In the wake of the horrendous act that took place on May 25th, 2020, where an American citizen, George Floyd, died in the hands of some police officers whose job it was to protect and serve but chose to do the opposite, we at Leaders are Readers want to make it abundantly clear that we stand with the Black community and other BAME communities against all forms of racism, whether explicit, subtle or structural, and we encourage our parents and colleagues to do the same.
We also know that this recent event that has sparked a wave of protests not just within the US but also around the world, is just the latest in a spate of similar brutal attacks against Blacks: Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Steven Taylor, and too many more.
Closer to home, the most recently reported event was that of Belly Mujinga who died from coronavirus having been spat at by a man claiming to have the virus. British Transport Police said there was no evidence to substantiate a criminal offence.
We will not be silent and complicit with the systemic racism and oppression terrorizing the Black community.
Racism and discrimination are faced by BAME community members every day. It is therefore no longer enough for any of us to simply stand up and condemn racism: we must be actively anti-racist.
What are we doing?
We encourage members of our staff as well as our parents to learn and engage more through conversations and literature. We ask all to support greater understanding, awareness, and active change of racist and/or discriminatory practices. We ask all to create a culture of challenging those behaviours. We encourage you to include your children in these acts as well: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/books-and-resources-to-help-kids-understand-racism-a4458241.html
Leaders are Readers pledges to actively work to stand with our BAME communities against all forms of racism and to do everything we can to bring about a positive change.
Leaders are Readers will seek to incorporate more material from BAME communities into our programmes wherever possible. This is with a view to creating a better understanding of other cultures amongst our children.
We will continue to work with our staff to foster and promote an environment that is inclusive for all ethnic groups.
We will be (with your help) nominating an ethnic minority charity to support every term in order to help facilitate their cause.
What can you do?
We appreciate that this might be unchartered territory for some. As a result, we have collated a few links below to help you navigate your way through this. The links below provide some resources on what to do, what to know, and how to help:
https://www.soas.ac.uk/blogs/study/what-steps-can-we-take-to-support-black-lives-matter/
Write to your MP, with your concerns. Below is a sample template for you to edit accordingly.
Other links with initiatives:
https://www.nme.com/blogs/support-black-lives-matter-anti-racist-organisations-cant-protest-2681727
https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/help-black-lives-matter-protests-donate-organisations/
https://www.newbeaconbooks.com/
https://www.thestrategist.co.uk/article/black-owned-uk-businesses.html
We also encourage parents to get in touch with further suggestions and feedback.
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