George Floyd's death has sparked huge protest worldwide against systemic racism, injustice and the police killings of people of colour.
Millions of people across the US have taken to the streets and raised their voices in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing problem of unequal justice, racism and the police killings of black Americans. The vast majority of demonstrations over the past eight days have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed in a number of cities.
In Minneapolis, Greta McLain, Xena Goldman and Cadex Herrera sprung into action to paint a wall mural at the corner of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue South, the spot where Floyd was arrested. The artists began painting the mural last Thursday, three days after Floyd died, and were finished within 12 hours.
The mural shows a likeness of George Floyd with his name in prominent lettering and a flaming sunflower behind him. It also features the names of other African Americans who have been killed by the police, including 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot in March, in her Louisville home. Her death has also been protested in the last few days.
Thirty-five-year-old Greta McLain studied mural making at the University of California, Davis, and was mentored by Malaquias Montoya, a major figure in the Chicano art movement. She now owns the community mural studio GoodSpace Murals, and calls her hometown of Minneapolis a "hub for community art."
The mural was painted on the wall of Cup Foods with the blessing of the shop's owner, Mahmoud Abumayyaleh. One of Abumayyaleh's employees made the initial call that led to officers arriving on the scene to confront Floyd.
Greta McLain was approached by Xena Goldman to join the project. "This was our first time all painting together," she said of her co-artists, who had met the previous year at a training session for Latinx muralists. Though the process for such pieces is usually much longer, they were looking for a "permanent shift" in the intersection's "visual landscape."
"It was very fast, organized over Instagram...like, 'who's ready, let's go!'" McLain said. "My studio was able to provide the paint and we were able to move quickly."
This was the first mural that 45-year-old Belize-born Cadex Herrera had completed, after he had started as a mural apprentice with a local non-profit last year. As an art educator and intervention specialist at an elementary school, he felt compelled to create something meaningful after hearing about Floyd's death.
"My emotions were so raw," he said over email. "The hurt is so deep and the wound won't heal because it opens up every time a person of color is killed unjustly and it doesn't stop."
For him, art can help heal.
"Art is therapy. Art can say things you cannot express with words. It brings the community together to reflect, to grieve, for strength and for support."
He, McLain and Goldman were helped by artists Maria Javier, Rachel Breen, Niko Alexander, and Pablo Helmp Hernandez, however the final detail on the mural, the words 'I can breathe now,' were added by someone else, and reference the words repeated by Floyd in the video of the killing: "I can't breathe."
"The phrase came from an African American community member, Anjel Carpenter, who approached us and asked for it," Greta McLain said. "She then surveyed the community, asking them if they preferred 'I can breathe now,' 'Let me breathe,' and one more, and they voted for 'I can breathe now.' We asked another member of the community to paint those words in."
"(Anjel Carpenter) expressed to us that the idea of not being able to breathe was fueling so much tension and anger," McLain continued. "And that now George was with God and it was important for our community healing to claim our breath and ability to breathe."
On instagram, Shirien @shirien.creates voiced her outrage and paid a tribute to George Floyd
Rap artists have voiced their anger and outrage on social media
‘They ran up in the state house with them AKs quick
But let a n***** try and do that white boy sh*t
Won’t be no rubber bullets ricocheting off ribs
But the white supremacists go in the cop’s face and spit’
Listen to LL Cool J rap about George Floyd, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement #blacklivesmatter
'For 400 years we've had your knees on our necks'
What does LL Cool J mean exactly? What is he referring to?
A timeline of US Black History posted by the actress Amandla Stenberg on instagram with the following comments on white privilege and systemic racism:
"I’m feeling pretty exhausted by white people who are not willing to do real self evaluative work. I notice there’s a tendency for white people to differentiate themselves from “racists” as if racism is something you unequivocally do or don’t participate in when in reality it’s a structure and spectrum that we all exist within.
To be an ally in my eyes requires active participation in recognizing the systems that dictate our reality, unlearning internalized notions and then devoting yourself to active counterbalancing to the anti black systems in place. Educating yourself without expectation from people of color to provide those resources for you is a foundational and basic step- implementing that education is step two of hopefully a lifelong quest.
