I Cannot Yet Be Silent

As we draw rapidly towards the end of 2020, there can be no denying, from any part of the globe, that this year will be recorded as a momentous year.  Nothing will ever be the same again. A new time dimension has been set, as in pre-Covid and post-Covid.  I often think of the small children who are growing up in these times – the entrenched memories of faces hidden behind the ever-widening and diversely-styled masks. The broad smiles replaced by the glistening of the eye to mark positive connections between people and confirmation of ‘I’m fine today and keeping safe’.  We are the authors and characters who are making history.  So what story will you be telling? 

For myself, there is another story to be told; a story of events mapped out by camera stills and live footage, which led to people of all colours marching in the streets to let their voices be heard.  We were told that “The Revolution would not be televised.” (Gil Scott – Heron), but it was, and it continues to be.  A global movement led by pure anger against racial injustice and raw fear juxtaposed with strength, a passionate and empowering belief in a better, more racially-inclusive society.  In turn, we cried, “I can’t breath!”…… and with our tired, yet unified voices, we mustered support and a renewed reflection. A burning ember was born.  We led a period of introspection, where we forced ourselves to ask ‘What has been our contribution to making this a more equitable society and what will our contribution continue to be?’.  For myself, I know, I cannot yet be silent.

Racism is not a new concept. It was cited as one of the three evils by Dr Martin Luther King Jn in 1967: “the evil of racism, the evil of poverty and the evil of war”. Racism exists and, for us to make inroads into its eradication, acknowledging its existence must be the starting point.  “….and so there has been progress, but we must not allow this progress to cause us to engage in superficial and dangerous optimism” – Dr Martin Luther King Jn (1967). We rise in recognition of the significant role that education has to play in securing an anti-racist agenda for our schools and our young people.  School leaders, including governors, are positioned to influence themselves, teachers, students, parents, politicians and the local community. We will silence the mockers who question our lived experiences.  #TheTimeIsNow.  This is why my own solutions to improving our racially-diverse society have been practical, far-reaching and sustainable.

‘Prod the Snake’

There is too much to lose, as each of our allies, gradually get pulled back into the minutia of day-to-day survival, for some, there can be no going back.  There is no time for hibernation, because we do not know what we will find when we re-awake.  For the sake of the silent majority, we must act and act now, in a peaceful and intellectually inspired way.  We must ‘prod the snake’ and when we get bitten, we prod again. “There is no vaccine for racism, we just have to do the work” Kamala Harris.  If you and I are not speaking, declaring, articulating and vocalising, who will?. So we implore each other to stand tall, with dignity and not be silent. A silent world is deafening in its own right. 

This is why we say: ‘I/We Cannot Yet Be Silent’.

~ Ann Palmer ~