Lonely Unity: Present, Sia Patel

Present

As I walk through the previously deserted streets, I am reminded of how much has changed since we have been locked in our homes, looking down at the reality of the issue of inequality from behind the glass screens of our phones. Now we are taking action, marching through the same streets that we were wary of stepping into for so long.

I glance around at the London streets. I can hear the rustling of the trees, the distant noises of cars and buses. It all feels so normal, but there has been a shift in our views of community since we have all been isolated - an urge to finally defeat the immortal inequality that has constantly plagued society. An urge to create an unprejudiced world where we can respect and learn from each other, where everyone is safe and free.

The masked figures around me are united by our central cause, and I feel a profound connection with each one of them. We are all of different backgrounds and races, but together, in this moment, we are one. I survey the faces surrounding me and wonder what led each of them to be here at this point in time. Was it feelings of anger, hope or defiance? Was it the exasperation of having to continue to fight this thousand-yearold issue in today’s day and age? No matter how we got here, we are all committed to the protest, and are carried forwards by the waves of vehemence that radiate from the crowd.

As I am brought back to the present and remember the masks that cover most of the faces in this crowd, I am brought back to the fact that the situation we are in is not ordinary - in the midst of a pandemic, we are still fighting. It reminds me of the power that we hold as people; the power to continue our protests even when we are risking the possibility of spreading this virus, because if we do not make a stand now, we may never get the chance to.

In the distance, the city outside of this protest seems so familiar - the sight of the cars and the sound of the birds in the trees. But around me is a new world that I have not seen before. A world of defiance, of fighting against wrong; of communities coming together to break the societal barriers that we as humans have been confined in for too long. This crowd is a small part of a global phenomenon; we know that our collective action drives the switch in viewpoints that is now occurring, and that we must fight to accelerate it and educate ourselves and others.

The sound of previously desolate streets coming alive is a reminder that we are no longer isolated, and that we can come together in every way to ignite change. We know that we can be the revolution that will break the barriers between us and create an equal world if we come together, no matter what the cost.

Sia Patel