thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Black Influencers Speak Out About What Brands And Followers Can Do Better

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As civil unrest fills the streets, another revolution is taking place and it’s online. At the helm: Black beauty influencers.
Poised as powerful liaisons between consumers and the corporate world, they are steering discussions about race, identity and transparency. They’re also redefining an influencer’s role, both in economic and socio-political terms.
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“Wielding influence is more than just posting pictures or videos and having a lot of followers and likes,” Shanygne Maurice, a beauty YouTuber and inclusivity activist, told HuffPost.
An influencer, Maurice said, is “someone who uses her voice to consistently advocate for the betterment of others, the environment and the world in general.”
HuffPost spoke to several notable Black beauty influencers who are calling out brands for failing to do better and who detailed what socially responsible and racially just engagement looks like from their followers right now.
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The weight of being a Black influencer
The current news cycle paints a gruesome and violent picture of racism, as the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor make headlines and prompt renewed calls for social change and justice.
“The inundation of violent imagery 24 hours a day has started to take a measurable toll on my emotional health,” New York-based artist and Black influencer Dick Van Dick said. “Some days I can’t stop crying.”
In the wake of such barbarism, beauty influencers are emerging as thought leaders. They’re using their platforms to reach millions of consumers who want to align themselves with brands committed to ending racial oppression.
Brittany Bright, a media strategist who runs influencer marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, said, “These are unprecedented times for Black influencers.” Bright, who is also the founder and CEO of The Influencer League, a community platform for influencers, added that the potential for social change is huge, but also emotionally draining.
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She urged influencers not to feel guilty for posting brand campaigns.
“You still have a job to do. One strategy is to fold in everyday content with messaging about how to donate” to social justice causes, she said.
She added that when it comes to promoting human rights, any type of content that is “inspirational or can make someone laugh” is valuable, and influencers should post according to their comfort level.
Her advice for all kinds of influencers, from nano and micro? “Start a conversation with the brands you represent. Ask how they’re supporting their content creators.” She also advocated going live on Instagram. “It puts humanity behind your content.”
TV personality and fashion stylist Cindy Conroy spoke to the fears Black influencers face by using their platforms for activism.
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“It’s incredibly scary as an influencer to change the type of content we normally share,” Conroy said. “Especially if we have a high number of white followers. Will people unfollow us in droves? How will this affect our livelihood? But we have a duty to ourselves, future generations and allies of the Black Lives Matter movement. We have to speak up for what’s right.”
Megan Milan, a model and humanitarian, said, “The media often changes the narrative to fit their script. With social media, we the people can broadcast our actual experiences and thoughts. It’s a voice for the voiceless.”
What Black influencers want from brands
Many Black influencers are calling out brands for not speaking out on systemic inequality.
“While it is understandable that people do not have the ‘right’ words to say, silence is never the answer,” social media strategist and blogger Jennifer Jean-Pierre said. “The posts are needed but they must be followed with action. I would like to see brands donating towards Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, the Minnesota Freedom Fund and helping start funds for Black businesses.”
Sports journalist and model Arielle Chambers added, “Take it beyond the internet. Be active. HIRE MORE BLACK MODELS. You can’t stand for Black lives if you have no Black people you work with.”
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Conroy agreed, adding, “Beauty companies should require all employees, from the CEO to janitors, to become informed and have conversations about systemic racism.”
As a Black trans influencer, Jessica Zyrie said she doesn’t have the “privilege of being a single-issue activist.” What she’d like to see is “long-term opportunities and relationships with the Black community for stability.” She added, “The more we see diversity, the more diversity is normalised. Let us be unapologetic in our truth.”
When it comes to interacting with brands, Jean-Pierre urged influencers to be explicit with language. Now is not the time for rhetoric. “Ask questions instead of accusing,” she said. “[The influencer] Chasing Denisse created templates for influencers to use to explain why they may not be able to fulfil any contractual obligations as well as templates to email companies and brands regarding their silence.”
Brands capitalising on this moment and using the Black Lives Movement to market goods will not be tolerated, said Bobby Akinboro, an influencer, DJ and Microsoft employee who spreads his message across Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. “My biggest call to action was for people to stop all marketing campaigns trying to capitalise on the issues at hand,” a move that cost him 200 Instagram followers. “It’s okay,” he said. “It is what it is. I don’t need people to follow me that don’t see the issue.”
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What Black influencers want from their followers
“Now is the time to be uncomfortable,” Chambers said. Which means, don’t expect filtered content. “The general public loves Black culture, so they should show up for Black people.”
