ cultures wasn’t strenuous enough, calling out family members on their racist implicit biases appears to be a death wish. Even if an attempt is made to discuss this particular social issue, many family members fail to see why they should care so much about ‘something that doesn’t affect them’. </div>
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With such a negative opinion on the indigenous population of The Philippines, how can we expect Filipinos to respect black people? Of course, that’s not to say all Filipinos are racist and actively participate in harmful activities towards black communities, but it is not rare to see us, as well as other Asians, acting as bystanders while injustice takes place towards black people every single day. An example would be Tou Thao, a Hmong American and one of the policemen charged with ‘aiding and abetting second degree murder’ regarding the death of George Floyd. The viral video of Floyd’s murder shows Thao standing and watching Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck, not interfering once despite Floyd stating that he could not breathe several times. Here, Thao represents the complicitness of anti-blackness in the Asian community, and his release serves as a reminder of the millions of times we have gotten away with such intolerance. In the UK, Priti Patel’s statement in the House of Commons to MP Florence Eshalomi began with how “saddened” she was that Eshalomi believed that “this government doesn't understand racial inequality”, ultimately signifying that she does not recognise the systemic racism that pervades our nation - this abetment cannot continue. <br />
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It is terrifying to even think of calling out your mum, dad or other family members for their words and actions, especially when you know that their opinion will not waver; I can speak from experience that it is not an easy task and there have been many times where I stayed silent for the sake of tranquility and not being labelled as disrespectful. But if we shy away from talking about this, we inherently do more damage towards the black community. Never speaking up guarantees that our loved ones can never change. Cowardice is only a temporary peace to help us avoid a momentary dispute, but at what cost? <br />
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<b>So how do I start this conversation, and what can I say to transform their outlook on BLM?</b><br />
There is no right or wrong way to begin a conversation about BLM; you can wait for someone to make a statement that you recognise is rooted in racism, and politely point out that what they said is offensive. On the other hand, you could mention an article you’ve recently read and talk about how it affected you emotionally, mentally and physically, or watch documentaries with your family in order to naturally bring up the topic of BLM. From there, you can ask follow-up questions such as ‘how has anti-blackness affected your experiences?’ and ‘what do you think about….?’. It is always a great idea to use analogies and examples that your family will be able to relate to so that they will be able to sympathise and perhaps empathise with the Black Lives Matter movement. They may not even realise that their mindset is embedded in racism, and these conversations may be the eye-opener they were not aware they so desperately needed. <br />
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Do not be afraid of someone disagreeing with you. Do not let the fear of a possible altercation prevent you from doing what is right. We cannot live in a world where we sit back and enable daily grievance towards our black friends when we have the power to make a change, starting with ourselves and our homes. <br />
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Below are some common arguments you might hear while having these talks as well as rebuttals so that you can be prepared to have a well-informed talk. It would also help if before you begin these discussions, you research events, statistics and facts so that you can speak confidently without potentially being discouraged:<br />
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<b>“I’m an ethnic minority, it is impossible for me to be racist.”</b><br />
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Being an ethnic minority does not exempt you from committing racist acts or speech. Denying the possibility of being racist means you believe it is impossible to obliterate anti-blackness amongst other non-black communities - we must acknowledge the racism in our communities and actively work to become anti-racist.<br />
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<b>“But who comes to defend us (as a minority) when we are in need of help? Why should Asians (as an example) support BLM when black people don’t stand up for us?”</b><br />
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This is not a competition to see who is more oppressed. With regard to COVID-19, many East Asians faced, and continue to face, blatant racism from all races; from Trump naming the virus “kung flu” to people being beat up in public, the Asian community has been deeply affected by the closed mindset of many individuals. So why would we want this to happen to others? It is wrong to not demand equity for black people because of the xenophobia we ourselves have experienced. We must stand in solidarity with our black counterparts and fight for their rights; despite being ethnic minorities, Asians hold privileges, such as not fearing the police, and we must use them for good. Fighting for this movement, fighting to eradicate white supremacy, fighting to destroy institutionalised racism benefits us all. <br />
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<b><br />“Why are you making it about race?”</b><br />
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Because it is about race. Everything is about race, it always has been and it always will be. The refusal to acknowledge this is detrimental to our communities; people are killed, not considered for jobs and university applications, live in fear because of their race, and it all boils down to the systemic racism that hinders equality in our society. Recognising race is not a bad thing, we must see race in order to dismantle the disparity in our nations. <br />
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<b><br />“But I have black friends and I enjoy black culture, so you can’t call me racist.”</b><br />
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You can have black friends and still be racist! You may not be calling the police on your black friends, but not conscientiously supporting them through being anti-racist is wrong. Believing in negative stereotypes and making ‘small’ comments are forms of casual racism, which may not be done or said with the intention of being racist but still have damaging impacts. Having black friends and enjoying black culture is an even bigger reason to check your own privileges and research how you can positively contribute to the BLM movement. <br />
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-84608608691280298382020-07-17T10:57:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:53:59.245+01:00The Music of the Movement: How Music Artists are Spreading Awareness of BLM by Sophia Brown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Stormzy Shut Up (Clean) - YouTube" height="360" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sRNTUVChkoY/maxresdefault.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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Many celebrities and people in the media’s spotlight have had roles to play in the current Black Lives Matter movement. Using their talents and platforms, many celebrities have spoken out to educate and spark the change that is so long overdue in our society.<br />
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It is widely recognised that part of changing the inequality and discrimination experienced by black people is for white people and those in power and control in society to recognise and accept their privilege and use it to make change, amplifying- but never suppressing or shouting over- the voices of black people. It is our job to listen to those who share their stories, support and what they are doing to create change for us. <br />
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Stormzy (Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr.) is known for standing for equality and injustice in the community. In his iconic and celebrated performance at the BRIT awards 2018 where Stormzy won the awards for British Male Solo Artist and Album (for 'Gang Signs & Prayer'), Stormzy called out Theresa May (the then Prime Minister) on the government’s lack of justice and sympathy with the victims of the Grenfell tragedy in 2017, saying ‘Yo, Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?’ adding that the government “just forgot about Grenfell, you criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, we should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”<br />
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More recently, for racial inequality, Stormzy has attended recent protests in London and pledged to donate £10 million over the next ten years to BLM charities and causes around the world. <br />
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The rapper said in a statement: “the uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit is that black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life – simply due to the colour of our skin. I’m lucky enough to be in the position I’m in and I’ve heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying, ‘If the country’s so racist how have you become a success?!’ And I reject that with this: I am not the UK’s shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard. There are millions of us. We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born. Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it.”<br />
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In 2018, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/16/stormzy-to-help-fund-cambridge-university-scholarships-for-black-students">he announced scholarships</a> for two black students attending Cambridge university, expanding the scheme with two more in 2019. He and black YouTube influencer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy3BDnBwfMAMFpqt3j9jHvQ">Courtney Daniella</a> were credited with helping boost the number of black applicants inquiring about its courses, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/11/stormzy-effect-record-number-black-britons-studying-cambridge-university">an almost 50% increase in admissions between 2018 and 2019</a>.<br />
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At the time, there was some opposition to this, claiming that Stormzy’s actions were ‘anti-white’. This idea of reverse-racism doesn’t exist and these people were clearly just confused as to the reason behind Stormzy’s efforts. He responded to this, saying he wasn’t anit-white, he’s pro-black and this pretty much explains itself. You can’t be anti-white in a world that is so far from fair; by making any changes towards equality, trying to balance out our hateful society, shouldn’t this change be praised? As it has been commonly chorused in the protests: ‘All lives can’t matter until black lives matter’.<br />
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In this world where black people face discrimination every day for no reason, we have to say and repeat ‘Black Lives Matter!’ <br />
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That year, he also launched #MerkyBooks, an imprint within Penguin Random House to publish writing “from underrepresented communities”. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/malorie-blackman">Malorie Blackman</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/nov/21/that-reminds-me-derek-owusu-review">Derek Owusu</a> and Stormzy himself are among the writers on the roster.<br />
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Korean group BTS (the world’s biggest boy band) donated $1m to Black Lives Matter, with the donation later matched by fans via a crowdfunding initiative.<br />
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‘The Weeknd’, donated $500,000 across three organisations: Black Lives Matter, <a href="https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/">Know Your Rights Camp</a> and <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/freeblackmamas2020">National Bail Out</a>. He added: “To my fellow respected industry partners and execs—no one profits off of black music more than the labels and streaming services. I urge you to go big and public with yours this week. It would mean the world to me and the community if you can join us.”<br />
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The R&B singer H.E.R. (Gabriella Wilson) released a beautiful and moving single ‘I Can’t Breathe’, inspired by the last words that George Floyd said before Derek Chauvin- a Minneapolis police officer- murdered him in late May. <br />
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Her song not only speaks for George Floyd and his story, but her story. She calls out racism and white privilege, drawing attention to the fact that white people must recognise and accept their privilege before equality can ever be reached. </div>
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Its not just new songs that are being used; ‘Alright’ the song by Kendrick Lamar which was released in 2015 - among others - has become a symbol and part of the BLM protests around the world, including those in London. Singing this song of people fighting for change, fighting for their rights and an end to their oppression while marching with others who believe in justice makes you believe that change really is possible. </div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-25339252933622019882020-07-17T10:56:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:56:22.536+01:00America: Eating Racism by Sophia Brown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Is there a healthy intersection to leverage between food ..." height="320" src="https://ncdalliance.org/sites/default/files/styles/feature_1800x900/public/shutterstock_441092656.jpg?itok=eDxKKE3M" width="640" /><br />
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The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked so many changes to different industries and you could say that, compared to previous stages of the movement, more noticeable progress and developments have been made. This is probably for several different reasons, including the expansion of social media. We’ve all seen how powerful ‘Gen Z’ has become, taking their future into their own hands; implementing change, creating diversity and justice in their world by educating themselves and learning the truth about racism. <br />
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The murder of George Floyd and recent BLM support has brought justice all around the world to victims of police brutality. Now, it is so much more than that. People are waking up to the problems and starting to confront the systemic racism that rules our society. In pretty much every part of life, people of black heritage are discriminated against for no reason other than the colour of their skin. This isn’t fair and it needs to be changed now. <br />
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By listening to the voices of the black community that have screamed, so desperate to be heard, for way too long, the necessary changes are slowly being made. I think that unless you experience anything personally, you can never really fully understand it, even if you think that you do. How can white people think that they could ever understand the extent of racism faced by every black person ever day? It’s things that they would never even consider. <br />
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If you haven’t experienced racism yourself, you might not have noticed that in the history of the Oscars, only 29 black actors have won awards, this means that only about 9% of awards were won by people of colour. You might not know about the Windrush scandal or that black people are at least 8 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police in the UK than white people even though there are 29 white people for every 1 black person. Racism is innocent black people thinking about what they wear, whether it could be considered ‘suspicious clothing’ by police whereas a white person would never have to worry about it. Not just this but due to the inequalities in employment, jobs and living areas for black people, under-supported and ignored by the government, the coronavirus pandemic is having an even more devastating impact on people from BAME backgrounds. </div>
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Racism in the form of stereotypes based on the history of slavery of black people, typically in America has been the foundation for many food brands including Aunt Jemima - famous for its pancake mix and syrup and Uncle Ben’s who make rice.<br />
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For decades, Quaker Oats knew that one of its major brands, Aunt Jemima, was built on racist imagery. The company inched toward fixing the problem over the years, replacing the kerchief on the Aunt Jemima character’s head with a plaid headband in 1968, and adding pearl earrings and a lace collar in 1989. Dominique Wilburn, who worked as an executive assistant at PepsiCo for several years had joined an effort to come up with a rebranding campaign for Aunt Jemima in 2016. In her group of six people, she was the only person of colour, and no changes were made. It took the BLM protest and the growth of the movement for the debated and constantly reviewed changes to actually take place; it was not until a few weeks ago that Quaker Oats announced it would drop the Aunt Jemima name and change the packaging all together.<br />
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The history of the brand is definitely linked to slavery and stereotypes based on a black woman working as a slave. The founders of the brand hired a former slave to portray Aunt Jemima at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. In the 1930s, after Quaker Oats bought the brand, the character was played in a radio series by a white actress who had performed in blackface on Broadway. A 1954 magazine ad showed Aunt Jemima superimposed over an image of a plantation and a riverboat.<br />
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Riché Richardson, an associate professor of African-American literature at Cornell University, called for an end to the Aunt Jemima character in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/06/24/besides-the-confederate-flag-what-other-symbols-should-go/can-we-please-finally-get-rid-of-aunt-jemima">a 2015 opinion</a> essay in The Times. In an interview, she said, “It is a symbol that is rooted in the ‘Mammy’ stereotype, that is premised on notions of black otherness and inferiority, that harkens back to a time when black people were thought of and idealized mainly in relation to servant positions.”<br />
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Kristin Kroepfl, the Quaker Oats chief marketing officer, said in a statement, “While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough. We will continue the conversation by gathering diverse perspectives from both our organisation and the black community to further evolve the brand and make it one everyone can be proud of to have in their pantry.” <br />
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This has been done before: PepsiCo had an advertising character; the Frito Bandito, from 1967 to 1971. Frito Bandito played into the stereotype of a sombrero-wearing, Mexican cowboy who robbed people of their Fritos. Mexican American activists spoke out against Bandito and it took about four years for the character to finally be retired. There were some strong similarities between Frito Bandito and Aunt Jemima in that both were recognizable, popular, and a success in the eyes of the advertising and marketing sectors. Quaker Oats (Aunt Jemima) is owned by the same company as that which used to own Frito Bandito: PepsiCo. Even though the company has said that they acknowledge Aunt Jemima’s being founded on a racist stereotype, the fact that Aunt Jemima hadn’t been actually reformed before now- Aunt Jemima had been owned by PepsiCo since 2001- is frustrating.</div>
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Quaker Oats said it would donate at least $5 million over the next five years “to create meaningful, ongoing support and engagement in the Black community.”<br />
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So many other food brands have been built on racial stereotypes and ideas that are no longer socially acceptable. For a long time, some shoppers have been uncomfortable supporting regular household brands that host the kind of branding and message of slavery and racism. Other food brands, including Cream of Wheat, Land O’Lakes and Uncle Ben’s, marketed themselves in the last century with racist stereotypes.<br />
