TW: racism, violence
The brutal murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis has triggered waves of protests in both the US and in the UK . This is a reaction to years of systemic police brutality and anti-Black racism. Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray and many more have died either at the hands of the police or in police custody. Institutional racism within the police is not an issue unique to the US. A Black person in the UK is 9.5 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than a white person. The death of Mark Duggan in 2011 cannot be forgotten.
The fight for Black liberation is one tied up in the fight for economic equality, housing justice, and healthcare. This is particularly evident given news that BAME individuals are disproportionately dying from Covid-19.
Oxford University specifically has deep issues of racial inequality, from access to attainment to racial profiling – all areas the SU is committed to working on. We urge Oxford University to address the specific issue of anti-Black racism, acknowledge the imperialist foundations upon which it was built and commit to decolonising. Every institution has a moral duty to use their platform to draw attention to racism and engage in introspection.
We want to make it clear that we stand in complete solidarity with the Black community and all those protesting racial injustice. We recognise the pain our Black students are feeling and will continue to support you.
This statement only touches on a fraction of the deep-rooted, systemic racism that we must stand against in our university, the UK and internationally. We encourage all of our students to continue educating themselves, donating to black led organisations if they can and engaging in dialogues with those around them.
Here is information on Local Welfare and Support Services: oxfordsu.org/wellbeing/localwelfareandsupportservices
To get in touch with our Student Advice service, please email advice@oxfordsu.ox.ac.uk
Information on the SU Campaign for Racial and Awareness and Equality: oxfordsu.org/campaigns/crae
The statement from Oxford ACS can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y7qnmdx5
Information on the University’s work to promote race equality: edu.admin.ox.ac.uk/race
Here are links to organisations you can provide financial support to:
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund: gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
Black Lives Matter: secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019
The Innocence Project: innocenceproject.org/donate
Black Visions Collective: blackvisionsmn.org
Runnymede: runnymedetrust.org/donations.html
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust: stephenlawrence.org.uk/support-us
Southall Black Sisters: https://tinyurl.com/y8kor5ko
If you protest, make sure you know your rights:
libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_information
greenandblackcross.org/guides/key-advice
Reading material
‘Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire’ by Akala
‘White Fragility’ by Robin DiAngelo
‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ by Reni Eddo-Lodge
‘The End of Policing’ by Alex Vitale. Can be accessed for free as an e-book on Verso: https://tinyurl.com/y73bpm8k
Anti-racism resources for white people: https://tinyurl.com/y7auxs4h