Black Lives Matter
Tuesday 02-06-2020 - 15:03
CW: mentions of police and anti-black violence
Black lives matter.
The extrajudicial murder of George Floyd in the USA has been met with outrage around the world, but it is the next in a long line of violent attacks on black people. The UK is in no way immune to state-sanctioned anti-black violence, and to institutionalised disregard for black lives. Countless black people have lost their lives and their loved ones to vile racism, and many have not seen justice. Anti-black violence is not an aberration; it is the sum of a system with many parts that work to undermine, devalue, and attack black people.
We know that our black community are angry, hurt and frustrated. We are with you. We recognise that black students face countless injustices every day, and that Durham SU needs to be better at challenging them. We cannot let these injustices persist, and as your students’ union we will always strive to be better, louder and bolder in how we challenge and eradicate racism, within your University and our wider community.
The lives of black people are not up for debate. The violence levied against black people is not up for debate. And the challenge those of us who are not black have, to own up to our faults, educate ourselves and work to make our world more just, is not up for debate.
Durham University continues to fall far below our expectations when it comes to ensuring fair access for black students, and protecting the wellbeing and safety of black students. Student leaders have always been the catalyst for change in Durham, and we firmly believe that there is no way forward for the University unless the voices of black students are centred in conversations about change.
You can contact the SU Advice service here.
You can find out more about the Durham People of Colour Association here.
If you would like to support the Black Lives Matter movement, click here.
Durham SU Assembly is committed to tackling racism and oppression wherever it is found. Read more here.