What is the work you do to mediate your privilege? This work applies to white people and to anybody who benefits from the anti black status quo, including myself. What active work are we doing to counter anti-blackness on a day to day basis? Interpersonally? What personal reparations are you choosing to pay?
It frustrates me that this concept even gets interpreted by white people as radical. Often times I’ve noticed that when white people are challenged to evaluate if their way of being accommodates the history of racism they feel it’s not “fair.” How can you look at this timeline and not recognize that the implications of slavery are real and present?
We are facing the repercussions of hundreds of years of global anti-blackness.
How can you witness the concrete evidence of that anti-blackness every time a black person is killed by a white police officer and not see how it is your responsibility to counteract 500 years of violence? Not only is it your responsibility to be conscious and adjust the way you move in the world - you should be eager to dismantle these structures.
Now is the time to step into that role, to think critically every day about the lens that you were given to look through. (...)
I love black people with all of my soul, I feel the tenderness and pain in your heart, I am so good awful sorry."
What's the background?
Timeline based on the BBC News article "George Floyd death: New charges for all four sacked officers"
25th May 2020
George Floyd, 46, was stopped by police investigating the purchase of cigarettes with counterfeit money. He was arrested outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
A video showed George Floyd being arrested and a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for several minutes while he was pinned to the floor. Mr Floyd was heard repeatedly saying "I can’t breathe". He was pronounced dead later in hospital.
26th May 2020
The four officers involved in George Floyd's arrest were fired. Protests began as the video of the arrest was shared widely on social media. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Minneapolis and vandalised police cars and the police station with graffiti.
27th May 2020
Protests spread to other cities including Memphis and Los Angeles. In some places, like Portland, Oregon, protesters lay in the road, chanting "I can’t breathe".
Demonstrators again gathered around the police station in Minneapolis where the officers involved in George Floyd’s arrest were based and set fire to it. The building was evacuated.
28th May 2020
President Trump blamed the violence on a lack of leadership in Minneapolis and threatened to send in the National Guard in a tweet. He followed it up in a second tweet with a warning "when the looting starts, the shooting starts". The second tweet was hidden by Twitter for "glorifying violence"
Members of a CNN crew were arrested while giving a live television report Friday morning in Minneapolis -- and then released about an hour later -- as the crew covered ongoing protests over the death in police custody of George Floyd. CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez told Wolf Blitzer his mother and grandmother were watching when he was arrested with his producer and his photojournalist shortly after 5 a.m.
"Police may not prevent journalists from covering protests if the journalists are in a place where the public is allowed, and they are not disrupting or interfering with law enforcement. Simply being near a protest or other newsworthy event is not a crime," the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press states in its guide to covering protests.
The live video from correspondent Omar Jimenez and the CNN crew showed that they were not interfering with law enforcement.
Watch CNN videos and read articles on why arresting reporters at a protest is an affront to the First Amendment
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, 44, was charged with murder and manslaughter. The charges carry a combined maximum 35-year sentence.
31st May 2020
Violence spread across the US on the sixth night of protests. A total of at least five people were reported killed in protests from Indianapolis to Chicago. More than 75 cities have seen protests. At least 4,400 people have been arrested. Curfews have been imposed across the US to try to stem the unrest.
1st June 2020
President Trump threatened to send in the military to quell growing civil unrest. He said if cities and states failed to control the protests and "defend their residents" he would deploy the army and "quickly solve the problem for them". Mr Trump posed at the steps of St. John's Episcopal Church, holding a Bible high, calling for a military crackdown and after the police had used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse peaceful protesters near the White House.
Watch CNN video interviewing Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and read their article "As a Christian and a human being, I was appalled by Trump's church photo op"
2nd June 2020
Tens of thousands of protesters again took to the streets. One of the biggest protests is in George Floyd’s hometown of Houston, Texas, where George Floyd’s family joined the march. Many people defied curfews in several cities, but the demonstrations were largely peaceful.
