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When I was 22 I got some pretty serious death threats for standing up to the far right. I was still told to stop making a big deal about racism by many I considered friends. 13 years on, most people still don’t believe fascism can happen here.
We spent a long time over the summer performing allyship and yet yesterday, people still told me to ignore what was going on yesterday. The first and most important thing you can do as an ally, is understand that signs of fascism are primal fear triggers for people you care for.
White privilege isn’t just a buzz word in the sport of debate. It’s knowing that one rule applies for one and one applies for another. Yesterday is a perfect example of said construct.
There isn’t a “race war” going on. People just thought, for a moment, that there was enough support within their peer groups to come closer to an even playing field. I get that it’s hard to acknowledge that widespread racial inequality exists, just some of us learnt from birth.
Love and solidarity to anyone finding this incredibly hard. Strength comes in numbers and in truth. The axis of truth is warped, but the numbers are still on your side. Keep speaking your truth, if you have the strength. Find those who back you to share the load, when you don’t.
Never stop believing that this world is yours too. It is. There are heroes, theories / language and networks that didn’t exist a few years back. They will make up the fabric of change. It shouldn’t have to be a life’s work but many will take on that mantle.
One day, this will all be over and you will be free to not carry this burden. Stand tall in the knowledge that you don’t carry this burden alone.