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B&G Foods said that it was initiating a review of its Cream of Wheat packaging to “take steps to ensure that we and our brands do not inadvertently contribute to systemic racism.” Land O’Lakes had started <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/business/land-o-lakes-butter.html">removing stereotypical Native American imagery</a> from many of its products before the recent protests.<br />
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Uncle Ben’s rice is making changes too; “As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the black community, and to the voice of our associates worldwide, we recognise that now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do,” the company said. “Racism has no place in society. We stand in solidarity with the black community, our associates and our partners in the fight for social justice.” Mars (the company that owns Uncle Ben’s) said it was evaluating all possibilities for changes to the product, which could include a new name.“We don’t yet know what the exact changes or timing will be, but we will evolve Uncle Ben’s visual brand identity,” the company said.<br />
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With all the new changes to the racism which has been ingrained in our culture and daily lives, we are slowly starting to untie the horrible and chaotic mess of systemic racism all over the world. However, its not this easy or straight forward.<br />
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By changing the name on a packet of rice, you’re not helping much in my opinion. True, it is stopping the continuation of the pain to those who were uncomfortable buying a product which was built on and showcased the time when their ancestors were used brutally as salves. But I think this is simply not enough.<br />
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Eradicating and erasing systemic racism from food packets and marketing many have been ‘discussed’ among companies previously but nothing ever came from it. What is the point of it then if nothing actually changes? Its all due to the recent screams for equality that have forced these changes on people who were either too scared to change before or weren’t ready to properly address the issue of racism and how it affects every corner of society. Slowly, we are realising that hate is not the answer and racism is so deep rooted in history and society; the only way of changing this is by talking to each other about it and accepting the responsibility and privilege to enforce change.</div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-58749496785135253422020-07-17T10:55:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:57:43.836+01:00 Is the UK government really doing anything effective to help fight institutional racism? By Iola King-Alleyne<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="What Is the Structure of the British Government ..." height="360" src="https://images.reference.com/reference-production-images/question/aq/1400px-788px/structure-british-government_82f60ab8b6f4e186.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Following the death of Black American George Floyd on 25th May 2020, protests broke out across the world to call attention to the institutional racism and racial inequalities imprinted in our society. Of course, one of the main aims of the protest was to get the UK government to deeply look into racism in this country and evaluate how they can help to eradicate it with their policies. <br />
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Following the 2016 Black Lives Matter protests, the government did some work on racial inequality in 2017. Theresa May published the Race Disparity Audit, showing that there were inequalities between ethnicities regarding educational attainment, health, employment, and treatment by the police and courts. Also, in 2017 the Lammy Review found evidence of racial bias in the justice system in England and Wales and the McGregor-Smith Review found that people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds experienced higher rates of unemployment than their white counterparts. Furthermore, following the recent Windrush scandal, an independent review published in March found that the Home Office showed “institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race”.<br />
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From everything above, it is clear to see that the government were well aware of the severity of racial problems in our country, yet they never actually implemented solutions for them. So, that is exactly what people were finally expecting after the recent protests. Yet, unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, little action has been taken again. <br />
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Recently, Boris Johnson announced plans for a Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities in the government, which will further investigate all aspects of inequality in healthcare, education, the justice system, and many other sectors. This sounds awfully familiar to the reviews of 2017, and as the Labour party’s justice secretary said, the government needs to follow the recommendations from the last reviews, not launch more. In an interview with BBC radio 4, he stated “It feels like yet again in the U.K., we want figures, data, but we don’t want action”. The findings of the commission are expected to be published at the end of 2020, after which some solutions will hopefully come to light.<br />
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Regarding another issue highlighted by the protests, the fight to make black history a compulsory part of the curriculum, the government have yet again taken little action. In early June, a group fighting for this cause, called The Black Curriculum, sent a letter to the UK government asking to meet and discuss reforms to the syllabus. However, on June 25th they announced via Instagram (@theblackcurriculum) that the request to meet had been declined, with the government responding that the “national curriculum as a framework is broad, balanced and flexible, allowing schools to teach black history”. This is so disappointing because it is obvious that without being made compulsory, with clear and specific framework, schools are not encouraged to teach black history and really it all goes down to the school individually. There are so many problems that could occur from this, such as inconsistency across the country with a depth of understanding on black history, and varying attitudes towards the part that black people had in building the Britain that we live in today… just to name a couple. <br />
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However, something that the government has really been taking action on, is prosecuting people who damage memorials, following many acts of vandalism during both the Black Lives Matter protests and the far-right racist anti- Black Lives Matter protests in the past couple of weeks. To put it simply, the government wants to ensure that the people who committed these actions of vandalism against important British memorials can receive the maximum sentence of 10 years, regardless of the value of criminal damage, as previously anything with the value of criminal damage under £5,000 would only carry a maximum sentence of 3 months. This sentence carries so much injustice as it means that someone causing ‘harm’ to an inanimate object could get more time in jail than a person who has inflicted grievous bodily harm, violent disorder, theft, carrying knives, acid or offensive weapons, upskirting and causing death by careless driving, to name but a few. Despite this, stronger prosecution on causing damage to war memorials has been strongly backed by the Conservative party, saying that they will not “stand idly by as our democracy is dismantled in this way”.<br />
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The reason why I wanted to include the government’s current stand on the defamation of memorials was to show the imbalance between the work being done to get justice for inanimate objects and get justice for the black community. It’s clear that our current government do not know how to handle the cries for equality coming from the tons of protestors and Black Lives Matter supporters. But with the Conservatives in power until the next general election of 2024, will any progress on stamping out institutional racism actually be made?</div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-39370346850382152442020-07-17T10:54:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:57:22.937+01:00Why I ignored government advice to stay home to go to a BLM protest by Iola King-Alleyne<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Black Lives Matter Changes Tactics From Protests to Policy ..." height="360" src="https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--hMvpKjvi--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_900,q_80,w_1600/hx8fyd08wipcizrqmm1d.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Despite the current Covid-19 outbreak, I attended a black lives matter protest in Central London on the 6th June. I, along with thousands of others, ignored the government advice to stay at home and socially distance during this pandemic, to make noise about the systemic racism and injustices still facing the black community today, which are seemingly ignored by those running our country. <br />
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Of course, I attended the protest to fight for justice for George Floyd, who was killed on 25th May by a US police officer, and so many other black lives taken by those who are supposed to be protecting us, and other civilians. But also, I felt an overwhelming moral duty to go, as I am half Caribbean, racism has directly affected my family. My great uncle was very involved in fighting for black rights in the UK throughout the late 1900’s and although I never met him, I know how incredibly proud he would be of our generation continuing his- and so many others’- work to help end the systemic oppression of black people, which started and should have ended with the slave trade. I also wanted to go to be able to tell my future children that although I, individually, had little power to do anything, I attended a protest and signed petitions that had so much power to make change. In fact, the Black Lives Matter protests so far have enabled the murderer of George Floyd, police officer Derek Chauvin’s charge to be upped from third to second degree murder. <br />
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I remember feeling so out of place getting on the tube, as I was clearly the only person at my station going to the protest, made obvious by my huge cardboard sign. I’m ashamed to say that the couple of funny looks I got definitely regarding me ignoring government advice did make me question if I should be going at all. But eventually more protestors got on the tube, reassuring me that I made my decision to go for a reason, and I should have full trust in that. We all piled off at Westminster Station in masses, heading towards Parliament Square. <br />
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My friends and I stood on the edge of the square, holding up signs that said ‘teach black history in schools!’, as we believe that that is the key to promoting more equality. The day consisted of chanting, reoccurring chants being ‘no justice no peace’ and ‘say his name, George Floyd’, and then a march over Vauxhall bridge, to a spot outside the US embassy. It was then that a mass kneel and a minute silence took place, out of respect for George Floyd and all the other unjust killings of black people, motivated by racism. There were some cars beeping along to the chants, and others holding passengers that seemed rather annoyed at the floods of people in the road causing standstill traffic, but the action that felt the most genuine and heartfelt was the lowered heads and raised fists of some car and bus drivers. Their clear wholehearted solidarity for the movement through such a simple yet powerful action was the most encouragement that I, and I’m sure many others, have ever felt.<br />
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If you wanted to go to the protests but were unable to attend, then do not feel bad or in any way ashamed. Although a large turnout to the protests was necessary to draw attention to the movement and the calls for change that it asks for, there are so many other ways to show support. Signing petitions and educating yourself on systemic racism and police brutality make so much more of a change than you may realise. Even reading this edition of Purple Ink is showing support for the cause.<br />
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No justice, no peace.</div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-31907410961792033832020-07-17T10:53:00.000+01:002020-07-17T15:07:49.452+01:00Pugna Pro Nobis by Siofra Rafferty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Angels & Dragons IV: St. Michael’s Protection - ATX Catholic" height="360" src="https://atxcatholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/image9.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the 26th June, I saw a post. It made me think.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, immediately, I didn't doubt it. In fact, it even sounded familiar, I wondered who must have passed this hushed comment on to me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disturbingly, I was also amused. Not just by the absurdity of the statement itself, but by the fact that I know I had heard and overheard much worse. I knew, as a student of St Michael’s, this was the tip of a teetering iceberg of insensitivity. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Over the years I’ve spent at my school, I have heard and witnessed different instances where my friends had been insulted - whether intentionally or not - by other people’s views and actions on race. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can imagine it was difficult: to go to the school with a complaint so personal and deeply hurtful: a feeling the majority of the staff just can’t understand, and to be forced to dribble Catholic words of forgiveness and mask the second slap in the face the school’s response has left.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can imagine it equally difficult to learn that really nothing can be done, to become conditioned to take a deep breath, share a piercing glare, and get back to work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And I can imagine it was infinitely more difficult because a significant lot of these original comments, insults, and disrespect came from our teachers. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the person who’s supposed to help you and educate you, seems as if they don’t know how to help, and don’t know how to respond, it must feel so frustrating. It must feel very isolating. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jane Elliott’s famous ‘Eye of the Storm’ study (1968) shows that when young children are discriminated against in a classroom setting, based on a characteristic as biologically meaningless as race (eye colour): their enthusiasm, engagement and performance drops drastically, within less than a few hours. To have to fight this false notion of being ‘less than’ every day of your life, not even just on the street to strangers, but in an environment supposed to cater to your learning and growth, to have to defend your humanity to the smiling faces of your friends and teachers? Indeed, it must feel very isolating.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Already, black students at St Michael’s are made to feel ‘othered’. Their concerns, and their pain are perceived differently, handled awkwardly, and soon dismissed, with perhaps no more than a flushed, backward glance. Yet the grades these brilliant minds achieve (despite the emotional, psychological and intellectual damage that discrimination is proven time and time again to cause) are still boasted as the fruits of St Michael’s labour, instead of the determined, uprooted trees that grew despite the thunderstorm that wrecked them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every time a black student was insulted in this way, it seemed the whole school was insulted with them. The close-knit sister solidarity that I feel is so precious, cultivated and nurtured so carefully by all-girl schools, expresses itself well in times like these. When it seems we have no other allies, and one common enemy. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But we were only children: fighting a fight that is generally believed since no one else is doing it, we shouldn’t be either. We were disgusted, we were outraged, we were up in arms, but we were only children. And begrudgingly, I knew the school used our learnt powerlessness and obedience to their advantage. Society as a whole finds it disturbingly easy to dismiss the feelings and pain of young women. And that discrimination, that dismissal, is not limited to outside our proud, pearly gates. In an all-girls school, the rampant vindication, villainisation, of young women, especially young women of colour, is blood-curdling.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a white female student of St Michael’s for many years, I know the incidents that instantly sprang to my mind, upon seeing that post, and the successive posts detailing similar incidents at St Michael’s (which now brings us to top of the leaderboard for recurring features on public shaming posts on black activism accounts, an achievement I can’t help but think perhaps will be exempt from any celebration and self-congratulation in assembly) were but a fraction of the experiences my black and brown classmates had endured. I couldn’t help thinking about the younger students in the school: with now a more senior student’s perspective, it seemed barbaric that eleven year old girls had already learnt to endure and dismiss each insensitive comment after the next. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I decided to ask. And my heart broke.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Colonisation in Africa was a good thing. It helped the development of Africa.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“India’s colonisation was beneficial. The British helped them: gave them railways, etc.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, you should probably look into your family history: your ancestors were probably slaves from Africa.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the more they revealed to me, the more girls confided in me and thanked me, the more it became clear to me how important this task really is. Students in STM seemed to have been waiting for someone with the privilege, position, and perturbation to fight for them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To defend the girls who had to seriously, calmly answer the question “Is there clean water in Nigeria?”, from an adult who should have received at least a university level education. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the brown girl sewing in DT, who was asked by a member of staff “Do you have plans to work in a sweatshop? It’s not much of a career choice you know.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the girls who were asked if their braids and locs smelled, and if they ever washed them. To the same girls who were then physically smelt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the girls told to remove their afro picks and headscarves, on the one day we are given to celebrate black history, threatened with detentions and accused of defiance, whilst the white girls like myself, with bandanas and flags and headbands every St Patrick’s Day face no such threat.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the history class who were made to debate if the slave trade was really racist.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the history class who were made to debate if Oliver Cromwell’s ‘rights’ (which are still unknown to me) outdid his wrongs of mass slavery, control and murder of ethnic minorities.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the Muslim students in our sixth form, who only a few years ago were allowed to wear a hijab, who were told, when they wanted to lead a school assembly on Islamaphobia, to be careful what they say, “because we don’t want any of the little Year 7s thinking they’re going to get bombed.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To all the black girls whose names have been used interchangeably, identities swapped carelessly with any other black classmate. To have to again, seriously answer the illogical, thoughtless question of “Are you related?” concerning two people who look nothing alike, and have different names.