It was Blackout Tuesday, a day promoted by activists to observe, mourn and bring about policy change in the wake of the death of George Floyd. This movement spread on social media, where organizations, brands and individuals have been posting solemn messages featuring stark black backgrounds, sometimes tagging the posts with #BlackLivesMatter.
3rd June 2020
Protests erupted and have continued since, across many US cities and also internationally, with rallies on Wednesday in Australia, France, the Netherlands and in the UK, where thousands gathered in central London.
The Floyd case follows the high-profile cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York; and others that have driven the Black Lives Matter movement in recent years. For many, the outrage over Floyd's death also reflects years of frustration over socio-economic inequality and discrimination.
4th June 2020
New charges have been announced against all of the sacked police officers present at the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The charge against Derek Chauvin has been elevated to second-degree murder. The other three officers, Thomas Lane, J Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, previously uncharged, face counts of aiding and abetting murder.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Here are a few videos you should watch to help you understand the context better and put things into perspective.
Listen to Trevor Noah explaining why George Floyd's death sparked riots and looting.
He shares his thoughts on the dominos of racial injustice and police brutality, and how the contract between society and black Americans has been broken time and time again.
"One ray of sunshine for me in that moment was seeing how many people instantly condemned what they saw."
Listen to Barack Obama's essay on How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change.
You can read it as you listen to it, the full text is below.
As millions of people across the country take to the streets and raise their voices in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing problem of unequal justice, many people have reached out asking how we can sustain momentum to bring about real change.
Ultimately, it’s going to be up to a new generation of activists to shape strategies that best fit the times. But I believe there are some basic lessons to draw from past efforts that are worth remembering.
First, the waves of protests across the country represent a genuine and legitimate frustration over a decades-long failure to reform police practices and the broader criminal justice system in the United States. The overwhelming majority of participants have been peaceful, courageous, responsible, and inspiring. They deserve our respect and support, not condemnation — something that police in cities like Camden and Flint have commendably understood.
On the other hand, the small minority of folks who’ve resorted to violence in various forms, whether out of genuine anger or mere opportunism, are putting innocent people at risk, compounding the destruction of neighborhoods that are often already short on services and investment and detracting from the larger cause. I saw an elderly black woman being interviewed today in tears because the only grocery store in her neighborhood had been trashed. If history is any guide, that store may take years to come back. So let’s not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.
Second, I’ve heard some suggest that the recurrent problem of racial bias in our criminal justice system proves that only protests and direct action can bring about change, and that voting and participation in electoral politics is a waste of time. I couldn’t disagree more. The point of protest is to raise public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable; in fact, throughout American history, it’s often only been in response to protests and civil disobedience that the political system has even paid attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands.
Moreover, it’s important for us to understand which levels of government have the biggest impact on our criminal justice system and police practices. When we think about politics, a lot of us focus only on the presidency and the federal government. And yes, we should be fighting to make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a U.S. Justice Department, and a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it. But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels.
It’s mayors and county executives that appoint most police chiefs and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with police unions. It’s district attorneys and state’s attorneys that decide whether or not to investigate and ultimately charge those involved in police misconduct. Those are all elected positions. In some places, police review boards with the power to monitor police conduct are elected as well. Unfortunately, voter turnout in these local races is usually pitifully low, especially among young people — which makes no sense given the direct impact these offices have on social justice issues, not to mention the fact that who wins and who loses those seats is often determined by just a few thousand, or even a few hundred, votes.
So the bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn’t between protest and politics. We have to do both. We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform.
Finally, the more specific we can make demands for criminal justice and police reform, the harder it will be for elected officials to just offer lip service to the cause and then fall back into business as usual once protests have gone away. The content of that reform agenda will be different for various communities. A big city may need one set of reforms; a rural community may need another. Some agencies will require wholesale rehabilitation; others should make minor improvements. Every law enforcement agency should have clear policies, including an independent body that conducts investigations of alleged misconduct. Tailoring reforms for each community will require local activists and organizations to do their research and educate fellow citizens in their community on what strategies work best.