More importantly, she wants her followers to connect on a human level. “Don’t look at my social media and think I’m some fictional character. Don’t look at me and ‘not see colour.’ I’m real. I’m Black. I’ve been Black and I wouldn’t want to be anything else.“
Milan encouraged viewers to “be more understanding. Please do not make us scapegoats,” she implored.
Many of the influencers HuffPost spoke to encouraged an open dialogue. “I’m not a history professor, but I am a woman of mixed race in America,” said Eva Gutowski, a designer and YouTuber who’s popular with a young audience. “I wasn’t born with knowledge; no one is,” she said, explaining what prompted her 17-minute tutorial on the Black Lives Movement, a video popular with followers as young as seven years old. “If you’re not educated in American history, I approach that with compassion.”
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Not all influencers feel this way. “It’s not my job to be the creative director for anybody in the face of adversity,” Chambers said.
The bottom line is, each creator will approach follower engagement differently. And although the influencers we spoke to agree social media is a fine place for activism, it’s not the only place.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--What Not To Say To Your Black Colleagues Right Now

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Maskot via Getty Images The best form of support you can be to a Black co-worker is to back up words with actions and to double-check your intent before reaching out.
Nationwide demonstrations have been taking place across the US this past week to protest the injustice of yet another Black person killed by police.
George Floyd died after three Minneapolis police officers pinned him down, with one of them pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck and ignoring his repeated statements that he could not breathe. His death followed the March killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was shot by police who invaded her home as she slept, looking for a suspect who did not live there and was already in custody.
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During these protests, police at times have erupted in violence and attacked protesters. More than 4,000 protesters have been arrested so far nationwide, according to an Associated Press tally. And on Monday, law enforcement officials shot and killed David McAtee, a Black restaurant owner in Louisville, Kentucky.
The feelings a Black colleague may experience after witnessing or being a victim of police violence do not end when the workday begins. And for many, the workplace is yet one more space in which they have to grapple with other people’s racism and indifference.
If your colleagues include Black people, it’s your duty to figure out what genuine care and support you can offer, moving beyond assumptions of how they should feel or talk with you.
friends, if you’re reaching out to black people right now, be really sure you’re offering support and not looking for your black friends/coworkers to be your racial therapists or to offer you some sort of absolution. thank you! — EricaJoy (@EricaJoy) June 1, 2020
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The goal of your words and actions in the workplace should be to protect your Black colleagues’ time and ability to heal, and to not make yourself additional burden on them.
Don’t let this be your first outreach.
Before you make any overture of support, consider your prior relationship to your Black colleague. Have you ever spoken with them before?
If the answer is no, consider sharing your support through concrete action for showing Black lives matter and protesting police violence, rather than striking up a conversation right now.
can i be REAL awkward for a sec? the thing about “reach out and check on your black friends” is some of “your black friends” are not your friends. They are acquaintances or coworkers who have tolerated your complacency or participation in creating a hostile environment for years. — wikipedia brown, a tired person (@eveewing) June 2, 2020
Your well-intentioned outreach can come across as “wow I just kinda remembered you’re black and I saw on TV that some black people stuff is happening right now” and be actively emotionally and psychologically taxing. — wikipedia brown, a tired person (@eveewing) June 2, 2020
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Before you check in on your Black work colleague, dig deep and ask yourself, “What are you really looking for?” said Lisa Orbé-Austin, a licensed psychologist who focuses on helping professionals through career transitions.
If the result you want is about you or how you want them to view you or feel about you, skip it.
“When you look at the fantasy and the way you expect this conversation to go, sometimes it’s very revelatory about what you want in this situation versus what the situation should truly be about, which is comforting and caring for somebody else, and letting them know you’re there, not only there in words, but also there in action,” Orbé-Austin said.
Don’t centre your feelings or assume theirs.
If a Black colleague does decide to confide in you, be a good listener. Don’t push or pry for information; do affirm their experiences. It’s not about you.
Not making it about you means not getting defensive when your worldview is challenged or you feel uncomfortable. Whiteness studies scholar Robin DiAngelo’s research on white fragility highlights the phenomenon of how white people get defensive when they are implicated in white supremacy, and respond with anger, fear, and guilt. Your white fragility is definitely not something your colleague needs to deal with now or ever.
Part of not making it about you also means not making assumptions and minimising a Black colleague’s experience with race and racial injustice.
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Vivianne Castillo, a user experience researcher with a background in human services and counseling, shared in a LinkedIn post some of the insensitive ways that people have checked in with her over the past week, including a person who told her, “Racism has always existed in America, this isn’t new.”
“This is new or comforting information how?” Castillo wrote. “Or are you saying that I shouldn’t be so traumatised and shocked at how little my life means in America?”