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the English classes who year after year had to hear their white English teacher enthusiastically anunciate the n-word in the dialogue of ‘Of Mice and Men’, as if it meant nothing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To the school, who was told by a senior member of staff that the n-word carried the same weight and pain and insult as sh*t, b*tch, or f*ck. That a historical and present racial slur, the last word so many black people heard screamed and spat in their face as they drew in their final breath, is the same as my automatic response to any minor inconvenience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As these girls and young women told me more and more, as they recounted a range of incidents that happened not only this or the past year, but also years ago, I realised how deeply these comments still affect people. Your students will carry this burden for a lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The more I learnt about this dark, lived reality, the more a disturbing, even corrupt, pattern began to form. It appeared that, time and time again, St Michael’s valued the ancient, abstract notion of ‘reputation’ above the immediate and tangible experiences of their students.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hushed apologies behind closed doors, coerced words of forgiveness and desperate assurances that “This will </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">never </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">happen again.” seem to be the tactics of an operation not set out to fight racism, but to conceal it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because it would happen again. And again: until the spread of disillusionment resulted in silence of so many girls, who heard and witnessed and experienced more than we will know, as they had already come to realise that the school was helpless, and therefore so were they.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A system of discipline that can seriously dismiss repetitive, identical incidents as ‘isolated’, instead of a direct consequence of lack of education in the staff and student body, is one riddled with a malignant cancer, one refusing treatment to keep up appearances for its open-casket funeral.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So although the way in which I approached this, guns blazing, words searing, was perhaps not wise, it was honest. It was passionate. It was true. Which is more than what can be said for a lot of journalism these days. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ignorance is hurtful, is dangerous and corrupting. It leads to violence. So I hope I might be excused for catering to the humanity of my fellow students before the feelings of adults.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am 16. I am still learning my way with words. I am still exploring my views, opinions and ideologies. I am still growing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But you - you have been allowed to settle. You have dug your heels in the muck of the past, and no one yet has stopped to unstick you. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just because no one else in my place has bothered to question your ignorance, doesn’t mean I’m wrong. It doesn’t mean that either myself, or my question, are unreasonable. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It doesn’t make me - like how so many horrifically influential people like to call intelligent women with informed opinions - a b*tch. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know - well, I’d like to know - that you didn't mean it. It wasn't your intention. But I’m afraid that doesn't matter. Once our words leave our mouths they are not our own. They are no longer thoughts, they are a choice: a physical, tangible product that our peers can interact with. It is other people’s right to decide now what our words mean to them, their right - not ours - to feel hurt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone says things they shouldn’t say. I must make this mistake ten times a day. But we shouldn’t hide or deny our words, it is no good running away from them. We must run after them. Our words, released snarling and spitting from the dark corners of our private consciousness, have the power to destroy. Yet we have the same power to heal what we wound. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think I can understand all people with strong opinions to some extent: even if they have a polar opposite ideology to my own, essentially we are still the same. I also feel passion in my thoughts and words, and I too feel frustration when I feel unheard or misunderstood. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We, as the loud and the outspoken, have a duty now to recognise that just because we are louder, perhaps more eloquent or concise and succinct, it doesn't mean we are correct. Often I can get carried away with the (for lack of a better word) enchantment, of my own speech, my conceited, persuasive charm sometimes convincing even my most logical elements of myself. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We must listen to the voices and the minds of people who know more, yet say less. Truly those are the people who have stopped and observed, and absorbed, whilst we preached atop our soapboxes and cackled at our own wit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These people are those who the world has forced to be silent; it is not by accident that society wants the voices of young black women quashed. To paint passionate, intelligent young women as over-emotional and irrational is perhaps the greatest crime on gender I have yet to witness.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To think of where we could be in this world if women had been listened to all along - defended, justified, celebrated - gives me pain; but it also gives me hope.</span></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-7702900746042125202020-07-17T10:52:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:57:52.952+01:00Revolution art in the past vs now by Adele Tadevosyan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IwYbtPaFIXYLTTZ3VRhqdvQb2qcjdVZR72i7i4xOqx92Ee01y2hQFmOxtek1Fz_orx-aBpM6_unZ9J-UJLKQ13kTQCfafVR3YlaFE3MSQCzOIMvimurLmoE6NBEpFhcL-rRg1mD03zqf-1OaSQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IwYbtPaFIXYLTTZ3VRhqdvQb2qcjdVZR72i7i4xOqx92Ee01y2hQFmOxtek1Fz_orx-aBpM6_unZ9J-UJLKQ13kTQCfafVR3YlaFE3MSQCzOIMvimurLmoE6NBEpFhcL-rRg1mD03zqf-1OaSQ" width="640" /></a></div>
On Social Media or on the streets/underground you may have seen graffiti, which just by looking at it, it might confuse you: <br />
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But due to the current mass protest over Police Brutality in America, (the UK being hardly innocent) there has been much more graffiti but in the name of revolution. Racism isn’t suddenly blowing up again, it’s being recorded now. I’m sure many of you know the fist against racism which has been plastered everywhere: <br />
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Graffiti, a form of art, has been used to kind of document the movement, but in the past, there have been many paintings and sculptures to show other revolutions during history. Some notable mentions would be Washington Crossing the Delaware (on the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War) <br />
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/T8lOI7sMEi0484kxRZCZyPxepak8DG5MyXgwcY4HO7hY1aQqlEajLQqcPQRhU4I6VUpcAajNMbobEOCNLH4_qTnQ6gXMaWGQAfO-8ost2Horavr1mMDvQQ_I9np2QpSlyUun1NdYemX_lLotow" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/T8lOI7sMEi0484kxRZCZyPxepak8DG5MyXgwcY4HO7hY1aQqlEajLQqcPQRhU4I6VUpcAajNMbobEOCNLH4_qTnQ6gXMaWGQAfO-8ost2Horavr1mMDvQQ_I9np2QpSlyUun1NdYemX_lLotow" width="150" /></a>Painting by Emanuel Leutze created in 1851 <br />
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Liberty Leading the People<br />
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Painting by Eugène Delacroix created in 1830<br />
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The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar<br />
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Painting by John Trumbull created in 1789<br />
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The Tennis Court Oath<br />
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Painting by Jacques-Louis David created in 1791 (but unfinished)<br />
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All these are classic versions of revolutionary paintings, which changed the world. We are doing that too. They may not want to listen to one voice, but they will have to listen to millions. Keep fighting for what you believe is right. </div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-13420656933654274342020-07-17T10:51:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:58:48.136+01:00Racism in the Soviet Union by Adele Tadevosyan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Soviet Union | History, Leaders, Map, & Facts | Britannica.com" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/36/22536-004-9855C103.jpg" /><br />Researching the Soviet Union, racism was a topic which came up quite frequently. Naturally I was unsurprised because of what my grandparents and parents would tell me about their childhoods in the Soviet Union. It’s not racism to specific people, but to almost every other country besides Russia. Some examples of what they would do are: <br /><br />From 18th November 1932 peasants from Ukraine were required to return extra grain they had previously earned for meeting their targets. State police and party brigades were sent into these regions to root out any food they could find. <br /><br />The forcible deportation of the Crimean Tatars from Crimea was ordered by Stalin as a form of “ethnic cleansing” of the region and collective punishment for alleged collaboration with the Nazi occupation regime in Taurida Subdistrict during 1942–1943. A total of more than 230,000 people were deported. This included the entire ethnic Crimean Tatar population, at the time about a fifth of the total population of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as ethnic Greeks and Bulgarians. <br /><br />The prosecution of Greeks in the USSR was gradual: at first the authorities shut down the Greek schools, cultural centres, and publishing houses. Then, the NKVD indiscriminately arrested all Greek men 16 years old or older. All Greeks who were wealthy or self-employed professionals were sought for prosecution first. <br /><br />According to J. Otto Pohl, 65,599 Germans perished in the special settlements and that an additional 176,352 unaccounted for persons "probably died in the labour army". During the Stalin era, the Soviet Germans continued to be confined to the special settlements under strict supervision, in 1955 they were rehabilitated but were not allowed to return to the European USSR until 1972. <br /><br /><a href="https://meduza.io/en/feature/2020/06/10/yandex-fired-a-taxi-driver-for-refusing-an-african-passenger-then-a-campaign-defending-the-driver-appeared-on-twitter">https://meduza.io/en/feature/2020/06/10/yandex-fired-a-taxi-driver-for-refusing-an-african-passenger-then-a-campaign-defending-the-driver-appeared-on-twitter</a> <br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />With Russia having quite old-fashioned citizens, you can imagine the hurt and pain people feel when a babushka (grandmother) moves to a different seat so they don’t have to sit next to you, or being stared at and whispered about. In the video you see how he openly says ‘Of Course!’ after being asked if he was racist, which just goes to show you how openly careless people can be. "The basketball clubs are already used to having black girls on their teams, so there's less racism around. But when you play for a Russian team there are always comments on social media pages: Is she really Russian? Has there been a mix-up? People think it's funny when a black girl plays for Russia."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"It upset me so much when I was a kid, I took it so much to heart. But now I shrug it off. Why do they call me names? The answer is simple: it's not me that's wrong, it's the people around me." - Kamilla Ogun, basketball player, 21.<br /><br /></div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-16612818404322838042020-07-17T10:50:00.000+01:002020-07-17T11:00:33.468+01:00Racism in the workplace: the NHS by Isabelle Lenton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /><br /><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HiBPx3HvqwTj6u_hqSLeyN292v6gACxdWl2ZlCk8YvcZKbSVX_PjvJDK9hS92FZY0ipDWtYus1YY_w6P8hOTH6YZ50ssfpxrpyphLxwFBebWouJVKPbWkbkG8XwjMspMm-_p2B1C"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HiBPx3HvqwTj6u_hqSLeyN292v6gACxdWl2ZlCk8YvcZKbSVX_PjvJDK9hS92FZY0ipDWtYus1YY_w6P8hOTH6YZ50ssfpxrpyphLxwFBebWouJVKPbWkbkG8XwjMspMm-_p2B1C" width="640" /></a><br /><br />There are different forms of racism. Systematic is used to describe the way a process is done, while systemic is used to describe something inside a system. It doesn’t exist as a result of the system, it IS the system. Institutional racism is the policies and practices that reinforce racist standards within a workspace or organisation. Structural racism is when multiple institutions collectively upholding racist policies and practices, i.e. society. Racism is tied up with the way society and organisations operate that it has become embedded.<br /><br />Racism in the workplace includes excluding entirely or performative staging of poc staff on the company website and marketing, constantly mistaking poc staff for other poc staff, invading the space of black staff by touching or constantly commenting on their hair, anticipating emotional response based on race/gender (e.g. the angry black woman stereotype), refusing to learn to pronounce or continuing to mispronounce names after they have been corrected as well as ignoring complaints made to leadership or assuming unimportance, to name a few.<br /><br />The NHS is a prime example of this. Did you know that 95% of the doctors who died during the first month of Covid-19 were from the BAME community (source: HSJ April 2020)? Also, black and brown doctors are reported to the GMC (General Medical Council) more than twice the rate as white doctors (source: GMC fair to refer 7 2019). Black NHS staff report the highest incidence of bullying and harassment from their colleagues and leaders and that 92% of board members in NHS trusts are white (source: NHS workforce race equality standard 2019)<br /><br /><br />For every £1 a black female doctor earns, a white female doctor earns £1.19 and a white male doctor makes £1.38 (source: NHS pay gap report 2019) <br /><br />19.7% of staff working for NHS trusts and CCGs are from a black and minority (BAME) background <br /><br />29% of BAME staff experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from patients, relatives or the public (source: NHS workforce race equality standard, 2019) <br /><br />Racist behaviour: <br /><br />36.7% of staff dealt with racist or xenophobic jokes, comments, abuse or name-calling <br /><br />14.8% felt patients refused to accept care or treatment because of their race <br /><br />18.6% found colleagues refusing to work with or deliberately isolating them because of their race <br /><br />12.6% were subject to physical abuse or intimidation due to their race <br /><br />32.3% felt unwarranted criticism because of their race <br /><br />21.5% felt they were being blocked from promotions or training because of their race <br /><br />58.4% felt they were treated as inferior because of their race (source: Unison’s race for equality campaign, 2019) <br /><br />The NHS is a crucial institution which provides free medical care to the whole of the UK's population and has proved itself time and time again, but especially over the last couple of months. Both black and white doctors are performing the same heroic service to society, yet they are treated with with despicable difference. You don't need me to tell you that this must change.<br /><br /><br />This isn’t a moment, it’s a movement.</div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-63193662763073713682020-07-17T10:49:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:59:19.756+01:00About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge by Isabelle Lenton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A definitive goal for all of us is to educate ourselves on structural racism, white privilege and how to be anti-racist. A recommendation I’m sure you’ve heard of is the book “Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge. It’s an essential book about the underlying racism in our society. I’ve found that many educational sources focus on systemic racism in America, however, Reni Eddo-Lodge is a British journalist and author from north-London so it really hits home.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Her podcast features key voices from the last few decades of anti-racist activism and looks at the recent history that lead to the politics of today. There are also transcripts on the podcast’s website if you struggle to listen to podcasts. Here is a debrief on each episode:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She looks back to a time some considered post-racial Britain - the 90s. It explores Operation Black Vote and the Tony Blair poster.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">White Season part 1</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reni looks into the rise of the far-right in Britain and why people were voting the way they did - focusing on the working-class, immigration and demographic changes.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">White Season part 2</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reni digs deeper into the left-behind white working-class narrative. It also includes Akala: rapper and author of Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Political Blackness</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In this episode, she deep dives into what political blackness means to the different generations. It also includes the Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Shout out Miss Beep part 1</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Nish Kumar helps us to really understand Reni and find out more about her uprising. It also talks about the racism black students face and teachers setting low expectations for them.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Shout Out Miss Beep part 2</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Now that we’ve gotten to know Reni, Nish Kumar delves into how and why “Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People About Race” came to be. Exploring racism in the publishing and book industry.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">White Women Crying is Racist!</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reni looks at the realities of intersectional feminism featuring activists from the group Sisters Uncut. Talking about how white guilt and shame is racist as it shifts the focus to them.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Anti-Racist Renaissance</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Are the tides changing and are we all woke? It features the actor Riz Ahmed, and they talk about how poc actors get more work overseas in the US compared to the UK.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Big Question</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The refugee crisis and racism in the distribution of aid. The importance of sanitary products and cleaning products in refugee camps.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This isn’t a moment, it’s a movement.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Websites:</span></div>
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<a href="http://renieddolodge.co.uk/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reni Eddo-Lodge's Website</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.aboutracepodcast.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">About Race Podcast with Reni Eddo-Lodge</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Articles:</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/reni-eddo-lodge" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reni Eddo-Lodge's profile on The Guardian</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/30/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (Text version)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2017/may/31/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race-podcast" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">'Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race' – podcast</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (Audio version)</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/21/reni-eddo-lodge-uk-book-charts-debate-racism-game-some-dont-want-to-play" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reni Eddo-Lodge: 'The debate on racism is a game to some and I don't want to play'</span></a></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-33137295246302204022020-07-17T10:48:00.000+01:002020-07-17T11:01:45.285+01:00Where does change need to come from? By Grace Gartlan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter: How Student ..." height="426" src="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/mt/2015/11/HS_protest/lead_960.jpg?1448291941" width="640" /><br />