But as a starting point, here’s a report and toolkit developed by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and based on the work of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing that I formed when I was in the White House. And if you’re interested in taking concrete action, we’ve also created a dedicated site at the Obama Foundation to aggregate and direct you to useful resources and organizations who’ve been fighting the good fight at the local and national levels for years.
I recognize that these past few months have been hard and dispiriting — that the fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and hardship of a pandemic have been compounded by tragic reminders that prejudice and inequality still shape so much of American life.
But watching the heightened activism of young people in recent weeks, of every race and every station, makes me hopeful. If, going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals. Let’s get to work.
What about celebrities?
Watch Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss and Allison Holker do the TikTok Challenge about White Privilege. Here's how celebrities reacted to George Floyd's death, voiced their feelings and tried to raise awareness of white privilege
@englishclubvsl I posted an excerpt from Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, chapter 38, pp.346-347 with a series of questions from the main character's blog on race in the USA. This one is called What Academics Mean By White Privilege, or Yes It Sucks to Be Poor and White but Try Being Poor And Non-White.
"'So this guy said to Professor Hunk, "White privilege is nonsense. How can I be privileged? I grew up fucking poor in West Virginia. I'm an Appalachian hick. My family is on welfare.' Right. But privilege is always relative to something else. Now imagine someone like him, as poor and as fucked up, and then make that person black. If both are caught for drug possession, say, the white guy is more likely to be sent to treatment and the black guy is more likely to be sent to jail. Everything else the same except for race. Check the stats. The Appalachian hick guy is fucked up, which is not cool, but if he were black, he'd be fucked up plus. He also d'aide to Professor Hunk:
Why must we always talk about race anyway? Can't we just be human beings? And Professor Hunk replied - that is exactly what white privilege is, that you can say that. Race doesn't exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don't have a choice.
The black guy on the street in New York doesn't want to think about race, until he tries to hail a cab, and he doesn't want to think about race when he's driving his Mercedes under the speed limit, until a copy pulls him over. So Appalachian hick guy doesn't have class privilege but he sure as hell has race privilege. What do you think? Weigh in, readers, and share your experiences, especially if you are non-back."
Here's a Test for White Privilege
If you answer mostly "no", you have white privilege
When you want to join a prestigious social club, do you wonder if your race will make it difficult for you to join?
When you go shopping alone at a nice store, do you worry that you will be followed or harrassed?
When you turn on mainstream TV or open a mainstream newspaper, do you expect to find mostly people of another race?
Do you worry that your children will not have books and school materials that are about people of their own race?
When you apply for a bank loan, do you worry that, because of your race, you might be seen as financially unreliable?
If you swear, or dress shabbily, do you think that people might say this is because of the bad morals or the poverty or the illiteracy of your race?
If you do well in a situation, do you expect to be called a credit to your race? Or to be described as "different" from the majority of your race?
If you criticize the government, do you worry that you might be seen as a cultural outsider? Or that you might be asked to "go back to X", X being somewhere not in America?
If you receive poor service in a nice store and ask to see "the person in charge", do you expect that this person will be a person of another race?
If a traffic cop pulls you over, do you wonder if it is because of your race?
If you take a job with an Affirmative Action employer, do you worry that your co-workers will think you are unqualified and were hired only because of your race?
If you want to move to a nice neighborhood, do you worry that you might not be welcome because of your race?
If you need legal or medical help, do you worry that your race might work against you?
When you use the "nude" color of underwear and Band-Aids, do you already know that it will not match your skin?
Check A Guide to White Privilege @courtneyahndesign
DIG DEEPER
Have you got Netflix? Watch Ava DuVernay's movie Selma, her documentary 13th and the mini series When They See Us to understand the historical context better.
She clearly shows the kind of racism and violence civil rights activists were up against when they tried to put an end to segregation in the 1960s. She clearly shows how five teenagers were wrongly arrested and prosecuted for a rape they had not committed in 1989. She clearly shows how racist and corrupt the legal system is, aimed at keeping the flow of inmates in US prisons growing.
