“What the world will become already exists in fragments and pieces, experiments and possibilities.”
Ruth Wilson Gilmore
Agitators favour narrow conversations about today’s difficulties to encourage despair and to scapegoat Black and Minoritised Ethnic people. While, as advocates, we must speak up against this kind of racism and xenophobia, this only goes so far.
If we are to truly turn towards positive futures then we need to change our collective conversation. How? By making life-affirming anti-racism more imaginable, vivid and compelling to a wider public. And we help people to see and feel that there is a good life for them inside a world beyond racism.
In part 3 (of 3) of the Messaging the Moment series we explore how to talk about futures beyond racism.
Anti-migrant agitators deliberately create a sense of doom. Hopelessness harms our cause. We need to remind people that things can change; that they always have; and that the positive futures are within reach. In other words, life-affirming futures aren’t a world away; we have what we need for transformation in the here and now.
Show that supporting Black or brown people has the capacity to lift us all – including white people. The 5X campaign works to end the situation where excess maternal deaths for Black women are (now) three times the level of white counterparts. Their answer is high quality, respectful maternal care that listens to each and every woman. As the campaign says: ‘Fix it for Black women, fix it for all.’
In a hostile context, advocates can spend a lot of time saying what we are against and little time on what we are for. But that won’t call people to our cause. Let’s speak up for the world we are creating – where care not control and treating people with full humanity matter most. And where, we create conditions to strengthen our multi-ethnic connectedness and look out for each other – beyond narrow divides and self-interest.
Pointing to real-world examples can make life-affirming futures beyond racism feel real and, in doing so, stimulate demand for them. No More Exclusions and Rekindle are modelling ways to put trust in young people and care, critical thinking and joy of learning at the centre of education. And, in Manchester, Kids of Colour’s Boys & Love project creates facilitated space for boys to have thought-provoking conversations about love, tenderness and overcoming misogyny.
While we need governments to take responsibility and invest in good jobs, affordable homes and excellent public services, we each can help in building life-affirming futures, e.g. with how we behave in the world. Can we become more curious and less judgemental; how do we respond when others harm us; and how do we take responsibility when we cause harm? The answers matter: they can underpin (or undermine) efforts for care and togetherness.
Working to end racism can help us all – including white people.
For example, high quality, respectful maternal care that really listens to each and every woman will mean that Black maternal deaths are no longer three times the rate of white counterparts and ensure better experiences for all women.
As the 5X campaign on Black maternal deaths says: ‘Fix it for Black women, fix it for all.’
Many of us are concerned about what the future holds for us and our loved ones.
But positive futures are within reach in the here and now .
We already have the knowhow to deliver things that matter, like collective safety, making children feel nurtured and supported, and affordable housing.
The work is underway and you can get involved.
We all want to make sure that our young people are nurtured and supported.
No More Exclusions, Rekindle and Kids of Colour create conditions of care and joy and as a result young people develop critical thinking skills and a love for growth and learning.
These approaches also support boys to have much-needed conversations about loving others, self-love and seeing through and rejecting misogyny.