It is undeniable that, in order to overcome the staggering racism across the world, we need drastic change. But who needs to instigate this; those few in power or those millions at a grass roots level? Or is it better to ask who is most likely to bring about change? Racism regrettably occurs at all levels of society, and needs to be stopped at all levels of society, be it the slurs, jokes and racial profiling that occurs withing friends, families and communities, or the systemic discrimination in our education, healthcare, policing, job market etc. So surely we all have a part to play.<br />
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Those in power need to deliver effective policy change to alter institutionalised racism. They need to recognise the wrong in the fact that there are over double the amount of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in poverty than white people by addressing the causes and effects of poverty, including inequality in the job market and the prices of housing around the top state schools. They need to address the fact that only 1.2% of the police force are black by addressing inequality in job applications but also by fixing the issue of engagement and police reputation, especially that fact that a black person is nine times more likely to undergo stop and search than a white person. They need to address the fact that only 6% of management roles are held by people from BAME backgrounds by addressing the issue of diversity within parliament itself. It is undeniable that to change a society built on inequality, that governmental change is paramount to widespread success. <br />
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However, the people in charge are accountable to those who elected them. This means that, as a nation, we need to demand change. We need to make sure that the importance of racial equality is something that we search for in manifestos and expect of our leaders so that they realise confronting racism is the only option. In so many ways, politics is like a business: they are motivated by the wants of the whole nation, the customers, to hold onto their position, the profit. Similar to companies using targeted marketing, they design their policy to please those who participate most in elections, to maximise their chance of success by securing the most votes, like a company would sales. This means that we need to increase political participation so that the government are more accountable to everyone in our diverse culture, so that we can see the needed policy change to fight racism. In addition, petitions, when signed by so many everyday people, can become policy change, as the government have to discuss the issue. This means that we do not just have to wait until the next vote to be involved, and bring the campaign to the forefront of discussions. With the rise in ‘e-democracy’, it is becoming easier than ever to pressure the government into change, as it can be done for the comfort of one’s own home. Now more than ever, the power to change is in our hands. <br />
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More than just government change, however, everyone has a duty to be anti-racist, and to instil a positive, diversity-appreciating attitude in those around them. Those in power can’t be everywhere to call out every act of racism, or to help people to learn from their mistakes, even if they have put in place the policy to criminalise such hate crimes. This means that every individual has a responsibility to do such, call out mistakes and educate, as well as avoid business and institutions who aren’t committed to the fight for racial equality. We need to build out future society based on a universal agreement to value equality.<br />
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Overall, every individual, of every age and background, has the ability to fight racism and encourage policy change. It would be wrong to just blame the government for racism, and settle that we have no power to make a difference, given that we are talking about the wellbeing of millions of people. We need societal change, and therefore, every member of society has to be involved. </div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-28963035930705993212020-07-17T10:01:00.001+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.851+01:00Unpicking The Ethnocentric Curriculum by Sienna Mullen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Anti-Racism Campaigners Told School Curriculum Is 'Already ..." class="image-preview js-image-preview" data-src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5f0572c01f00008006337ac7.jpeg?ops=1200_630" height="336" src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5f0572c01f00008006337ac7.jpeg?ops=1200_630" width="640" /></span><br />
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The term ‘ethnocentric’ describes an attitude or policy that gives priority, and therefore unjust superiority, to the culture of one particular ethnic group, while disregarding others. Blatantly, the ethnic group is the white majority, which dominates and has the unfair advantage over all ethnicities in the education system. I could write all day about the institutional racism within the education system and schools but I’ve decided to zoom in on the broad topic of the ethnocentric curriculum, and how one can break and change this.</div>
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Think back to your days in the history classroom. Remember learning about the Tudors? White. Remember learning about Oliver Cromwell, a glorified advocator of slavery and oppression? White. Remember learning about Queen Elizabeth I yet not touching on the slavery that was occuring simultaneously during her reign? White. Remember learning about black history, both past and present, and the devastation that was slavery? No, neither do I.<br />
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Using history is a fairly obvious choice, and is nothing that you wouldn’t have heard or thought of before- not that I am taking the easy way out- but it serves as a prime example and demonstration of the ethnocentric curriculum; enforcing white supremacy, forcing black submission as they are denied the chance to learn about their heritage. </div>
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As a white person, I can say with full confidence, and I am not an anomaly, those glorified white figures of history, most of whom we ignore their inherent flawed and racist character- Oliver Cromwell immediately springs to mind, amongst others- whilst it has given me advantages that were <br />
even unconscious to me, have no real benefit to my growing morals, ideologies and values, and if this is not against yours, I urge you to think again.<br />
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But how does this disadvantage black people if they’ve been learning white history for years with some still succeeding? That is an ignorant thought to consider, yet one that has been circulating and repressed time and time again. The first thing to consider is that this problem of poc being negatively affected by the ethnocentric curriculum has not just arisen overnight; it was just suppressed for years and years until George Floyd lost his life and black people were empowered by exhaustion from years of repression that the media had to take notice of it. And for the first time, many white people were there to show their support, and recognise that this is very much an issue to do with them, standing side by side in alliance with their black counterparts, ready to amplify their voices. Furthermore, the promotion of the attitude of ‘Little Englandism’ (titled by Ball,1994) ensures white students are empowered and glorified and students of ethnic minorities are ignored. Sociologist Bernard Coard (1971; 2005) explains how the ethnocentric curriculum may produce underachievement of poc. He too uses history as an example, arguing that the British are prone to being depicted as bringing civilisation to the ‘primitive’ peoples they colonised, creating an image of black people as inferior which undermines black children’s self-esteem, disadvantaging them and leading to their failure.<br />
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I cannot imagine being only a child of age 5 or 6 unconsciously having it drilled into my head that I am inferior. Other various sociologists have disputed Coard’s claims, but the fact remains that if even one black child feels the way Coard describes, then the curriculum, set and reviewed by our white majority government, is at fault. Of course this could very well lead to disadvantage and even failure when it comes to exams; there is a multitude of evidence out there to suggest a self-fulfilling prophecy can be created. This is essentially sabotage by the white majority, to ensure their continued supremacy as they are the ones who will graduate with a respectable 2:1 from Oxford University in Classics with one thing leading to another, and next thing you know you’re the next white prime minister, still ignoring the chant for change. Yes, I am talking about the travesty that is Boris Johnson. And all this can be traced back to his sense of supremacy instilled in him from the age of 5 due to the ethnocentric curriculum. Education is powerful, and dangerous in the wrong hands. Meanwhile, his black classmate is learning they will never be granted a position of power. But imagine if he (or she) was the prime minister? Perhaps the threads of inferiority would have been unpicked in the curriculum by now.<br />
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Let's interrogate another subject which also promotes white culture, disadvantaging people of colour: English Literature. As an A level English student myself, I can assuredly confirm that ethnic diversity is not present in the curriculum our school follows. In the letter our school community received in response to Amy Djang and Nichol Yesuthasan’s open letter begging for the curriculum to be revised and to incorporate much more diversity into the curriculum, the school defensively argues “in English we examine the decolonisation of England’s oldest colony- since we study Barry’s novel, ‘A Long Long Way’; and authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Khaled Hosseini feature at A level”. This statement is problematic in itself, but I have 2 major problems with this. </div>
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Firstly, although I am only in year 12 and have not completed the second year of the A level course as of yet, I can say that we do not study the works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Khaled Hosseini. That is a blatant lie. What they may have been referring to is the fact that a handful of students may have selected one of their works to study for their coursework- there is an NEA element to english A level, where students are granted some autonomy to select a work of literature of our choice- it is not compulsory to choose a black author, and I would claim only a handful of students choose Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Khaled Hosseini’s works to study in depth for their NEA. It is not that we wouldn’t want to study their works at all, the desire is there, but the students do not have the ultimate power to make texts by black authors compulsory. Furthermore, ‘A Long Long Way’ explores Irish history, not the history of poc, so whilst I’m not claiming that Irish history isn’t important, I myself am part Irish, this is not what we asked for proof of. We asked for proof of a strong incorporation of black literature in our curriculum. If this is their only evidence of diversity in the English Literature curriculum, a subject that has the potential to explore black literature in immense and precise detail, then this is criminally insufficient. The English curriculum itself is flexible to an extent. For example, our teachers could have picked ‘The Colour Purple’ by Alice Walker or ‘The God of Small Things’ by Suzanna Arundhati Roy to study at A level. Granted there is not an immense selection of black literature on the AQA syllabus that we follow, but nevertheless there are still opportunities to study prevalent black literature, and whilst I recognise that teachers are perhaps uncomfortable teaching such texts since it is not in their area of specialty and they would not want to do their students disservice by blindly navigating their way through unknown territory, you’ve got to break the chain at some point, right? Even if that is the proposed argument, then let us study black literature in KS3 where the syllabus is immensely flexible compared to exam classes; instil anti-racist attitudes and equality into us from the age of 11. English literature is a powerful subject, if used correctly.<br />
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Secondly and finally, the fact that students have to wait until A level and choose it- in my year approximately 30 of 140 students are currently studying english- is despicable. Why are we denied the right to study black literature, and therefore black history and culture, until we turn 17? Why has<br />
the school deemed it acceptable to let us learn about William Shakespeare, a poignant part of white literature but not Maya Angelou and her significant contribution to literature and society? We, as students, are ravenous for knowledge that can serve to accelerate change in my generation. Knowledge is power, after all.<br />
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As I have already stated, I am white- I am not part of the minority and I have never been made to feel inferior due to my race, and so I can only hope to sympathise with the desperation, hindrance and suppression my black counterparts have experienced. But I too am desperate for change. I crave it. I, as a white 17 year old, want to learn in depth about racism both past and present, and not learn to glorify white history, but instead be taught to criticise my race’s errors to learn from the mistakes and demolish this idea of white supremacy. Only education has the power to do this.</div>
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It is not until we are educated on the injustice of racism that the white race can begin to use their privilege to amplify what black people have already been shouting all along. Education is the catalyst for real change; incorporating black history, literature, music, and food into the curriculum will enable the studying, interrogating and critiquing of racism in which all future generations will learn that racism is inherently and absolutely wrong, inspiring sparks for real change, and protestation in any deviation from equality. By unpicking the tangled web of lies that is the ethnocentric curriculum, only then can any real change and equality come.</div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-83441482042363247472020-07-17T10:01:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.959+01:00Is Black So Base a Hue? Racism in Shakespeare, by Fran Napolitano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is black so base a hue? Or was England’s pride and joy sorely mistaken when he wrote of the black man and his savage murders, ‘changeable wills’, and alarmingly illogical descents from reason to the psychological hell of uxoricide?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It would be an understatement to say that England holds Shakespeare in high esteem. In fact, I’d say Shakespeare is held very close to the heart of the English legacy, and it is apparent that she will not be loosening her grip anytime soon. This is true to the point where a vast majority of those who have survived the schoolin</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">g system here have read or experienced at least two of his texts, be that his sonnets or, more likely, his plays, Here in St Michael’s, that is most definitely the case. From two hour long coach journeys to his birthplace, compulsory memorising of his soliloquies and at least one tragedy or comedy to be gorged on per year, it is safe to say us purples are incredibly well-educated when it comes to the writings of the great William Shakespeare, despite critical warnings of the consequences of seeing the world through the ‘distorting prisms’ of his plays.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yet, how can it be that only now, from studying English Literature at A-Level, have the darker sides of his literature now been unveiled to me? In fact, it is only from studying Othello that I have been shockingly dragged head first into to the truth that is the horrors and bigotry of our great Bard, and I can only weep for those in other schools who are studying another play for the exam and remain as unaware as I previously was. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2001, a committee of teachers in an important South African province wanted to ban Shakespeare from schools because he ‘failed to promote the rejection of racism and sexism’ and in 2015 a black activist called for ‘the racist William Shakespeare’ to be completely banned from schools in Zimbabwe. In 2016, undergraduate English majors at Yale University petitioned to eliminate the monopoly of “white male poets” (including Shakespeare) in a compulsory introductory course and Hindu nationalists in India want to ban the teaching of Shakespeare, first imposed on the country by England’s oppressive colonial rule. Why then, is this the case? What has your education sheltered you from by simply only forcing you to read ‘Romeo and Juliet’ or ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To begin, the quotation that this article gets its title from is from Shakespeare’s ‘Titus Andronicus’, one which is important to be familiar with when studying Othello for context about Shakespeare’s attitudes to race, and the first of Shakespeare’s plays involving characters from Afro-Caribbean descent. In the play, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the black character, a ‘Moor’ from Northern Africa, Aaron, is hailed ‘this barbarous Moor, / This ravenous tiger, this accursed devil’ (5.3.4–5). Even Aaron himself appears to relish in the link between evil and his skin colour: ‘Let fools do good, and fair men call for grace, / Aaron will have his soul black like his face’ (3.1.202–05). </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aaron is a typical, yet unsettling depiction of how Shakespeare, or perhaps only the society in which Shakespeare lived and wrote, viewed black people. A cunning villain, Aaron is behind much of the violence of the play, and that is saying something considering in the play </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14 people are murdered or executed, hands are severed, tongues cut out and rapists are baked in a pie and served to their mother in a horrendous exploration of evil, morality and cannibalism. Aaron encourages the rape of a female character and the framing of other characters for murders they haven’t committed, motivated by a strong desire for revenge. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He feels no regret for his deeds when finally captured, and says that he only wishes he could live to commit more crimes. Unfortunately, this is not even the most heinous of Shakespeare’s racist plays, albeit the most violent and graphic.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfb; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A text many of you will be familiar with is ‘The Tempest’, which I myself briefly studied in KS3, a tale I believed to be full of romance and magic, of pretty fairies and fantastical creatures. However, what was cunningly erased from my learning of this play was <a href="https://www.coursehero.com/file/54112642/Ronald-TakakiThe-Tempest-in-the-Wilderness-The-Racialization-of-Savagery-Journal-of-American-Hi/">its links to colonisation.</a> <a href="https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/blog/shakespeare-racism/">Often, attempts to protect Shakespeare from a legacy of racism and bigotry, his worshippers often beg for readers to take context into consideration</a>. And I always deliver; ‘The Tempest’ was first performed after the English Invasion of Ireland and before the colonisation of New England. The Irish were seen as savage, uncivilised, lazy, immoral and animalistic; traits which have an unsettling similarity to descriptor words for Caliban in the play. This is already shocking, but it grows more so as you recall those times in English when you were forced to read lines and act out moments of what is essentially a remake of events in which real cold-blooded colonists attempted to civilise real native Irish people, calling them barbaric and savage. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s depiction of the Island bears an unsettling similarity to original documents about Virginia, and it is well-known that Shakespeare had friends who were explorers themselves, such as Richard Haklyst, who would have definitely influenced him. