Black Lives Matter

Carly Fagan

We are living through a historic civil rights movement, where black people are making their voices heard. At the time of me writing this 4,444 towns and cities have held BLM protests worldwide since 25/5/2020.

Black Lives Matter is a movement founded in 2013 by Alicia Garcia, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, in response to the acquittal of the killers of Travon Martin. Their mission is to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes.” Despite the movement being active since 2013, it is only recently being given public and government attention internationally. The main causes of the recent mainstream attention are the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain by law enforcement and the fact that those murdered by police rarely receive justice. 874 people have been killed by police in the US in 2020, 28% of those being black. The murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin on the 25th of May sparked protests around the world. The public and government reaction has been mixed. While some see Black Lives Matter as an opportunity for black people to have their voices heard, others believe the movement is only dividing society more. No matter what you believe, we must admit that racism plays a factor in people's everyday lives, not just in the US, but here in Ireland as well. When we talk about racist systems, we usually mention America, not realising that Ireland has its own racist systems which oppresses black people and people of colour, while also helping white people. Direct Provision is the most obvious of these systems. Direct Provision is meant to be accommodation for asylum seekers. While the government has said it is only meant to be temporary, the average length of stay is 2 years, with some having been in direct provision for 10 years. Residents have no facilities to cook for themselves, live in shared accommodation - some living in rooms with up to 8 people. Residents are given an allowance

rooms with up to 8 people. Residents are given an allowance between €29-€38 to buy items such as food, clothes and hygiene products. Asylum seekers are also not allowed to access third level education. According to Doras.ie, 7000 people are currently living in direct provision, children making up 30%. This system is preventing mainly people of colour (POC) from becoming a part of Irish society and being able to live happy and fulfilling lives. This is only one example of how the government is actively making people’s lives harder due to their ethnicity and race. While these systems are the most obvious examples of racism in our society, we also need to begin addressing casual and subtle racism that can be seen day to day in Ireland.

Asking where someone is ‘really from’, calling a black person aggressive or oversensitive for just being angry, when a person of colour commits a crime and saying their race is the reason, are all examples of subtle acts of racism that far too many people are guilty of. We have ignored our racism whether it’s our government systems built to oppress people of colour or our own casual acts of racism. I interviewed Eric Ehige and Sinead Dunne on their views about BLM and what Irish society needs to do in terms of their own racism.

Q. How do you feel about the recent attention to the Black Lives Matter movement?

Eric: I’m extremely happy about how people are finally paying attention to issues regarding racism and discrimination. Far too long, people who have been subjected to racism have been neglected and their voices have not been regarded - but our nation is finally paying attention to these people and making it a priority to unify our nation - regardless of the identity of its citizens- and bringing people together on grounds of modernity and equality. Sinead: I feel that the recent attention to BLM is a very good thing because it’s making people aware that racism is still a very big issue in today’s world, and we’ll need to come together as people to put an end to racism.

Q. In your opinion, with BLM making the world focus on its racism, what does Irish society need to address?

Eric: I would like to see Ireland address our asylum seekers system which disproportionately marginalises a lot of people of colour and strips them away from basic civil rights that should be available to all people living in

basic civil rights that should be available to all people living in our nation. I’d also like to see the education system morph into one that encompasses more stories which culturally reflects the diversity in the modern Irish classroom. I believe we need to see more representation of people of colour, women and under-represented groups in politics and public life also. This can be secured by creating an open and enabling space for these people and uplifting their voices. Sinead: I, as a white person, have never experienced racism. White people, not only in Ireland, need to realize their white privilege and how they benefit off systems that oppress people of colour. White people need to stop ignoring that they have more opportunities solely based on their race and that the playing is not even at all. their white privilege and how they benefit off systems that oppress people of colour. White people need to stop ignoring that they have more opportunities solely based on their race and that the playing is not even at all.

Q. What actions can Irish people take to educate themselves on racism in society and their own casual racism?

Eric: To educate oneself about racism, it’s important to converse with those who are victims of racism but most importantly try to objectively understand the nature of racism. If you aren’t one who has been treated in a racist way, that doesn’t mean your voice is less significant than those who are. Try to learn about the history of racism, how it impacts modern-day society and the role you can play in minimising racism within Ireland, as it affects us all in one way or another, whether we realise it or not. way, that doesn’t mean your voice is less significant than those who are. Try to learn about the history of racism, how it impacts modern-day society and the role you can play in minimising racism within Ireland, as it affects us all in one way or another, whether we realise it or not.

Sinead: Irish people can educate themselves by researching using the multiple resources available to better understand what racism is. Irish people can also talk to people of colour and listen about how racism affects them. By educating ourselves instead of ignoring racism, we can make a small difference.

It is always hard to look at ourselves and confront the mistakes we have made, but racism isn’t a thing we can sweep under the rug. Even if you have never been a victim of racism, it doesn’t mean you have the right to ignore it. It’s not just harmful comments or slurs; racism can be seen in our government systems and if we don’t try to fix this, people of colour will continue to suffer. Recent events aren’t an excuse to think racism is finally coming to end, it means now we have no excuse to be ignorant and we need to do better.