By Amina Ali
Black British Lives Matter uses the American movement as a backdrop for these essential essays by the most prominent Black figures in Britain today.
Edited by comedian Lenny Henry and journalist Marcus Ryder, this non-fiction delves into all aspects of Black British life – even ones you wouldn’t ever think of.
Black British health, police, technologists, archaeologists and charities are just a handful of the insightful essays featured. However, the binding thread that ties each one together is George Floyd.
Murdered on May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrested after being suspected of using a counterfeit 20-dollar bill. That allegation cost him his life after officer, Derek Chauvin. was recorded kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.
His dying words “I can’t breathe” echoed all over the world, including right here in the UK.
Each essay uses its distinct voice to push – no – demand equality. To say, loud and clear, that Black British Lives Matter. In fact, each essay could – and should – be a whole book in and of itself.
It also offers the painful reminder that Britain is just as far behind in its fight for equality as America is.
Black people in Britain are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act, but less likely to receive support through talking therapies.
One third of all deaths in police custody are Black people, despite being only five per cent of the population.
Black Brits even earn less. People from Black or ethnic minority backgrounds annually earn £3.2 billion less than their White counterparts.
And those stats are just in the intro. There are separate statistics and studies for each and every essay, perfectly combined with personal insights.
While it’s difficult to highlight just one essay, Baroness Doreen Lawrence – mother of murdered teenager Stephen – gives an incredibly detailed and personal view on why Black British mothers matter.
She describes how she feels that people often look at her as superhuman, as not having any weakness due to her constant battle for justice.
Yet, she reminds readers that she is human. She cries, laughs and loves just like anybody else. As a Black mother, she is brilliant not because she has ‘no weakness’ but because she has overcome them.
It is this motif that stays with you, that there is power in an individual despite their hardships. And it is the collective power of individuals that can bring change to a community, to a city, to a nation.
This is a book that cannot just be skimmed over and kept neatly on a shelf for display. It should be studied, carried on every journey, damaged, with a cracked spine and annotations in the margins. For all our sakes, this book should be cherished and appreciated.
Britain is not excluded in the discussion of racial equality. In fact, it should be at the forefront of it alongside the US. It should be forced to look at its past and rectify its mistakes.