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/31/european-colonization-of-americas-helped-cause-climate-change">This is undoubtedly disgusting, considering </a></span><span style="background-color: #fefdfb; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/31/european-colonization-of-americas-helped-cause-climate-change">r</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/31/european-colonization-of-americas-helped-cause-climate-change">esearch found that settlers in America killed so many native people in America that they indirectly cooled the earth. It is said that around 56 million died by 1600</a>, and Shakespeare appears to parody this in his play by mirroring the geography of Virginia with his island. Not to mention the fact that</span><span style="background-color: #fefdfb; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fefdfb; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prospero’s actions when he first comes to the Island are horrifically similar to the actions of European settlers and explorers coming to America; Prospero sees somebody there, namely Caliban, and decides to civilise him, to declare him his subject, simply because he has more power than Caliban and despite the fact that Caliban has lived there longer. Sound familiar? In the play, Caliban states:‘Which first was mine own king; and here you sty me/ In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me/ The rest o’ th’ island’, which I'm certain would sound remarkably similar to the pleas of the indigenous Americans and Irish people who were imprisoned by explorers, despite being the original 'kings 'of their land. In the play Caliban is referred to as ‘slave’, ‘filth’, ‘abhorred’, not honoured with human shape’ and ‘tortoise’ (meaning lazy), to name only a handful of insults. Did Shakespeare know what he was doing? Most definitely, and if he didn’t, he definitely had the means to learn.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefdfb; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To summarise, I feel it is important to discuss why I feel so strongly about this, and why you should too, by including the voices and opinions of black people affected by this. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/jan/26/fiction.zadiesmith">Zadie Smith’s best-selling novel ‘White Teeth’,</a> for example, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">contains a scene in which a student asks her teacher whether the ‘dark lady’ in Shakespeare’s Sonnets is ‘black’. Her teacher answers, ‘She’s not black in the modern sense’–because there weren’t any ‘Afro-Carri-bee-yans in England at that time’; or, if there were, such a ‘black’ woman they would have been ‘a slave of some kind’. This condescending pedagogical put-down has its intended effect: the student blushes with embarrassment, then retreats into indifference. ‘She had thought, just then, that she had seen something like a reflection,’ as though Shakespeare’s sonnets to and about a black woman might be addressing her own experience, but that apparent connection ‘was receding’. What’s most interesting to me is the fact that the teacher is actually historically wrong. We now know that there were black people in Elizabethan and Jacobean England, and especially in London. Most of them were inconspicuous, but none of them were slaves: indeed, in Shakespeare’s lifetime the Protestant English proudly distinguished themselves from the Spanish because, unlike their Catholic rivals, they did not enslave people. In fact, slavery had no legal status or enforcement mechanisms (yet). What this can also teach us is that Shakespeare had every access to black people, and I do not mean this in an objectifying sense, but rather that he did not have to present them in such a horrendous way. Even in ‘Othello’, where the black protagonist is presented as and is indeed the tragic ‘hero’ of the play, it has to bear the epithet of ‘tragic’, meaning that he loses his reasonable nature and ends up smothering and brutally murdering his innocent, loyal wife. <a href="https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/playing-othello"> In his article about his reservations on playing Othello as an actor</a>, Hugh Quarshie makes the point that the authority given to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shakespeare and his plays seems to eradicate the reality that both ‘Titus Andronicus’ and ‘Othello’ were written over 400 years ago by a white Englishman for another white Englishman in blackface make-up. He writes that there may well have been someone who was very much like the savage black people that Shakespeare presents in his plays, ‘just as there may well have been Native Americans who behaved very much like the ‘Red Injuns’ of old Western films, riding around the circled wagons, scalping white men, raping white women and kidnapping white children. But we now know that there were a good many Native Americans who did nothing of the sort, and indeed that those movies were a distorting prism.’ It is true to say that, as we have now established, there were many black people who were nothing like Othello, or Aaron the Moor within his reach to talk to and learn from, ‘but Shakespeare’s types and tropes have not been questioned because of the inherited assumption of his ‘universal genius’.’ </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And so, it is clear that Shakespeare could have got to know some genuine black people in the London of his time beyond the actors in blackface on the stage, had he wished to do so. If he decided not to take the trouble of doing this basic research and actually speaking to some good-natured people, was he being lazy? If he did have black acquaintances and had done his research and still went on to write about black people in this way, was he being a bigot? Nonetheless, I believe that his plays, as Quarshie writes, too easily distort the way we see the world and indeed history, and this constant cry for context in his defence only proves my point more. Just as we overlook the decisions of authoritative figures in schools and in the government, we seem to overlook the reality of Shakespeare’s racist ways simply because of the assumption that those above us are always right. This is not true; we must challenge those in positions of authority, and fighting the idea of worshipping figures like Shakespeare for works such as these is a good way to start. I feel it must be said that as a Literature student, of course I appreciate Shakespeare; ‘Othello’ is a wonderful text, a fascinating love story, and a powerful tragedy. But is it racist? And shouldn’t we, in teaching works such as these, teach students also, even in the younger years, about the possibility of their being racist before we send them off into<a href="https://www.lexico.com/definition/bardolatry"> Bardolatry</a>? </span></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-19699913505587855722020-07-17T10:00:00.020+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.822+01:00Why Protesting is Important by Ayla Di Biasio<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After the murder of George Floyd (an unarmed black man accused of a forged 20-dollar bill) by Derek Chauvin, a Minnesota police officer, protests against police brutality have started globally. However, some rioters (not protestors) have used these mostly peaceful protests as an opportunity to riot and loot businesses. These video clips of rioters vandalising and looting have been used to invalidate the movement. So here are some reasons protesting is productive.<br />
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First of all, protesting is crucial to a democracy. It is part of free speech to exercise our right of protesting. Also, in some countries, not everyone has a right to free speech, so we must exercise ours whenever we can. It allows the government to hear and see us loud and clear. It also allows people to see they’re not alone. Protesting happens in big groups so people feel less alone and more comfortable voicing their opinions. <br />
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Secondly, it opens a conversation in the government. As I said above, when we protest, politicians see us loud and clear, literally. We are in the streets on the public property voicing our opinions for everyone to hear which opens conversations and debates in government which is an effective way to make change.<br />
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Thirdly, we have seen some progress being made already. After 2 weeks of protesting in the UK the mayor of Manchester said he was reopening the case of Shukri Abdi. Abdi was a Somali Muslim refugee who was drowned by her classmates; her death was barely investigated at the time and was declared a tragic accident even though there were signs of foul play. <br />
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And lastly, if we look back at history protesting was successful. How did women get a right to vote? Protesting. Demonstrations. Remember the suffragettes? And the Stonewall riots, when Stormi De Laverie was arrested at a gay bar she resisted and threw the first punch causing 5 days of rioting at Stonewall for the LQBTQIA+ community to be treated equally. A year later at Stonewall was the first pride parade.<br />
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So overall, protesting is productive as it is crucial to democracy, exercises our right of free speech, makes people feel less alone (therefore more confident to speak up). It opens conversations and there are examples of protesting working in the past and present.<br />
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However if you do choose to go to any protests to help show your support, please be safe. Do not be violent even if provoked as it gives the movement bad media attention, stay in big groups, wear face mask and gloves, look up routes if any are planned, check the location and time beforehand and stay hydrated! I went to a protest in my town a few weeks ago and it was successfully socially distanced and peaceful. I really recommend going to protests and they are so effective as numbers show strength in movements but I can't stress enough- safety is first.</div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-48180841521132168332020-07-17T10:00:00.019+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.890+01:00Why saying 'All Lives Matter' is unethical by Saleena Livera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently, the Black Lives Matter movement has been gaining a lot of prominence after George Floyd was unjustly killed by police officers. But whenever someone says ‘Black Lives Matter’, a lot of people say ‘All Lives Matter’ in response, with this statement being used on social media, in right-wing media and shouted at protests. But why is it wrong to say ‘All Lives Matter’, because surely they do? Well, let me explain. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Firstly, we have to look in the context it is used in. As it is mostly used in response to ‘Black Lives Matter’, we can see it is said as an opposition to it. However, it is not helpful as it deliberately undermines what the movement stands for and pretends there is an ‘only’ in front of ‘Black Lives Matter’. However, that is not the case, the reason why it is called ‘Black Lives Matter’ is because black lives are in danger, not because people want ‘black supremacy’. The mission of the Black Lives Matter is ‘working for a world where black lives are no longer systematically targeted for demise.’ They are not trying to say black lives are more important, they just want black lives to be equal.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, let's talk about why it is unethical. We’ve already established that black lives are in danger and that saying ‘All Lives Matter’ is used to gaslight the BLM movement. But why is it unethical? Well, let's look at the house analogy. In this analogy, there is a house on fire. But when the fire department comes, they only go to that one. Why? Because only that house is on fire. The firefighters won’t go to the other houses, but they still matter. If you can understand that, then you can understand that saying ‘All Lives Matter’ is unethical, as it would be just like misdirecting those firefighters; and if they couldn’t get there in time, everything would have ended for that house. It would be immoral to do that, and therefore, it is immoral to say ‘All Lives Matter’.</span></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-81969986185085147262020-07-17T10:00:00.016+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.949+01:00UK Black Owned Businesses to Support by Siofra Rafferty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For centuries, African workers have been exploited in the name of business. In fact, articles have shown that the wealth of the west was built upon the exploration of Africa's goods and workers, and with that </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/aug/20/past.hearafrica05" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">e</span><span style="font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">xperts have estimated Britain's debt to Africans in the continent and diaspora to be in the trillions of pounds</span></a><span style="font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Without Africa and its Caribbean plantation extensions, the modern world as we know it would not exist, and that is fact. Not only this, but this disgusting exploitation still takes place today, with African workers being shot by their Chinese boss in demands for higher wages in Zimbabwe only this month. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3091300/chinese-mine-companies-zimbabwe-accused-rampant-abuse-after-boss"> </a></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3091300/chinese-mine-companies-zimbabwe-accused-rampant-abuse-after-boss">On Tuesday the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association (ZELA) highlighted this abuse:</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal;">“The problem of ill-treatment of workers is systematic and widespread and what that (shooting) incident did was to expose the rampant abuse of workers", before describing how workers are often shot if they try to exercise their worker's rights by their Chinese 'superiors'</span><span style="font-variant-caps: inherit;"><i>. In addition to these horrors, the truth of modern fashion is that many trends popularised today, ,especially within the media and especially involving urban fashion, have been the product of black minds. Despite that, black creators often get no credit for their creative processes, with racist CEOS reaping the benefits instead. With that in mind, here is a compiled list of black-owned businesses to shop from to give black workers and creators what they are due as workers and business people and to promote buying from the right places.</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bespoke Binny</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bespoke Binny is a beautiful interior accessories, homewares and gifts website, all products handmade from West African cloth. The creator, Natalie Manima, is a cognitive behavioural therapist, who stresses the importance of one’s home environment to improve mental health.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her gorgeous range of colourful pillows, bedding, kitchenware, travel accessories and more, are inspired by her own Ghanaian household growing up, and her love of sewing motivated her to create this business.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 182px; overflow: hidden; width: 221px;"><img height="182" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FJ5Q9jR3XijE7oMrwrPFeDrtrkrNdIDIpR2QQGDzYirKxdNaHqfobMC-Wp7n8md3QhMvA4oPnZv6R3QIFuKGc8Mx1AP35SNNQMD-eb-b5b6s1UZJLUUNcCWo9KGzoft9xu_WAp5G" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="252.87499999999997" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 188px; overflow: hidden; width: 188px;"><img height="188" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/q-KWZ1T0wxjxfoOEn87xEyKcs2iwnfW_TbPGj9dzS3QC60bIV0FTOW-fKHO0KtLJKoBZdNoV9owl_A4K7iQYF7ZxOLITewCkZxxHdnlzhfRyuTwaPI77asBuzjRUAjDArsmFscR3" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="188" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 195px; overflow: hidden; width: 195px;"><img height="195" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/E0KqsfpEkS9shBAs018sgUoPvpHs9AiTywVpAq8rnETUmSQ8bHgs9oFVRdKo48HQDYlbsaYXnJ_TMp1V-BECxZk0Y2d9Mo3Pf7KXpcFmY9a17ufFCcyOaL34dz63ppdMuBayn0Ku" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="195" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bespoke Binny is the perfect way to show appreciation to the unique beauty of West African culture, by supporting an authentic business owned by a black woman, instead of providing for massive exploitative companies, profiting off a culture they know nothing and don’t care about.</span></div>
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<a href="https://bespokebinny.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://bespokebinny.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Freya Bramble Carter</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carter is a ceramics artist, her stunning pieces all inspired by nature, a poetic way to keep the clay material still connected to its natural environment, whilst it elevates your living room, kitchen, or hall. Carter will personally create the work you desire whilst in conversation with you, and you can then purchase an utterly unique and bespoke piece.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 136px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/bx91T0SqgChbLw2J_jwHpf5NDELEmngO_YUN7PQSaWyxe1Dn7nf3gfQwfDEkiICbSyJ3QP56Nl6LcX48DpEuTAVZQZZgYQ074DgjA0lh7jFjl3PJzh58Wg63pRFXkbuwOMM2CugX" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="136" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 185px; overflow: hidden; width: 139px;"><img height="185" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/jMhvsI5TYez5k26jR0GDVST2-rD3s_ibWqExQmR7h2YWtMkTy-asw6lW78am1s5B7WPw7f0lyyogdzpsUdcCulv4lrocW4Nig0noaQMcZunJM5Me1e115G_wr3-IbjG6dEzhz9po" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="139" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 184px; overflow: hidden; width: 137px;"><img height="184" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Qe_Moyi-iEJJ81JKB7DSyBG1DdlzzUxnrUjqrkqzydm2jxsqrZgF_vYXYC8K6E7v6SjJ8ebLxPOO9VIyPhGPZQKjsC57xcdSDcRffe0XitNaxQRMn7mtW4VMcYRVXy157fOjOHMg" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="137" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 184px; overflow: hidden; width: 184px;"><img height="184" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YAZZAeS8JptMFORBDVprItCIP60YMMabXnUY6lJTZiSOoHuExBI8Km_Nbw0tgSMYBuTG8VcLXuu5F2llHU4L5qqrniG5mz6GdcIWlKkJc3wa7tcILKc82KP8seTa1AunNWd-hfkg" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="184" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carter has collaborated with the Tate, amongst other artistic organisations and conventions, so to have a piece by her in your house is like living in an art exhibit.</span></div>
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<a href="https://freyabramblecarter.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://freyabramblecarter.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dorcas Creates</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dorcas is an illustrator, artist, product designer and CEO of her own company, dedicated to creating prints, totes, cards, earrings, notebooks and more that celebrate black women - a practise that is shockingly unique, with very little representation of black women in her artistic style. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 205px; overflow: hidden; width: 211px;"><img height="205" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/0bglGTjwjHdsWEep1-I7kiz9v9KHd1OGm-4AajekFq99RszXWCPUYRpNJW3rVmMwnmr9SUXJbtYUP95PUsKo7X3jMXTkRZE0c_-tZd16NbDRUss0oyfQgXflEn9Ip4tJ56hcZeM6" style="margin-left: -33.00558659217877px; margin-top: 0px;" width="272.2960893854749" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 206px; overflow: hidden; width: 188px;"><img height="206" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Alo-ROS2n4LxuZbc-UffZ0WJcg9NxugEMjGECvFFbM08jAUw-i10vG4filWWfDAU6aj7iyhIuvVv1_x5wOukPXSMN485-S0CL05uLSmqx6FvVFmKJLSwVSg8N0eVkLlLwRHOJe0r" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="188" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 204px; overflow: hidden; width: 203px;"><img height="204" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/W0peR-Iy7t7hoyKXZBu_Ri6WN3P1dGiMRB7Uu2OCcjXdLZWld5qSwA3gzuJZgdSyDWweQN77pQrfBGf8Y8HkCwBHhWoDlvUsUBBFDs2rYFCppy2Y2sfp9eAnTT7EYjrZTI6Zk4ix" style="margin-left: -35.9746835443038px; margin-top: 0px;" width="271.0949367088608" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her vibrant designs are inspired by her Nigerian heritage and the perfect gift to a friend or to yourself. </span></div>