Ava DuVernay is known as "The Social Justice Woman". She is not afraid of speaking truth to power and exposes media misrepresentation and their lies, the tactics of white supremacy. Listen to her interview at The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Ava DuVernay describes the process of humanizing the falsely accused boys in the Central Park Jogger case and coming to terms with her reputation in Hollywood.
Selma's now for every man, woman and child
Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd
They marched with the torch, we gon' run with it now
Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles
From dark roads he rose, to become a hero
Facin' the league of justice, his power was the people
Enemy is lethal, a king became regal
Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle
The biggest weapon is to stay peaceful
We sing, our music is the cuts that we bleed through
Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany
Now we right the wrongs in history
No one can win the war individually
It takes the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy
How much do you know about Black History?
the Middle Passage, the Slave Trade and Slavery?
See how much you remember and try this quiz on the Slave Trade
There are other movies you should watch to learn more about US Black History and more specifically about slavery: 12 Years a Slave and The Birth of a Nation
This film is based on the autobiography written by Solomon Northup. Here are its opening lines in Chapter 1:
"Having been born a freeman, and for more than thirty years enjoyed the blessings of liberty in a free State—and having at the end of that time been kidnapped and sold into Slavery, where I remained, until happily rescued in the month of January, 1853, after a bondage of twelve years—it has been suggested that an account of my life and fortunes would not be uninteresting to the public.
Since my return to liberty, I have not failed to perceive the increasing interest throughout the Northern States, in regard to the subject of Slavery. Works of fiction, professing to portray its features in their more pleasing as well as more repugnant aspects, have been circulated to an extent unprecedented, and, as I understand, have created a fruitful topic of comment and discussion.
I can speak of Slavery only so far as it came under my own observation—only so far as I have known and experienced it in my own person. My object is, to give a candid and truthful statement of facts: to repeat the story of my life, without exaggeration, leaving it for others to determine, whether even the pages of fiction present a picture of more cruel wrong or a severer bondage."
You can read this book online.
Film critics and historians had mixed feelings about this movie. See below.
Have you seen it? What did you think?
Do you know Amandla Stenberg?
She plays in a bilingual Netflix mini series called The Eddy that is set in Paris. Have you seen it?
This series celebrates diversity in a very unique way, something I've rarely seen in French movies and series. This movie highlights the issue of misrepresentation in the media and the movie industry.
SELF-STUDY ACTIVITIES
1) Boost your vocab + Learn facts:
> Create a language card or a mind map with key sentences from the news reports and timeline of the events following George Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter movement.
> Create a language card on the Slave Trade
> Here's a summary from the French newspaper Libération. See if you can translate it into English:
Aux Etats-Unis, la colère s’amplifie, la répression policière aussi.
Entre manifestations pacifiques, échauffourées et pillages, la contestation née de la mort de George Floyd continue de s’étendre à travers les Etats-Unis. Près d’une douzaine d’Etats ont mobilisé les soldats de la Garde nationale. La police a utilisé du gaz lacrymogène dimanche près de la Maison Blanche pour disperser des manifestants n’ayant pas respecté le couvre-feu instauré dans la capitale, à l’instar d’autres grandes villes des Etats-Unis comme Los Angeles ou Houston. Lisez notre analyse. Les habitants des zones touchées par les émeutes s’organisent pour éviter de nouveaux pillages et destructions.
Would you say this summary is objective compared to what you read in English or the videos you watched? Do you feel the journalist is taking sides?
2) How do you feel about what happened?
Write down your feelings when you watched the news.
> Did you take part in #BlackoutTuesday on social media? Explain why / why not.
> What do you think about Donald Trump's photo op and reactions?
> How do systemic racism and white privilege make you feel?
You can also record your voice.
3) Write an essay
> What role do artists play in our society?
Use the artworks and artists mentioned in this post: graffiti artists, rap singers, film makers, songwriters and musicians, writers
> How can we drive positive social change in society and stop racism?
Use Barack Obama's ideas and essay to help you.
> How can we right the wrongs in history?
