The application of BLM in England.
By: Naomi Waheed
Tags: Asian, BlackLivesMatter, UK, Learning, Racism

The application of BLM in England.

Throughout this year, BLM, or Black Lives Matter, has correctly been pushed into the spotlight following the death of George Floyd. There have been many responses to both his death and the rise in popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA and elsewhere.

The USA has a long history of anti-black racism, due to the slave trade, which left a mindset that upsettingly large number of Americans still follow today. It also has the history of and use of guns to subdue those who rebel against authority. These two things, to no great surprise, go hand in hand and led to the death of Floyd George and others such as Breonna Taylor.

However, as an individual currently residing in England, this has no large personal effect on myself. I know the American history of racism far better than I know England’s, and as a person of ambiguous race (Pakistani/Indian and British), this has led to some confusion and resentment on my behalf.

England was, of course, previously a colonial empire, at one point being in control of a third of land mass. They then, rather famously, lost it all apart from most of two islands to the north of France. One of the most famous losses was India, which the English split into India and Pakistan. This caused tension over in South Asia which still very much exists today, as seen in frequent threats of war.

However, many families had immigrated to England from South Asia, and would continue to do so. This doesn’t seem like too much of a bad thing, until you dig deeper in English history and find horrific examples of racism towards South Asians. Namely the so-called ‘P*ki-Bashing’.

An example of the peaceful protests that took place against P*ki-bashing, similar to that of BLM

Throughout the 1960s-1980s, this atrocious bullying took place to many brown skinned people, directed to children to the elderly. Many people recall being attacked, and harassed by people that they went to school with, that they shared the bus with, that they happened to walk past on a street. Many people were also killed.

And this form of abuse has continued, and hasn’t changed, but also hasn’t been acknowledged. It has been brought up too many politicians, to the police, and yet nothing has been done to address this. In fact, many people today feel that the slur ‘P*ki’ has no meaning, that it’s just the liberal snowflakes trying to make everything overly sensitive.

But I can tell you, it did not feel like nothing when it was shouted at my elderly grandmother, a woman no taller than 4’10, as she was pushed out of a bus. That caused her to break her collarbone. She has dementia, undiagnosed at the time, and would forget that she had taken her painkillers. She ended up having an overdose.

Some may say that the repercussions were unknown, that she should have been more closely watched, and maybe they would be right. But I would argue that it is common knowledge not to push someone out of a bus.

And the thing is, it isn’t like this is an uncommon story. You could probably ask any brown-skinned person living in England and they probably would have a similar experience.

In the USA, 60.1% of people identify as white, while in the UK 87.2% do.

In the USA, 60.1% of the population is white, 13.4% is black, and 5.9% Asian. In the UK, 87.2% are white, 6.8% Asian, and 3.4% black. While the UK may have a lower black population, the history of interactions and power between the White community and Asian community is different to that between the Black and White.

The reason that I make this comparison is that in both countries BLM is being pushed forward, and that in both countries black history and culture are being focussed on and incorporated into the syllabuses. This is good and correct, as the Black history and culture is one of rich colour and should be taught to everyone.

The result of a google image of Black History, compared with that of Asian history

However, as is the Asian history and culture. Why is it, that a google search of Black history shows up famous modern black individuals, while an Asian history search shows an army and ancient history? If it were the other way around it would be deemed as racist, as stereotyping and not showing modern developments.

It also seems strange to me that in my school they celebrate adding Black history into history classes, and Black authors into English classes, yet do not do the same with Asian history and authors, despite the school being a third Asian, in a very white area.

The school also gives assemblies telling people not to say the ‘n-word’, as they should, but don’t tell people not to say the ‘p-word’. This double standard, to me at least, seems strange. It feels as though England is trying to copy the USA, in an entirely different situation, with an entirely different history.

It is important to note that while I may have referenced Asians throughout this piece, it should be said that this slur and racism can be used against anyone with brown skin. It is also important that I feel that in England, both Black and Asian history, cultures and writings should be taught alongside each other. It is not a question of who has been more discriminated against and therefore deserves more attention, but instead an answer trying to teach todays youth about why discrimination is bad, and that all cultures should be celebrated, rather than used as a divider.