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<a href="https://dorcascreates.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://dorcascreates.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kazvare Made It</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kazvare creates beautiful collections of gifts and cards featuring hip hop icons like Tupac, Biggie, Drake, Kanye, Nicki, and more. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 216px; overflow: hidden; width: 192px;"><img height="216" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Uclqcipd60xPQjnPMdxuPgd7alBgYTEde_2J9wwdb0jNTa-DJ5nXcXlT7E1-2MN1DNuTSDuKUbI0FOhTkXmP2eKMGzLR71SXswO-IUMdie7VeZnydI2s9OABAtKpauhHtgdHJ-TU" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="192" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 216px; overflow: hidden; width: 182px;"><img height="216" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UdQWUhrhGexkfz3219myFxwx1-Q5E0NghY2kOeJGFw5RAmOTyPNMSAOBo2cNw-UuUcYn04s2DdoPvdj0jsUr7I6EzEE3v-En_eZNrkHokoRXp3qEnvnNOt1rSpBJoaOfAdMwlKeG" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="182" /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 207px; overflow: hidden; width: 213px;"><img height="207" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FzjkDUnkJAHrRbp-K9XEcpYQntDnX72VeROAFNHcjqoG9RhhOyY-fVtcSzmDg1QoJuVH5dpzt5igPMyA6RRSvUGnq99S5gPVwUz1J71jtOPILch0kVXwYHQ6Lxx-91oAON476RhT" style="margin-left: -28.899497487437188px; margin-top: 0px;" width="248.321608040201" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frankly the pictures speak for themselves. Their style and designs are addicting and hugely popular.</span></div>
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<a href="https://kazvaremadeit.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://kazvaremadeit.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Beacon Books</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Founded in 1966 by partners John La Rose and Sarah White, New Beacon was the UK’s first black publisher, specialist bookshop, and international book distributor. The first ever. For over 50 years it has provided a diverse range of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children’s books from Africa, the Carribean, the USA, South America, Asia, Europe, and Britain. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The London bookshop has also been in the centre ground of ‘many ground-breaking political </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and social projects, organisations and campaigns’: the George Padmore and Albertina Sylvester Supplementary Schools, Caribbean Artists Movement (1966-1972), CECWA campaign against putting black children in ESN schools, International Book Fair of Radial Black and Third World Books (1982-1995), the Black Parents Movement (1975- 1990s), the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners in Kenya (1980s), amongst others.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 149px; overflow: hidden; width: 223px;"><img height="149" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/fa-SNa40HvIli-CzPl0X4erfEcvkfiXKl8Rog1aJ4efFzkF8jKNRnldIzeFrIqn-qTGR8d4iAWByOKIQCk8ewtoLrtuWWmAKgLpY27bBVAIz0YzayViULIjmObYKb1qLTjS4aNCO" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="223" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 145px; overflow: hidden; width: 192px;"><img height="145" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0H2zSYShoRrUtYCz-suVEjXDEWmMLtb1wOovqo6l6mANmfti0aakLFoeDuXW-YjsGmLwug7H6z51kJjW5O13UIZp-0Ik_KTKRVPG97EOQq2MFXRz8dvLTce_GIREVdXfA-oX16zE" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="192" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 145px; overflow: hidden; width: 191px;"><img height="145" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/2aoRZ6F1NwKYI4Qwoi2he7PBvezZgEamj4KnJDTbduOFF1_vgbDYq28j09MNzsV7tbnSd1SGq6LR2Bl_GB7CmeDIwmYEEgiEol99tk4sDPkP9GFU5FjTBaVKeu9NMkKGzencA3Yo" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="191" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This bookshop - at 76 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EN - is a must-visit, essential part of British history.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.newbeaconbooks.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.newbeaconbooks.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pelicans & Parrots</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pelicans & Parrots is a much celebrated and appreciated London vintage shop, a life-style shop selling contemporary furniture, curated houseware and gifts. They specialise in Italian vintage clothing, from beautiful silk shirts to 90s Moschino dresses, and have been described by Italian Vogue as ‘the coolest place in London’.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 157px; overflow: hidden; width: 235px;"><img height="157" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/l04gIgsMbbSdXXcxjbPvuFNTx3WeGFdx0U05LGDxqO5PAUIGrx0reAZVqRxt76NHUUv_h44rKgT_BI5i0sDh0S4caeIGFVVffV5NhpDuZ-TduyzIw_LEj_0VGnOA-Ozx1fxc2DdP" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="235" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 159px; overflow: hidden; width: 242px;"><img height="159" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mNv7gKeq3VBcU6I6yQemNqweWwcb0JVcCrQzfAwpCjWc3OdDi7PphTqyqFeq8Ow6ByIeqfssFV5WkfRod1qkuVgGkRLb_JDrhKKm51CD7H_2i4THAQpt7xaTU_MQLD4HlIfu61h_" style="margin-left: -18.031372549019608px; margin-top: 0px;" width="284.70588235294116" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 157px; overflow: hidden; width: 120px;"><img height="157" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/xjzNVvg_KPM9aF8Kvs-CKgm3RNJWTvauSEWCxOw5g3wAvnh2MEvGC7mB2k_JexuM_vPvysZxChtR0bKVZ1Nmgy4qbHi-V7EMmuRMuoyojL-vzvyxo5gnEkrh1Zkz4SpRRX0MtJJq" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="120" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find them at 40 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, N16 7XJ or visit their website for more details.</span></div>
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<a href="https://pelicansandparrots.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://pelicansandparrots.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prick</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prick is London’s very first boutique shop dedicated to the sourcing and supply of an exotic range of cacti and succulents from across Britain and Europe. Prick sees their plants as intricate, natural, living structures that take years to fully develop. Prick’s founder Gynelle Leon explains her love for plants: “They are a beautiful and sustainable way to transform any interior. Due to their low maintenance and hardy nature, they’re well suited to city living.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 167px; overflow: hidden; width: 222px;"><img height="167" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/liAp8541vJ5MHwVg4fVNHvCfMnLxZeDHCw25wuBGJUciix6D0v0B6wPO5U5-ohmj-JsvzffwOODOLaJGAdPg9bnL0ZP0JVPpOzhouLwwHQyORe5PY6XNTv4vzPMJ90JZT54_j_MK" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="222" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 166px; overflow: hidden; width: 237px;"><img height="166" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ZNL26jBYi_MK2pXxerjcCNGMxvrXm04y5nvuFtUj2--9cwRi_KUyK1popraIVImlq77L-55UiQkIJ165mZ6AdquJgZZOFgReGqFwaIbn0dQnr3SEA9XwjZFDuGJDLxZqBj_jSJjO" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="237" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 166px; overflow: hidden; width: 146px;"><img height="203.99999999999994" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tBbChDfda_YC7wSNvW1qrfQm8g16AHTw6uDJIX6hbcl1mecd921QkZvJiTPgCVrRxVa5MUz1G5fpcuMbideHrIfkOC7FUzF8dgmCqa_7PYVOIAQ9BUgHWtDFPYRC0b1XlNkXG2Uq" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -17px;" width="146" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They also supply their own range of terracotta pots, and select pots created by local artists, as well as books and guides on how to care for and grow your plants.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chilli Chop Co</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An African-inspired sauce range that is blowing up for its delicious recipes.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 210px; overflow: hidden; width: 118px;"><img height="391" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xFZvD92tF21KeEt_HLLssOJJeTbPiyHT3vWnSgw2hJZ_aJS-gUsuOqd9AX3qotFBAPBvjJwrRKLnKLmDTRD7E9QjBSJK-2PGzg_ogHS1BaN7I_Kw9pMUH1Mx2F-QXpL-TDbcTCiu" style="margin-left: -54px; margin-top: -113.99999999999999px;" width="624" /></span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 212px; overflow: hidden; width: 122px;"><img height="391" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/Molz_gL8-lJXjQXy2Dwc2usFfg0ZvHuY3_DtbxjaLn1FV4s-zjfIUyaXC7bE_usIKmVbGZoflZIpFPILVo1puAI_SQ3rrJIp6_LMwDx04xAV9nZDt3JLRsWxiHeQaq5UhgOG4zzn" style="margin-left: -178px; margin-top: -113.00000000000001px;" width="624" /></span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 212px; overflow: hidden; width: 120px;"><img height="391" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/NlsbsLCY0P-6OSDiUgsBrK-TBeuiUs7XgQc-Dn2IMBdxV7MTq80EdfhJuZkQ-41s47abB8m5vO7X8gQ6ZbjJtXnEQF0LKiiWR71xle2FmQ27v8YZIhYYPDK3j1F87drjpAV0wfw4" style="margin-left: -306px; margin-top: -113.00000000000001px;" width="624" /></span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 212px; overflow: hidden; width: 118px;"><img height="391" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/WixipKw6xL1rr1t5IAGslVzWSP2_A-HuvGazsb7__lIc2nfMnKvz1WheyBk5Jxwau9a-R7UyZd5jx2Xt_nf0U7HhmuvguFBLZOXiAj9oME6I3YaYZ6jGFt7FlvGpaXxO-nkWIPeS" style="margin-left: -54px; margin-top: -122px;" width="624" /></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Honestly, there’s not much more I can say. You just need to experience it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.chillichopco.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.chillichopco.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dark Sugars</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An indulgent chocolatier, famous across London, flavours and quality inspired from the founder (Nyanga)’s Ghanaian upbringing, and extensive travels and study of cacao in South America and West Africa. They have such a wide range of equally celebrated, handmade chocolates and truffles, so much so it seems every creation is a customer favourite.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 134px; overflow: hidden; width: 202px;"><img height="134" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/WtskBE4STk0GVuFvCVkNi7joF3oCkWDdAHZeklPBsPg7YH-Y-egrS0syEGj1Cp_kIAnLplnVz_thFAMSj6HkeLs5eFYfWjpKIdYBbZG4k_gPsa9xdG0wpQUPVy3JZQ-OqG15luE1" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="202" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 134px; overflow: hidden; width: 203px;"><img height="134" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/N04y733SFxgc6taxPmLfinGlw1ST26RKNfmMBvcMjhAspSttII2irJHQEhN05bgea41FSfjMiUR5W3MFZCrRO88oiLcKY-cxF6KfJJdfJR-SS5ARUSv5oX2T5gfThZmjLLy-ovZr" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="203" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 135px; overflow: hidden; width: 204px;"><img height="135" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/VwIA4U1RZTvZO46szmCTxTQd3MxGBYQ9u4koFvJvLtFstgMUctjVVNRvUAbZsmKjJLIQboR5nSwOVvo5_SGw_mCm_vuCdVI21uIMP1ziy8QzOAIfjvfLVEn8wtEiY_5tQsG9RQGP" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="204" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chocolates of any kind still currently available online to order, or go down to Brick Lane when you can and get one of Dark Sugar’s hot chocolates. No photo does it justice.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.darksugars.co.uk/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.darksugars.co.uk/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Uncle John’s Bakery</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The UK’s No.1 Ghanaian bakery is based in Tottenham, celebrating 25 years of family run business this year, founded in 1995 by John and Emilia Mensah. They are the first in the Uk to create their signature ‘sweet bread’ and are the first African British bakery to receive a SALSA accreditation. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 142px; overflow: hidden; width: 197px;"><img height="165.06819923371646" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/H6-miQSK5DqRwZxyc8Hz4bDJRho3DK9hmBQfFMaxG_15S82HED7q6eScZohhtm9awDlad4U3YdVd9MdTNYCz9QcazByalKxd0Ajr1rs0JI4GkW9IfxowpHyF8shDgAUe8S4VhCcE" style="margin-left: -16.154403860096494px; margin-top: -13.00306513409922px;" width="230.20025500637513" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 143px; overflow: hidden; width: 211px;"><img height="143" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RBClqjlDj1KLzlcdDxAysho8pUcGJ_ZTmPlgxNhC8myWLmAQxGnqfvOBHtojmxmF4_MBCdM5_w5swg6u-4LShni2DzUQrBH-DAOz1pFUZMvzL5xn8DCpwDUxKP8JWX7hCtONBcPv" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="211" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 140px; overflow: hidden; width: 195px;"><img height="254.72222222222223" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/i75aQSaR1jLz5kMjHAoXzbr1Iq2sOnHDv84WYUUtGCEu7KwbfG2Nx6c17ENxBtFEPmfd_7nH4cRAnI-xbc5is6nbev59LmlGjpt0qPljjWe473aIdRCiAX94Re4PEJXUU_KNhDKv" style="margin-left: -118.95px; margin-top: -99.16666666666667px;" width="325.65" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They have been celebrated by several prestigious institutions like 10 Downing Street, British Baker, Time Out and GUBA. The company slogan ‘Obeyeyie’ meaning “Life will get better” in Fanti, reflects the tremendous struggle and hard work behind becoming one of the UK’s most famous and appreciated bakeries.</span></div>
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<a href="https://theunclejohnsbakery.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://theunclejohnsbakery.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alero Jasmine</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alero Jasmine is the middle name of the founder of this reworked traditional West African clothing brand: ‘Alero’ is the name given to first born daughters of Itsekiri families, meaning the foundation to blossom has been set, and ‘Jasmine’ is the befitting floral suffix.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 141px; overflow: hidden; width: 141px;"><img height="141" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/m5nAaeJjcrsZnEiumuf0CvBfuM_4y5DpxNbk0iYmGWGFLtOppVxeSySXYrHSvixRuICdqI3OLBccnhNzesbBZNdHCPzVAmJhnnFIWuZtFfV-FOz3uvfD4fiGF6vSOrKjis4CJiFd" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="141" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 141px; overflow: hidden; width: 282px;"><img height="141" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IQQ0uwBHw99b9JCPoBGJNZxEciBp_PSqNRGaDbScDboS8cVArBsVK4y_ngakrmzfcYYYtGQE5sR_N3v8ekKcTqi7D39qQPhYPOT5p2p5CxLac-Vv2sStNaP8CXNb_SxH0a5pss_j" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="282" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 140px; overflow: hidden; width: 140px;"><img height="140" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0ij6R2bd6qjB1k9Li1frY6tmuupwLx-vZ6B9q1kN3SOiJpUZM23pdadms6qPKclLMvh4WbIP2sqhPcaUx3hpiA_0QProVvlAgxMfqFNLXAH0XoERIUWmp_iBLx9hakt9FXAAst5I" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="140" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The founder shows her unique appreciation for her Nigerian heritage through the styles she chooses for her clothing: beautiful, intricate, vibrant patterns that elevate her culture and sell out every time with her customers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://alerojasmine.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://alerojasmine.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elsie and Fred </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A vibrant, youthful fashion brand named after the creators’ grandparents that puts the cheap attempt of Dolls Kill and Urban Outfitters to shame.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 120px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2FSR1FHqg0v5F3NVgRaXYkHzhOpriY3PexAaEbahdSOBDnuRXTwkFu_pFtFyRUc77_1Pxc_sbpZlK5aOBAYh4G402oEz6y2Pe0AL3RioXK-Ord98CvZQnkqrDOLi5jbxC3kS8-HA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="120" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 179px; overflow: hidden; width: 119px;"><img height="179" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/78XMbXKQh-zC71rXJCBoiyXvYVq-GnbsG5Yr517oDMGDU3Y5yXSPkqZx_e2M8jsSlL4ErnWLSbLzNc9FQhgSTeF7Oib2ql2jyoR-OmhQfpEtwdTvGmmAK_zHa8SJfgPWWhwtWcPN" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="119" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 116px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tuA6yDYGJ0aRt65OmiiJhGsA__PLHeYJun1czRYTj26wRTLyVNRl8GwboB_gvJ6cLrNwrXEpV0HPjN4BDDkOwqTVrHO8dpD7TVw4pdGPLYm5A8nI3q2APtmdVu5HiHni7vyIfwme" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="116" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 121px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/UskY2Bxjyn-6yA4daA0E8XxJPbEP5WL1bsxgD8lPdLRUJGR_hEbIA4CIOQgiwcnzub_OKKEbBawqPGlFhevYBHs4O5HI5pgzspSCQib7TUm3Az67s2hLxzGjwk3ZYObFCAvrbjem" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="121" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 179px; overflow: hidden; width: 121px;"><img height="179" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s-8SiTwrobSppJgvJB7tO50QFMkmC3dp0wwLoyBAYBJiYDsg9mQ8MabV2yRFIR4CeysHepAYlo5dv_RQYFTlROpv-vEZA7JzUVgu4Ep6hN74zMa0XNjvpc1RevIJmp0rYLxAQltv" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="121" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although, the absence of POC and dark skinned models is immediately notable, and quite disturbing.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.elsieandfred.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.elsieandfred.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nubian Skin</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most important brands on this thread must be Nubian Skin: a lingerie company created to fill the gaping void in the market of nude underwear for black and brown women. Their gorgeous minimalist designs ensure women of every colour can feel comfortable in their clothes, and importantly, feel acknowledged and catered to.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 120px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/T7aNFCVytnCpW1E3S3v3Vo9tvUvNsiNWbpxop4DwuSNzMwyOjTmXq2lnuK8cdYrUgW4z6OGkB2O2ULhCODcFWkXUzb_5PuOnbqo5Naticha7MfIDFPg68EMptzWrqpROngbUWseP" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="120" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 120px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/zi86Xk0MmwLf3MUCNOm4QE88f1LH_CSdHfxVu5Zs3Rqmux3oqkG8xxssmZfnAITQRNiQgVHo7MxIOLk0JvFevJvZY99G2Upj42CCCDqHWfZmVtpZe4SGclKdN4eezZ9lR7N6-E8R" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="120" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 120px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9iGv9JMiUNcve8rsVycfzajo7gy3GkE3tKHQgspZrx3x77Vik_u4xHr6gCLfg9SToJWYY9otAi-OS_mnA0x4i8sxJikZQCLq0jbLBdvcsJrp71RBVGBRJ_HJ0BIQfUGmRcxQ8M9-" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="120" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 180px; overflow: hidden; width: 121px;"><img height="180" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gCNmV9eQbrtNBcnytTnFLDRqWCLyr7JFtC9m5BDQpZHMHTqiuM-hYksd1_bTd0So1TD11O0xQqIfBWcsa_0Jb3V6ljwKovwDAH5WqLPm8KjoRRAJnstgPTZv4EPOXp5adqCOEuRF" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="121" /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 181px; overflow: hidden; width: 121px;"><img height="181" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_JuvG51YwBzR8oJy9ri9KmoFqAbgoh4U9iaYNxQw-CfFvh3z8GCeaikQeu5pdUrqEONewLjXgdROPtqYS4aMl--ZQvPYHSIzRURk0tbvWEtaaBj2peRiDpOZlrAIlPoIm5jJ6ZQH" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="121" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As underwear is such a personal and intimate item, Nubian Skin’s recognition that one colour cannot fit all, is hugely important for black men and women.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.nubianskin.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.nubianskin.com/</span></a></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-86144934531781407292020-07-17T10:00:00.014+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.979+01:002 Prominent Black Artists by Saleena Livera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kara Walker:</b><br />
