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WWW.GSCENE.COM CITY LANDMARKS LIT UP PURPLE IN SUPPORT OF FIGHT AGAINST RACISM ) Last month, on Friday, June 5, the Brighton Palace Pier, British Airways i360 and the Brighton Centre were lit in purple to show support and solidarity for communities suffering from racism and prejudice. Following the death of George Floyd while detained by police in Minneapolis, US, Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) asked all residents to come out on their doorsteps and stand in silence or take the knee to show support for people of colour.
Taking the knee started as a protest at NFL American football games in 2016 by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It is tradition at American sporting events to play the US national anthem before games commence. Kaepernick and fellow player Eric Reid, both African Americans, took the knee during the anthem to highlight racial inequality and police brutality. Cllr Nancy Platts, the council leader, and Cllr Phelim MacCafferty, convenor of the Greens, wrote to Black Lives Matter in Minneapolis, expressing their sympathy and solidarity with people of colour in the city. BHCC also issued a statement: “We stand in solidarity with the family, friends and community of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We in the UK cannot ignore yet another death of an unarmed person of colour in police custody. As a council, we recognise that George Floyd’s death took place in the context of centuries of social deprivation and economic extraction that have been endured by people of colour. As anti-imperialists we recognise that America has been built on the slavery, dispossession and subjugation of its native and BAME population. “As anti-racists, we stand shoulder to shoulder with all those in America and across the world who feel anger, hurt and fear after yet another instance of discriminatory state violence. Although we are grateful and recognise the good work that the police do in protecting communities in our city and their joint work with the council, it is also crucial that we in the UK recognise that we are still not immune from institutional racism in our justice system. “Despite progress following the McPherson Inquiry, BAME people still statistically suffer more use of force in the UK, are over-represented in the prison population and are more likely to be sent to prison than white offenders. According to INQUEST, BAME communities were twice as likely to die in custody. The Runnymede Trust found that, between 1995 and 2015, no police officer was prosecuted over a person of colour’s death in custody. “It is of great concern that it appears that some within the justice system can act with impunity as they very rarely face criminal prosecutions. We all have a responsibility to tackle racism. Brighton & Hove takes pride in being a City of Sanctuary and a community committed to celebrating our diversity and opposing prejudice and racism. We call on the UK government to take this opportunity to reassess the racial disparities in our criminal justice system. Now is the time to end the severe class and racial inequalities which exist across the world.” For more info on Black Lives Matter in the UK: http://blacklivesmatteruk.com
BEING LGBTQ+ IS HARD BEING BLACK IS HARD Chris Kenna, a gay, black entrepreneur and CEO of Brand Advance, shares his perspective on the reawakening of the Black Lives Matter movement during Pride Month ) I know how it feels to live as an intersectionality oppressed individual. Being LGBTQ+ is hard. Being black is hard. They present different challenges and together present further struggles to overcome in a society that is impregnated with institutionalised racism and bigotry. A brighter spotlight is currently being shone on these issues than has been for a long time and so it is my and all of our obligations to be vocal about injustices. You’re either against racism and homophobia, or you’re for them - in not taking a stand against them, you’re for them. As the CEO of Brand Advance, I acknowledge that I am a privileged black man. However, no matter how much money I may earn, I will still experience racist microaggressions on a daily basis. On many occasions I have entered a lift and a woman will move her purse to the opposite side to where I’m standing. Or, when browsing a shop, I will be followed by a security guard while my white partner will be left alone. Even though neither of us are inclined to steal anything, the colour of my skin leads people to think that I would. It is important that these daily acts of racism, however small they may seem, are acknowledged as the acts of discrimination that they are. Such racism can be seen in the LGBTQ+ community, much as homophobia can be prevalent in the black community. There have been countless times when out in gay bars that I have been asked the hackneyed question, “Where are you from?... No, but where are you really from?” Even though queer people are themselves oppressed, they still need to check themselves for the acts of racist microaggressions that they are committing. This pervading racism can be seen on a larger scale in many industries and the world of advertising is not exempt from this. It is the responsibility of brands to ensure that their black and LGBTQ+ people alike are made to feel as though they can be themselves in the workplace.
Do queer people feel as though they can talk openly about their partners to colleagues and superiors? Do black people feel as though they can wear their natural afro hair to work, or to a job interview? The answer is often no, and it is up to brands to change this. Brands can often be criticised for jumping on the brandwagon for social movements such as Black Lives Matter and Pride. However, they can authentically enact change by taking action during times of societal conversation like we are experiencing now. They must be clear in their communications and be willing to have these difficult conversations both internally and externally. This will benefit them as, ultimately, if a brand is seen to be vocal, then their Gen Z and Millennial customers will be more likely to buy from them. There is no special move that will make a brand’s actions of support ‘more authentic’. It doesn’t matter if a brand has been supportive of black and LGBTQ+ people throughout its entire history - it’s about speaking up now. I don’t expect brands to understand everything I go through as a black gay man. I will go through my struggle and they must go through their struggle of addressing discrimination through enforcing their internal policies. It is a matter of taking action in sending the right message to their customers and making their employees feel seen and accepted for who they are. ) Brand Advance is an ad network specialising in reaching diversity at scale with clients such as Unilever, L'Oreal, Amazon, Mercedes, ASOS, and more. For more info, visit: www.wearebrandadvance.com