Use the lyrics of Glory, the song in Selma and what we talked about in class when we celebrated Black History Month
4) Write a film review
Watch one of the movies or series mentioned above and focus on film technique
= the way the story was told
= the point of view that was used
= what impact it had on you as a viewer
Write down your impressions.
Choose one scene that stands out for you.
Explain what is special about it.
Use the reviews in the videos above to help you
Learn more about systemic racism in the USA thanks to ARRAY, an initiative to create a bridge between Entertainement and Education.
The Learning Companion is free and very very very good. Click on the picture below.
This is a good example of how artists can drive positive change in our society.
Art moves us and makes us move. This is why art is so powerful.
5) Black History by Gil Scott-Heron
Listen to this song, read the lyrics carefully and illustrate each part in the song.
The Healing, work in progress
by Gregory Pelizzari, Atelier Neo-Medici
Black History / World
I was wondering about our yesterdays
And starting digging through the rubble
And to say, at least somebody went
Through a hell of a lot of trouble
To make sure that when we looked things up
We wouldn't fare too well
And that we would come up with totally unreliable
Portraits of ourselves
But I compiled what few facts I could
I mean, such as they are
To see if we could shed a little bit of light
And this is what I got so far:
First, white folks discovered Africa
And they claimed it fair and square
Cecil Rhodes couldn't have been robbing nobody
Cause he said there was nobody there
White folks brought all the civilization
Since there wasn't none around
They said 'how could these folks be civilized
When you never see nobody writing nothing down?'
And just to prove all their suspicions
It didn't take too long
They found out there were whole groups of people, in plain sight
Running around with no clothes on. That's right!
The women, the men, the young and old
Righteous white folks covered their eyes
So no time was spent considering the environment
Hell no! This here, this just wasn't civilized!
And another piece of information they had
Or at least this how we were taught
Is that 'unlike the very civilized people of Europe'
These tribal units actually fought!
And yes, there was some rather crude implements
And yes, there was primitive art
And yes they were masters of hunting and fishing
And courtesy came from the heart
And yes there was medicine, love and religion
Intertribal communication by drum
But no paper and pencils and other utensils
And hell, these folks never even heard of a gun
And this is why the colonies came
To stabilize the land
Because the Dark Continent had copper and gold
And the discoverers had themselves a plan
They would discover all the places with promise
You didn't need no titles or deeds
You could just appoint people to make everything legal
To sanction the trickery and greed
And back in the jungle when the natives got restless
They would call that 'guerrilla attack'
And they would never describe that the folks finally got wise
And decided they would fight back
And still we are victims of word games
Semantics is always a bitch:
Places once referred to as under-developed
Are now called 'mineral rich.'
And the game goes on eternally
Unity kept just beyond reach
Egypt and Libya used to be in Africa
They've been moved to the Middle East
There are examples galore I assure you
But if interpreting were left up to me
I'd be sure every time folks knew this version wasn't mine
Which is why it is called 'His story'
Notes from genius.com where the lyrics were found
unreliable / Portraits of ourselves
The history of African Americans has been drastically reduced to narratives of slavery. With blacks contributions to science, technology, construction, exploratrion, medical fields, and all areas of life have been downplayed or erased from educational curriculum. Not only that, but largely white-owned media campaign 24 hours daily, showing negative images of black people.
Started the De Beers Mining Company and held a monopoly on the world's diamond supply from the late 1800s till his death in 1902. Believed in was his divine right to subjugate the African population. One of Rhodes's primary motivations in politics and business was his professed belief that the Anglo-Saxon race was, to quote his will, "the first race in the world". Under the reasoning that "the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race", he advocated vigorous settler colonialism. He gave his name to what became the historical region termed Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. He aimed to "paint the map British red " and declared: "all of these stars ... these vast worlds that remain out of reach. If I could, I would annex other planets "
how could these folks be civilized? (...) no paper and pencils and other utensils
Despite all the hallmarks of civilization and culture, the excuse used by settlers for the slaughter and enslavement of indigenous people was that they had oral traditions rather than written ones. Thus, they were uncivilized.
when the natives got restless / They would call that 'guerrilla attack'
A common tactic used in the invading nation’s propaganda. It can still be seen in today's political climate in nations where Westeners have taken over or overthrown rulers who were called "terrorists".