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/YE6-0ce2c9TDRigBTmezZbp5Q-KAyOOxke_phM0vShFkjwm8dX161RBtItMx4kvtrs9PpzdsQ-_5UDspDlvCAnXwKDdSazatj1sg8TIFMXkANFrMIZIEgogQKUgRKArLjwdlO5-LKog1BqnY_w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/YE6-0ce2c9TDRigBTmezZbp5Q-KAyOOxke_phM0vShFkjwm8dX161RBtItMx4kvtrs9PpzdsQ-_5UDspDlvCAnXwKDdSazatj1sg8TIFMXkANFrMIZIEgogQKUgRKArLjwdlO5-LKog1BqnY_w" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="302" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kara Walker was born on the 26</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> November 1969 in Stockton, California and is an American contemporary painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist, and film-maker. Her best known pieces of work are her room-size tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes. In her work, she often explores important themes such as race, gender, sexuality, violence and identity. She was inspired by her father who was also a painter. At the age of 27, she became the second youngest recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant. Her works expose the awful reality plantation slaves faced. She does this by using methods such as making cut-outs of the South’s landscape to surround the viewer and create a circular, claustrophobic environment. However, her artwork also shows the brutality that slaves face. For example, ‘The Battle of Atlanta’, portrays a violent rape scene. Her artwork is on display at several art and fine arts museums in the USA; such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her artwork shows the hierarchy of American society with white men at the top and coloured women at the bottom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Alice Walker:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qrJrFnIprDTvVIWDm6DpDP10NW_RAeme4Sc9B_SRe5GYng0GcWViS3vSvez7MakDsJGmN9TQGMVEtmmlMJqBKBIRFWvEiDyANFcO-EqjhxY96y1036rigD0iOtYeUJ6STwwiEwfSu7SZklL_w" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qrJrFnIprDTvVIWDm6DpDP10NW_RAeme4Sc9B_SRe5GYng0GcWViS3vSvez7MakDsJGmN9TQGMVEtmmlMJqBKBIRFWvEiDyANFcO-EqjhxY96y1036rigD0iOtYeUJ6STwwiEwfSu7SZklL_w" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="241" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alice Walker was born on February 9</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 1944 in Eatoton, Georgia. She is an author and social activist. She is probably best known for her novel, The Colour Purple, which won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1982. This novel explored the struggles of a young, black woman; through racism and patriarchy. She has written several other novels; which are focused on the struggles of black women through racism, sexism and violence. She is also a prominent activist. She met Martin Luther King Jr. as a college student and he inspired her to return to the South and become a civil rights activist. She took part in the 1963 March on Washington and later volunteered to register black voters in Georgia and Mississippi. She also protested on March 9</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">th</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 2003 (international women’s day), on the day before the Iraq War began. She was arrested at an anti-war rally that day with 26 others for crossing a police line. She coined the term ‘womanist’ to mean ‘a black feminist or a feminist of colour’. </span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 321px; overflow: hidden; width: 241px;"></span></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-27214839591273802192020-07-17T10:00:00.000+01:002020-07-17T11:01:00.330+01:00Fear of Activism by Grace Gartlan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="I'm a Leftist Jewish Activist. I Couldn't Find Community ..." height="426" src="https://www.heyalma.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/activism3.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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The policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change; activism. An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm; fear. In a society where so many appreciate the need for change, why are people scared to stand up. Is the fear of activism the biggest factor limiting needed progression? More importantly, how can we deconstruct this fear when lives are at stake?<br />
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Racism, similar to other forms of discrimination, is an exceptionally diverse issue spanning all levels of society. Consequently, activism in response has to take a variety of forms; this can include protests/strikes, petitions, education, raising awareness, charity etc. Whichever way a person feels comfortable to support the fight for equality is brilliant, especially because if they feel confident, it will be the most effective. Therefore, people should not feel pressured to conform to one type of, typically public, activism, especially if it just for show, and is not supported by a genuine commitment to the cause. In any time, it is wrong to ignore people pleading for humane treatment, but with the availability of information today and the different ways to stand up, there is no excuse to not partake in some form of activism. We have to be anti-racist. Yet so many remain silent due to fear. <br />
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Is it the fear of being political? Surely politicians have to question why the people to whom they are accountable feel ashamed to be involved in politics, especially given that it is their own lives that it affects. In a democracy where we have the right to vote and speak freely, we need to start utilising our power. This is important, but it is equally important to realise that racism is not just a political issue. Yes, it does need policy change and education reforms, but it is more of a humanitarian issue. It is not political to call out basic hate or ignorance, just as it is not political to want equality in job opportunities, for example. So many aspects of racism require individual changes in attitude. Even if it were a political issue however, any one person’s reputation as ‘distant from politics’ is not more important than the fight to have millions of people treated fairly. <br />
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Or is it atychiphobia, the fear of being wrong? Well more so the fear of being told we’re wrong. In a constantly evolving world, and as part of a progressive movement to fight racial inequality, we do need to be prepared to make mistakes. Wrongdoings like sharing incorrect information or using the wrong terminology can be forgiven, when people apologise, educate themselves, and move on making conscience efforts to avoid further mistakes. Wrongdoings like watching a person say that they can’t breathe and then unlawfully die at the hands of a police officer but do nothing about it can never be forgiven. We need to stop thinking that being silent prolongs our perfect appearance when in fact it prolongs a history of accepted and institutionalised racism. Activism is not always being publicly vocal, but the day to day quiet acts. In both places it is possible to make mistakes. Part of activism is the learning that follows an attempt to support the movement or, in fact, the realisation that you were hindering it. <br />
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Perhaps we ought to place some blame on the media. Is the press holding the movement back by focusing on a few situations to scar the reputation of Black Lives Matter, or are they holding the campaign to unobtainable standards? The media are very quick to focus on when protests become violent, but have they considered that some of this disruption may be at the hands of those who are resisting change, and doing so by utilising the judgemental and profit-minded press to detract from the real issue of discrimination. This was suspected by the Mayor of Minnesota, the state in which George Floyd was tragically killed, after the media headlines focused on looting that occurred at the time of curfew, when in fact, there had been a day of entirely peaceful protests prior. However, even if the campaign did use force, is that not part of such a momentous fight for equality. The Suffragettes are glorified for their work in securing votes for women; their actions included smashing windows, arson and planting bombs, yet because this was not very common, it is not widely focused on. BLM protestors are stereotyped to be unnecessarily violent due to similar actions when fighting for equally important rights. Thy hypocrisy and negative press have not only detracted from the real issue, but instilled fear within people who consequently do not want to be associated with the campaign. Is this surprising when approximately 94% of journalists are white?<br />
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So why, when racism is such a diverse issue, when black culture needs more appreciation and history needs to be taught more honestly, did I choose to write about the fear of activism. It’s because I’ve felt it; I still feel it. Working through what is a subconscious fear in so many is crucial in this movements so that more people stand up for what is right. Moreover, it allows us to be the activist that we need to be so that we can be as effective to the cause as possible. Personally, I haven’t been active on social media as, whilst seeing the sheer number of posts helped me to see the magnitude and importance of the issue, it was not the place where I felt most able to educate myself and therefore others. Other people would completely disagree and again, that is fine because we all learn and fight for what is right in different ways. Even more truthfully, I was scared that if I shared a link or a post, I would allow myself to become part of the ‘moment’ and not the movement. I took time to think, and promised to sign petitions, confront racism that I witnessed, and continue to educate myself. Before all of that, however, I took a lot of time to think. A time in which, I now realise, I was processing my fear of activism. A time which was enabled completely by my white privilege. A time which delayed my support of the movement. <br />
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But this is not about me and my fear. This is about hundreds of years of racism being accepted as the status quo such that it is 2020 and people are still dying, people are still experiencing hate daily, people are still having opportunities taken away from the and people are still living in fear because of the colour of the skin. We need to move past fear and become activists. </div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-62006755934794215632020-07-17T09:59:00.000+01:002020-07-17T10:31:11.919+01:00Introduction to the BLM Issue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Guccifer 2.0: Leaked Democratic Party memo shows 'tactics ..." class="image-preview js-image-preview" data-src="http://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1531371/us-shooting-protests.jpg" height="425" src="https://d.ibtimes.co.uk/en/full/1531371/us-shooting-protests.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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<b>Hi all,</b><br />
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With what's been going on in the media lately, we have made the executive decision at Purple Ink to give this issue a theme, and dedicate all the articles to the Black Lives Matter movement. <br />
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Although usually our articles are very diverse and flexible, we felt it was important not only to shed light on this brilliant movement and the struggles of black people worldwide, but also celebrate those lives and educate ourselves and you, our readers, in the process.</div>
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It can be so easy to share a post, but what's truly important in these times is to criticise the situations that too often pass over our heads in our daily lives, be that what other governments are doing worldwide or even what we're taught in school. We have worked really hard as always to make sure these articles are all very different whilst still paying homage to the movement and our writers' personal passions in the best way possible, and so we hope that you find these articles enjoyable, enlightening and moving.<br />
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As one of our columnists, Iola King-Alleyne puts it in her compelling article of why she ignored government advice to stay at home to attend a BLM protest, 'Even reading this edition of Purple Ink is showing support for the cause'. </div>
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Please feel free to share these articles with friends and family. We know this has been a strange couple of months not being in school, but these high-quality and highly researched articles convey a strong sense of community and shared purpose at St Michaels: we are all hungry for change. </div>
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Our columnists have worked exceptionally hard on this issue and we are so proud of them and the product they have created together. Continue to educate yourself; let these articles be a springboard into further education and enlightenment. Hopefully in September, if we are all back at school, we can transfer this passion and inherent desire for change into assemblies, tutorials and school council meetings to see some long overdue change in our school.</div>
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Here is a link to the Google document that some of you may have seen entitled 'Justice in June'. It is a document compiled by Autumn Gupta with Bryanna Wallace’s oversight for the purpose of providing a starting place for individuals trying to become better allies. It includes books, TED Talks, podcasts, articles, documentaries, films, petitions, charities and more to help educate ourselves and in turn fight for justice. It includes daily things to do, whether it's listening to a podcast or reading a chapter of a book, with you being able to choose how long you want to spend daily educating yourself (it ranges from 10 minutes to 45 minutes daily). We believe this is a valuable resource, and we hope that on top of reading the articles in this issue, you will find it beneficial for learning about the cause and supporting it more fully:<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/edit?fbclid=IwAR0gk9gKkq5Np7cYWbnr1G6SCDQOsXoo521tYDX8JtDdtlMAxyfMIfmwgPg#">https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H-Vxs6jEUByXylMS2BjGH1kQ7mEuZnHpPSs1Bpaqmw0/edit?fbclid=IwAR0gk9gKkq5Np7cYWbnr1G6SCDQOsXoo521tYDX8JtDdtlMAxyfMIfmwgPg#</a></div>
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This will be our final issue before the summer, so we hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful summer, despite the restrictions. May we all come back in September better informed and ready to fight for justice!<br />
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Stay safe, and thank you as always for reading.<br />
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<b>-Fran and Sienna-</b><br />
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Editors-In-Chief</b></div>
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-6581181491312608852020-05-29T16:00:00.018+01:002020-07-17T10:31:55.054+01:00Caroline Flack: Murder by the Mass Media by Sienna Mullen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img alt="Caroline Flack dead, reports claim - Internewscast" class="image-preview js-image-preview" data-src="https://internewscast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/caroline-flack-dead-reports-claim.jpg" height="400" src="https://internewscast.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/caroline-flack-dead-reports-claim.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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The month of May, and specifically the week commencing 18th May, the week in which I write, is dedicated to ‘Mental Health Awareness’, so it only feels relevant to address a subject, which should be spoken of all year round, but since it is coincidently May, it seems even more apt.<br />
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Caroline Flack, known to many as “that presenter off of ‘Love Island'"; known to a minority as friend, sister, daughter; and known to the mass media as their next target. An average woman, who just happened to have a career which was in entertainment. On the surface, this career is every little girl’s dream; a fantasy of glamorous red-carpets, exclusive events and luxury. Yet, in this media-centric age, naturally such a job as Caroline had comes with press coverage- the occasional headline, a cover shoot here and there, paparazzi turning up from time to time. Glamorous right? Tell that to Caroline’s corpse. <br />
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Privacy- a basic human right- one that stardom often strips you of. You can’t even let a sigh of relief out without the click of lenses sounding as you’ve just become ‘The Daily Mail’s’ next piece of what they like to label as ‘news’. Freedom- another principal human right- one where you shouldn’t feel constrained to your house, as if you’re on house-arrest. These two fundamental rights, that saw centuries of people campaign for, were blatantly disregarded by the murdering media, to the extent that one simply could not justify it with ‘she works in entertainment, media coverage comes with the job’. Caroline did not ask for this.<br />
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As human beings, we are all flawed- we all have a ‘harmartia’ as the Greek’s termed it in their tragedies. Caroline was a human, therefore she too, like all of us, was flawed. I am not here to go into the specifics of what she did/didn’t do; there is no way of reaching facts now, as our only reliable source is dead, and what she allegedly did has been scrutinised to death by the media. What I’m here to focus on is justice. In a world where consumerism is at its peak, where we are essentially desensitised to news; we move on too fast. Yes, celebrity tributes to their bereaved friend were touching and sincere, but she was forgotten too soon, obviously not by her friends and family, but by society. Caroline’s cause of her suicide was glossed over too quickly by the media, who didn’t even comment on their significant contribution which literally tied the noose around her neck. Instead they retreated to cowardice- deleting brutal, interrogative articles about her, refusing to get off of their high horses and hold their hands up, probably trying to think of a quirky headline to summarise her suicide. Meanwhile Caroline’s mum buries her daughter too soon. This reeks of injustice.<br />
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Paloma Faith, a singer, wrote a piece inspired by Caroline shortly after she passed away entitled ‘Shut Up and Look Pretty’, in which she wonders ‘if Caroline was a man (would she) have been treated this way?’ The answer is no. Caroline’s fatal end isn’t just one of abuse, it is also one of misogyny and sexism. In this patriarchal society, the media feel it is their duty to scrutinise every single woman in the public eye. You’ll see a clear patriarchal divide if you go on to any tabloid between stories sexualising and objectifying women-‘Jennifer Lawrence put on a leggy display at last night’s Oscar awards’- and stories about the male career; genuine news. When will this end? Caroline went around with a target on her back for the best part of her career, and is now a mere speck in the mass media’s rear-view mirror. The media is hungry, its appetite to destroy another career is insatiable, and they look for fresh meat constantly. Caroline’s story isn’t an anomaly- the majority of women in the media, as well as some men, get ripped to shreds everyday of their lives. It is a cyclical structure, one that will not end until society evolves.<br />
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I will echo what I said at the start. It is Mental Health Awareness week as I write this. Be kind. Spread love, always. As Caroline’s life proved, you can have a great, loving network of people around you yet feel so alone. Let us learn from this, and fight for justice for Caroline- we owe it to her, and every person who has ever suffered from online abuse.<br />
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Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-73191395517744352272020-05-29T16:00:00.017+01:002020-07-17T10:31:47.052+01:00Utopia and Gender in Society by Fran Napolitano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="Celebrating The Life And Legacy Of Marsha P. Johnson ..." class="image-preview js-image-preview" data-src="https://bust.com/images/articles/33833/images/articles/37710/marshawarhol.jpg" height="471" src="https://bust.com/images/articles/33833/images/articles/37710/marshawarhol.jpg" width="640" /><br />
Imagine a world where milk and honey drips from lilac clouds; a world in which there is no linguistic barrier, no poverty, no ignorance, be it blissful or not; a world in which art, poetry, philosophy and science prosper alongside each other and flourish at harmony with one another and bring fruits to the academic realm. A world of no discrimination, of sweet sunshine and cool breezes, of no pain unless it brings about pleasure, of wisdom and full health.<br />
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This is the world so many people claim to be striving for, the utopia everybody is apparently suffering endlessly to bring to light, and, at the risk of being exceedingly pessimistic, I say this is an agonisingly false declaration. I mean, one simply does not have to look far to see this monstrosity rearing its ugly head in its full form:<br />
