Fighting racial inequality and supporting Black Lives Matter

Like many of you we were horrified by the news of George Floyd's murder at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis last week.

His death has sparked international uproar and the rebirth of the Black Lives Matter movement. But the reality is this movement never went away because the injustices never went away for black people, whether in the US or across the world.

We are proud to see so many residents in Haringey stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter and speak out against racism whenever and wherever it occurs. In our Borough we know too well the pain and hurt that was caused by the death of Mark Duggan on the streets of Tottenham in 2011.

That is why we are proudly supporting Black Lives Matter and encourage as many people as possible to do the same. But we have to go further than warm words. We encourage you to dig deep to donate to the following causes:

• Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
• George Floyd Memorial Fund: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
• The Bail Project: https://bailproject.org/

But we are also keen to support important organisations here in the UK. As it is Pride month, many events have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus so we would encourage you to spend any refunded Pride event tickets or the cost of a pint to UK Black Pride who do amazing work. You can find out more here: https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/

If you can’t donate but want to find out more and educate yourself then Londonist has collated a list of other organisations to donate to, a number of key resources, as well as petitions you can sign: https://londonist.com/london/black-lives-matter-protests-and-resources

To all black people in the UK and across the world, our friends, our partners, our neighbours, our colleagues: while there’s hope that the protests will bring about change to the racism so ingrained in our society, it can’t be easy for you having to relive the only daily experience you’ve ever known right now. This will inevitably bring trauma, grief and hurt. The social media feeds we’re all becoming so reliant on during the COVID lockdown are flooded with videos and stories of police brutality against black people. These are hard to witness and your feelings are completely valid, and there are mental health resources out there to help:

• Free therapy from the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network
• Community empowerment for 13-25 year olds: Black Minds Matter
• Mental health charity, MIND's resources
• Mental health resources from Heads Together
• NHS Mental Health resources
• Access to the Samaritans

Finally, if you’re planning to join a protest we encourage you to look out for each other and to stay safe as well as respect the rules on social distancing to ensure the safety of yourself and others.

Solidarity.

Haringey Liberal Democrats