6) Listen to the philosopher Lewis Gordon
Take notes and create a mind map on this conversation on racism
Click on the screenshot below
Lewis Gordon explains that we tend to see humans as some sort of fixed formula rather than an open category of relationships that’s dynamically evolving and so there’s always more to learn. He says, “The mistake we often make is that we tend to think of humans beings or the worlds we live in as compartments instead of relationships that open up other relationships.”
“Each relationship creates a reality that works like keys that unlock or disclose different modes of reality.”
He explores the relationships between politics, capitalism and social power - how that creates racism, sexism and all sorts of -isms because politics is not concerned with moral responsibility in the way individuals can be. The impacts of institutional racism run far and deep into the US culture, economy, political systems, and network of institutions. As an example, he talks about lynchings and that "licence to kill African American people" that has been deeply embedded in the fabric of US society.
With all that’s happening in the world right now with the Black Lives Matter protests, the host, Kent Bye, points out that it’s valuable to look at it through both the political and moral lenses because there is a moral responsibility to listen, learn, and educate ourselves. Bridging the gap between what each of us can do as individuals can do, and what types of institutional changes need to be made on a collective level is one of the biggest open questions right now.
TAKE A STAND AGAINST RACISM
SILENCE IS VIOLENCE
BLACK LIVES MATTER
NEVER STOP LEARNING
VOICE YOUR OPINION
@worrywellbeing created this slide to inspire us to be proactive
7) Game + DIY Time!
Create a T-shirt with an inspirational quote to celebrate great black heroes
STEP ONE: Have a look at this T-shirt to help raise funds for the BLM movement.
Can you give these black heroes' full names?
How much do you know about what they achieved? How long can you speak about them?
Check greatblackheroes.com to help you if you get stuck.
Aim at speaking at least one minute = 10 sentences
STEP TWO: Here are some inspiring quotes by these great black heroes, but who said / wrote what?
1. "I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free."
2. "Education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."
3. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
4. "The time is always right to do the right thing."
5. "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."
6. "Knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom."
7. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
8. "Believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to a greater, broader and fuller life."
9. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
10. "History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope has a life of its own."
11. "Voting or Protest? It's not an either/or. We need to do both."
STEP THREE: DIY Time! Which inspirational quote would you like to have on your T-Shirt? Upcycle an old T-shirts. Paint, sew, embroider the letters on the fabric. Make a T-shirt for your relatives and friends to encourage them to be actively anti-racist.
STEP FOUR: Take a selfie and post it on social media to amplify your voice and show how much you care. Here are some of the hashtags you can use:
#blacklivesmatter #justiceforgeorgefloyd #buildabetterfuture #saynotoracism #nojusticenopeace #saynotodiscrimination #blackhistoryquotes #blackhistory
STEP FIVE: Remember to be the change you want to see around you.
"Real change happens at grassroot levels. Each one of us can be a role model for the people around you."
Severn Suzuki, green activist aka The Girl Who Silenced The World
Get inspiration from other students
SELF-CORRECTION
Here are the answers to the game above.
The numbers in brackets correcpond to the quotes in step 2.
Dream like Martin Luther King (4) (7) (9).
Lead like Harriet Tubman*.
Fight like Malcolm X (2).
Think like Marcus Garvey.
Write like Maya Angelou (3).
Build like Madam CJ Walker**.
Speak like Frederick Douglass (6).
Educate like WEB Du Bois (8).
Believe like Thurgood Marshall (5).
Challenge like Rosa Parks (1).
Inspire like Michelle Obama (10)
Inspire like Barack Obama (11).
* Click here for more
Try the self-study "Listen and Take Notes" activity on the TED-Ed video "The Courage of Harriet Tubman" in our post Celebrating Black History Month
** Meet America’s first empire-building, barrier-breaking, self made female millionaire. Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer stars in Self Made, a mini-series inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
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