Over the past week, we’ve watched as black Americans have protested in support of justice for George Floyd, another African-American man killed mercilessly by police. The black community is tired, exhausted from fighting the same fight for generations, with everyone insisting society is striding forward despite cases like these proving the contrary. As the protests extend worldwide, a big question is echoing across social media: do they really bring about change?
People lose faith in the power of protest when the status quo seemingly refuses to be shaken. Thousands have been taking to the streets for a cause for decades and yet our communities continue to be oppressed by racist structures and institutions. But protests have a rightful place as one link on a larger chain: they are events, which are hands-down the best way to capture people’s attention and direct conversation towards a cause. Protests inspire conversations – not just on news panels and social media, but in homes, amongst family and friends. Protests sway public opinion and change the course of history, the Vietnam War being the greatest example of this.
Protests are by no means essential to a movement, but when activists have mobilised for a cause, it’s often been core to its success. The British Black Panthers, active between 1968 and 1973, organised community resistance that drew attention to racial inequalities in London. One anti-police harassment march in 1970 led to the arrest of nine members on charges of inciting a riot; when they were acquitted, it was the first time in British history a judicial court had recognised racial prejudice as motivation for arrest. This was a historic challenge to police racism that showed that community mobilisation could bring justice.
Likewise, the 1969 Stonewall Uprising galvanised support for LGBT activism in the United States and worldwide. Though by no means the first instance of gay rights protest, what came in the aftermath was the first time LGBT activists had collectively organised to preserve an act of resistance like this within America’s national consciousness. They secured a parade permit for the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, calling on widespread media coverage to amplify their message. In the decades since, Stonewall has become a unifying symbol in the gay rights movement.
It’s easy for us to become disillusioned when their immediate impact isn’t felt, but arguably the scale of anger and disruption we see in a protest wrongly makes us expect the political repercussions to be just as swift and tangible. Indirectly, and in the long term, protests can be a potent trigger for change.
The demonstrations over the last few days have ensured that George Floyd, police brutality and racism have dominated the headlines globally. They have sparked solidarity protests in London, Berlin and Amsterdam, and online, they’ve incited discussions about white privilege, allyship, and cultural appropriation. In the UK, we now have an enormous opportunity to bring crucial issues to mainstream consciousness: Britain’s own systemic racism, Grenfell Tower, and police brutality are just a few of the causes that deserve to be recognised.
The events of the last few days have led to increases in donations to racial justice initiatives, the announcement of grants to black founders and the championing of black-owned businesses. Greater attention than ever has been thrust onto the social injustices faced by the black community as a result of the protests and it’s been followed up by tangible actions – and it’s this that will create the long-term impact we need to see.
As a collective, we have the power to hold businesses and politicians to account. Beyond mass protest, boycotts take an economic toll on businesses that can be powerful leverage for effecting political change. Corporations with poor ethical track records decide to listen to consumers when they withdraw their custom – this is something Coca Cola learned in the 1980s when African-American groups refused to buy from them until they left apartheid South Africa.
The same is true of politicians: we know the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 garnered national publicity and ended segregation on city buses, spreading support for the civil rights movement across the South; almost ten years later, the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott ended hiring discrimination and contributed to the passing of the 1965 Race Relations Act in the UK.
UK-based charities empowering the black community:
Blueprint For All (formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust) Works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The 4Front Project Empowers communities to fight for justice and peace.
National Memorial Family Fund Supports families and campaigners against deaths in police custody.
Kwanda A modern collection pot for black communities.
Exist Loudly Fund Creating change for Queer Black young people in London.
Show Racism The Red Card Anti-racism educational charity.
Runnymede Independent race equality thinktank.
SARI Stand Against Racism and Inequality Support to victims of hate.
Operation Black Vote Tackling the lack of black representation in politics.
StopWatch UK A coalition working to promote fair and accountable policing.
US-based charities fighting racism:
Split donations across 60+ bail funds here
Belly Mujinga was a Black British transport worker who died after being spat on by a member of the public who knowingly had coronavirus. This petition is helping to get justice and protection for all Govia Thameslink Railway key workers.
This petition is to update the GCSE reading list to include contemporary books on racism, The Good Immigrant by Nikesh Shukla and Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge.
Banner photo credit: Matt Dunham / AP