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Venus Xtravaganza, 1988 New York City, unsolved.<br />
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Marsha P Johnson, 1992, New York City, unsolved.<br />
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Loni Kai, 2001 Oregon, unsolved.<br />
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Julie Doe’, 1988 Clermont Florida; mutilated so heavily that it took extensive post-mortem testing to reveal that she was transgender and not hormonally altered from pregnancy, and she remains unidentified to this day.<br />
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Unsolved.<br />
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But what could I possibly be talking about? The fallacies of a seemingly robust law system that cannot serve justice? Feminism and the mindless, cold-blooded murders of women that are still plaguing our world today in a macabre woman purge? Surely, this cisgender woman cannot be talking about the rights of transgenders and crossdressers; surely, the two things are discrepant, worlds apart, on astronomically different astrological orbits. But that is merely the failing in judgement of a society that doesn’t understand it is undoing itself.<br />
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You see, what we find here is discrimination of minorities, but what is truly pitiful is that this discrimination has taken place at the hand of minorities as well as those more privileged, minorities who know how it feels to suffer, who know how it feels to have society rob them of opportunities on the grounds of their sex, skin colour or religion, yet still are so inherently prejudiced towards transgender people because it’s deemed as an unnatural way of life. They are less than human, preferable at a distance, the same attitude I would have towards a daddy long legs scrambling up my wall a little too close to my sleepless eyes. And just like the countless spiders squashed underneath gum-stained heels, the list of transgenders and drag artists that have been brutally murdered, sexually assaulted and disregarded under the law is bitterly long, and there are plentiful documentaries and articles begging feverishly for their justice to be served. Victoria Cruz, a prominent LGBTQ+ activist and transgender woman noted that these people are ‘shouting from their graves for justice’, and I hear their cries so deafeningly every time I see such injustices, and I think that anybody with any ability in them to empathise does as well. However, the line between listening to something and hearing it is too often blurry, so I decided to use this article to present a glimpse of this tremendous and unnerving injustice, to demonstrate the path which must be taken to silence those cries forever, whilst interweaving the narrative of a society that is plucking itself apart as it tries to save the ‘norms’.<br />
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Almost exactly 51 years ago at the time of writing this article, an uprising took place at the mafia-run Stonewall Inn in New York City, a bar frequented by numerous LGBTQ+ people in a time when it was illegal for homosexuals to enter bars and relish in leisurely activities among heterosexual, cisgender citizens, a disturbing law eerily similar to that of the Jim Crow segregation laws that encouraged the flourishing of racism in the US not many decades prior. As it was raided by the police in the early hours, three nights of unrest followed, with LGBTQ+ people, long frustrated by police brutality, finally fighting back and kick-starting the gay liberation movement, for as we know, the people soon weary of oppression. Despite much progress seeming to have been made by the movement, even its presentation in anniversary articles in newspapers was overly focused on the ‘campy’ and typically ‘effeminate’ nature of the rising itself, focusing on drag queens hitting policemen with their handbags rather than the true meaning and importance of an oppressed group finally fighting back, at least in my opinion. The laws in New York were hideous at the time, with thousands arrested each year in the city for 'crimes against nature’ and what was deemed lewd behaviour. Some even had their names published in newspapers, which meant they lost their jobs and were financially hindered. And the cherry on top of this frankly inedible cake is that what you wore was policed, to the point where fewer than three pieces of clothing deemed appropriate to your gender could put a vulnerable LGBTQ+ person behind bars. Stormé DeLarverie, a butch lesbian and drag artist rumoured to have thrown the first brick, along with drag queens Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, who established the Star House in New York City to keep LGBTQ+ youths off of the street, were prominent figures in the riots, but they did not come without their individual tales. <br />
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The latter was Andy Warhol’s muse, an icon for fearing no judgment of the harassment and ridicule of dressing and living as a woman while having the masculine features of a man and- despite the struggles she faced in homelessness, harassment and oppression-revelled in life and art, well known for her happy disposition and sharp humour. And what was her fate? Marsha ‘Pay it no mind’ Johnson was found floating dead in the Hudson River in July 1992, with an apparent hole in her head, and whilst the police were ferociously protested against as they briefly closed the case and attributed her death to suicide, the case remains that way, because police were too prejudiced to even regard her as a human with a beating heart and a sense of morality (unlike them) worthy of justice. None of her family were given closure; unfortunately, this is the tragic story of one of many transgender people murdered with unsolved cases due to the deep-rooted transphobia of police all around the world, and we are not exempt from such attitudes. <br />
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But why does gender matter? This has been the question buzzing in my mind ever since I heard Marsha’s story, ever since I’ve heard the stories of backlash faced by many modern drag queens behind the glitz, glam and seemingly hedonistic culture presented by the media, in RuPaul’s Drag Race and other LGBTQ+ programmes. Behind the slicked back eyebrows and manicured nails, there is a genuinely beautiful, serene disregard for society’s vast and most perilous fixation which causes the infinite problems of stereotyping, sexism and transphobia, and that is gender. Why, due to the arrangement of our genitalia at birth, so many things come into play, is genuinely confusing; why do we not pay equal heed to our eye colour, foot size or whether our hair is curly or straight? Why are people with green eyes not expected to dress, have their hair a certain way and marry solely people with blue eyes? The answer is simple; because this is ridiculous- and this strange dictatorship of gender is too. In fact, if we look at gender from a philosophical viewpoint, the most prominent of these being that of Judith Butler’s study, we see ideas about performative gender arise. Butler made a vital commentary on the non-binary nature of gender in her 1990 book Gender Trouble, in which she argues that being born male or female does not determine behaviour; rather, people learn to behave in particular ways to fit into society, and copy a series of acts associated with either the male or female sex in a performative and repetitive way to create what society views as male and female. This would explain the painful existence of transphobia and homophobia in our current society, since, as we speak the actions deemed appropriate for men and women have been transmitted to produce a social atmosphere that maintains an imitative but seemingly natural gender binary. As society continues to cling to this idea of male and female, and the normal behaviours attributed to the sexes, it rips itself to shreds; suicide is the highest killer of males, due to the gender stereotype of men having to be independent, and the vulnerability of being raw, honest and open with emotions is a feminine and ‘weak’ way to go about any sort of mental descent. This is only one of many examples of the way in which the reality of performative gender is ignored and only spurs more problems, and I feel what we need to truly understand is that we need society; Thomas Aquinas said it all the way back in the 13th century, and ultimately any discrimination harms the construction the stability that is imperative to our survival, be it racism or transphobia. <br />
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With this in mind, do we have the right to oppress others, when the grounds are merely a societal mirage? Do we have the right to oppress others when the majority of people do not permit the oppression of certain minorities? <br />
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We cannot pick and choose. <br />
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Society is in an utter crisis; pandemic aside, LGBTQ+ people are at a permanent risk that no vaccine can cure, with reports from The Guardian last year revealing that offences against transgenders have <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=5795&id=201309&p=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/14/homophobic-and-transphobic-hate-crimes-surge-in-england-and-wales&clickref=xid:fr1590168766844gec">trebled in number since 2014</a> and homophobic hate crimes had doubled in the same period in the UK, the place in which we find our home, which we sing praise of and support with taxes and the fruits of our dutiful hard work. Stonewall says that <a href="https://www.stonewall.org.uk/news/hate-crime-against-lgbt-people-britain-increases-78-cent-2013">80</a>% of these hate crimes go unreported. And this is our dystopia... the paradox of a society that claims to be so equal, but is in actuality, painstakingly far from it, and if this continues, society will crash and burn, and we will become the vestiges of a utopia we could have had, the smothering ashes of its corpse. <br />
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<i>“I'm not missing a minute of this, it's the revolution!”<br /><br />-Sylvia Livera-</i></div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-23388196547396275822020-05-29T16:00:00.016+01:002020-07-17T10:31:35.578+01:00Monolingualism in the UK by Isabelle Lenton<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/c1/5f/4ec15fa38269770793fc3d673466984e--german-language-teaching-english.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monolingualism is the illiteracy of the 21rst century ..." border="0" class="image-preview js-image-preview" data-src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/c1/5f/4ec15fa38269770793fc3d673466984e--german-language-teaching-english.jpg" height="505" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4e/c1/5f/4ec15fa38269770793fc3d673466984e--german-language-teaching-english.jpg" width="640" /></a>Last year, Madame Pini was my French teacher and, in one of our lessons, she told us that there was a decline in language A-Levels being taken every year. This was quite weird to me because our school is very focused on languages and my family as a whole is multilingual. Could it be because of Brexit and Brits wanting to further themselves from the rest of Europe or because ‘everyone in the world’ can speak English?<br />
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According to a survey published by the <a href="https://www.ipd.gu.se/digitalAssets/759/759844_Europeans_and_their_Languages_-_EC_2006.pdf">European Commission</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>, British people are officially the worst language learners in Europe.<br />
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In short, the survey says:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>62% of people in Britain can’t speak any other language than English.</li>
<li>38% of Brits speak at least one foreign language</li>
<li>18% speak two </li>
<li>Only 6% of the population speak three or more.</li>
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A recurrent excuse is that we don’t need to learn other languages because ‘English is a language spoken worldwide’. In my view, this is a very worrying mindset that will prevent learning and communication with people from other countries. Even if it’s just a few words for when you go on holiday, it’s important to show effort.<br />
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In comparison,<a href="https://www.ipd.gu.se/digitalAssets/759/759844_Europeans_and_their_Languages_-_EC_2006.pdf"> </a><a href="https://www.ipd.gu.se/digitalAssets/759/759844_Europeans_and_their_Languages_-_EC_2006.pdf">over half of people in the EU can speak at least two languages with 38% being able to speak English</a>. Just over half of Europeans (54%) are able to hold a conversation in at least one additional language, a quarter (25%) are able to speak at least two additional languages and one in ten (10%) are conversant in at least three.<br />
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There is a difference between learning and already knowing another language. Learning a language can be hard and it is easy to give up. However, already knowing a language can help you with learning another one. For example, if you can speak French it will be easier to learn another of the Romance languages: Spanish, Italian, Romanian and Portuguese. Another trick would be to choose a language with similar grammar.<br />
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London is a place of many nationalities. In the 2011 census, 36.7% of London's population was foreign born and London, unsurprisingly, has the largest number of foreign-born residents of any UK city. Hopefully, the UK will become more motivated to learn languages, whether it’s to make their CV look good or to be able to talk with the locals when travelling. Dealing with another culture enables people to gain a more profound understanding of their own culture. Communication is what enables us to pass information to other people, and to understand what is said to us...a key life skill.</div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219402808497005447.post-53270778400794435082020-05-29T16:00:00.015+01:002020-07-17T10:31:23.825+01:00K-Pop by Adele Tadevosyan <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_jhidxmake.php?idx=5&simg=201805271449102237401_20180527144931_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="[Official] IU comeback 2018 - No.1 on brand reputation for ..." border="0" class="image-preview js-image-preview" data-src="https://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_jhidxmake.php?idx=5&simg=201805271449102237401_20180527144931_01.jpg" height="359" src="https://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_jhidxmake.php?idx=5&simg=201805271449102237401_20180527144931_01.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
K-pop. If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past 4 years, you might just know what it is. You might love it. You might hate it. Well, we all have our own opinions. You may still be scratching your head about how this became so popular. Buckle up folks for a bumpy ride!<br />
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K-pop is the abbreviation of Korean Pop, a bit obvious. While the modern form of K-pop can be traced back to the early 90s, the term itself has been popularized since the 2000s. Although it generally means "popular music" within South Korea, the term is often used in a narrower sense to describe a modern form of South Korean pop that is influenced by styles and genres from around the world, such as experimental, rock, jazz, gospel, hip hop, R&B, reggae, electronic dance, folk, country, and classical on top of its traditional Korean music roots. These styles, specifically Hip-hop, began to become popular when the group Seo Taiji and Boys emerged into the Korean Scene, first making their debut on a popular Korean television programme ‘MBC's talent show’ on April 11, 1992 with their song "Nan Arayo" (난 알아요, "I Know") and got the lowest rating from the jury.<br />
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Now, you may be wondering, ‘How could they get such a low rating, when the style is so popular now?’, well, this was the first time anyone had used such a strange type of music, as it was popular in America, before this there were only songs about Korea and how amazing it was, or EXTREMELY CHEESY love songs. If you think I’m joking, see the lyrics of one of the biggest hits from just a decade before, called ‘Ah! Republic of Korea’: ‘Oh, Oh, Korea! Oh, Oh, our country! Oh, Oh, I will love you forever!’. Basically, a patriotic anthem wrapped in an 80s pop song. Songs like these were constantly played on the Tv and the radio, as it was considered a ‘healthy song’ a patriotic tune commissioned and promoted by the government. The control of pop culture was brought down by South Korean Dictator Park Chung Hee, and continued after his assassination in 1979. During this era, the Government controlled the broadcast systems, which usually televised popular musical variety shows. In order to be broadcast, pop music had to either be patriotic, or G-Rated love ballads, I told you I wasn’t lying! Seo Taiji and Boys’ rising popularity showed Korea could grow not only culturally, but environmentally. In a popular newspaper, they were defined as the Korean ‘New Kids on the Block’. Their 80s/90s style of clothing is a current trend, with people wearing baggy trousers, bucket hats, dungarees and many other iconic clothing, they brought the wave of American Hip-hop fashion to Korea, making a major dent into present streetwear. Whatever they wore, became the trend.<br />
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They wanted to go out with a bang, and so, at the height of their fame, announced their retirement. People say a picture says a thousand words, so they released a music video saying goodbye. <br />
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Lee Soo Man, former entertainer turned businessman, saw music as a cultural export, and when the Asian financial crisis of 1997 began, the Government agreed. Only a year before, Soo Man created, arguably, the first worldwide famous K-Pop group H.O.T who took the world by storm with their song ‘Candy’. A law was passed to ‘bolstering the arts’, vowing to dedicate at least 1% of the entire state budget on culture. Three major companies were ready to grab this opportunity, Lee Soo Man’s SM, JYP, and YG founded by none other than Yang Hyun Suk, a member of Seo Taiji and Boys.<br />
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These three companies essentially created the K-Pop you know and, probably love, today, with other companies like Big Hit Entertainment, the company famous for creating BTS, Cube Entertainment, created groups like Pentagon, BtoB, and (G)I-DLE.<br />
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We know them as K-Pop groups, but in Korea they’re known as Idol Groups, because they were made through a specific process.<br />
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The company holds auditions or scouts the idols. <br />
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Then they are trained to sing, dance and act.<br />
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Lastly, they are carefully assembled into incredibly polished groups<br />
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This process takes years, and was not invented by K-Pop, but by Motown, who created The Supremes, The Temptations and The Jackson 5. Groups are very well assembled to make no two people similar and members have titles, like lead rapper, lead dancer, lead vocals, songwriter, or Maknae (which is given to the youngest member).<br />
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In 2013, The world was hit with PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ which skyrocketed and currently has over 3.5 billion views. Half of the world has seen this! So many artists have tried to do what K-Pop has done to the world, and many have failed, if you can’t beat them, join them!<br />
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As a K-Pop fan myself, it really is a big part of my life, keeping me healthy with their intricate and difficult choreographies, making me laugh at variety shows, and being all around places of support for those in dark places. K-Pop showed me love and kindness to others, and I made many new friends in the process! I owe a lot to them.<br />
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I hope this gave you an update on K-Pop’s history and some inspiration to perhaps try listening to a few songs, or go on a crazy random dance challenge in public (after Quarantine ends, obviously). </div>
Purple Inkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16314164865851686488noreply@blogger.com0