Castillo told HuffPost that these kind of statements to Black colleagues signal, “Oh, this person is trying to comfort themselves, not me.”
“It’s really important to lay off the potential ways that you may be inciting guilt to respond and eliciting caretaking.” - Psychologist Lisa Orbé-Austin
Don’t put Black colleagues on the spot.
The goal of support is to validate Black experiences and to show your solidarity. But demonstrating solidarity “has to happen without exacerbating the spotlight that Black folks already feel in and on their skin, and without putting the burden on Black employees to devise solutions to overcome their own oppression,” said Erin L. Thomas, head of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Upwork.
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Thomas said one common mistake some make is putting Black employees on the spot in front of their peers.
“Don’t single out Black employees in a team meeting and ask everyone else to pity them and their circumstance; I know firsthand how mortifying this is,” Thomas said. “Instead, ask your Black colleagues privately for explicit permission to broach these events in a team setting. If they agree, engage your team in a conversation about how you can effectively ally with each other.”
Do eliminate pressure to respond to your words of support.
If you do reach out, make sure it’s an opt-in conversation by emphasising that your Black colleague does not need to respond. This could be done with language like, “I’m here for you in whatever you may need. I’m present but no need to do anything for me,” Orbé-Austin said.
When you check-in, lead with your care for the other person and don’t make it about your own feelings.
“I think it’s really important to lay off the potential ways that you may be inciting guilt to respond and eliciting caretaking,” Orbé-Austin said.
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Do not press if a Black colleague does not want to engage with you in this conversation. “Some Black employees will never want to discuss race at work for a number of reasons: segmenting work from home, low identification with their race, injury from a previous employer, current lack of psychological safety, too painful, too exhausting,” Thomas said. “There’s no substitute for knowing people as individuals and respecting their personal preferences for disclosure and vulnerability.”
Do back up your words with action.
If your words of support are simply “I wish I knew what to say,” “I’m so sorry,” or just “Thinking of you,” do more research on how you can become informed and take action before reaching out to a Black person to make you feel better.
Castillo said instead of folks asking what they can do, she is more interested in hearing what initiatives these folks are committing to with their own lives. She said it’s encouraging when she sees colleagues who are “willing to put skin in the game, they’re willing to have those harder, difficult conversations in the workplace ... and they’re doing it all without expecting me to praise them for it.”
Another common mistake that occurs is under-preparation for these conversations, Thomas said. “When colleagues haven’t done their homework, Black employees bear the burden of steering conversations about race or correcting misinformation,” she said.
Consider the cost of investing in conversations about race to Black colleagues’ careers. Women and minorities are penalised for promoting diversity like racial differences and are rated worse by their bosses, while their male and white counterparts face no penalty, according to a 2016 study published in the Academy of Management journal.
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“Silence, especially in these times, is deafening.” - User experience researcher Vivianne Castillo
If you’re a manager, you need to get specific about what support means.
When you’re a boss, words of support are heard differently than from a co-worker, because you have the power to shape the listener’s professional career. Your job as a boss is to make sure your Black colleague has whatever they need in this moment and that they don’t feel like their job is at risk for using resources.
Castillo said managers of Black colleagues should acknowledge what is happening. “Silence, especially in these times, is deafening,” she said, that this acknowledgment is a signal that the manager is “aware of what’s going on and that that impacts me as a Black employee.”
Thomas said managers should first reach out over Slack, email or text, so that employees have time to respond without being put on the spot in a one-on-one meeting.
When such a meeting does happen, managers should get specific about what offers of support mean. Instead of the usual “How are you?” Thomas said managers can ask specific questions about their employees’ well-being, such as, “How are you, really?” or “Are you sleeping?”
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Thomas said managers can directly ask what they or the company can do to support an employee’s needs with questions like, “What additional resources do you need right now?” or “Is there something the company can do to make your life easier?”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--'I Had My Sister On Loud Speaker As My Son Was Born During Lockdown'

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In HuffPost Birth Diaries we hear the extraordinary stories of the everyday miracle of birth. This week, Cath Rooney shares her story. If you’d like to share yours, email amy.packham@huffpost.com.
I started working from home when I was 30 weeks pregnant – someone on another floor in our office building in London tested positive for coronavirus, so it had to be deep cleaned. Lockdown officially came in two weeks later.
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From then on, I only left the house for short walks. I got things delivered, had local friends drop off essentials, and accepted this was how it was going to be. I was in protective mode. There was so much uncertainty – and I live on my own – but it worked with the bubble I created.
During my pregnancy I’d been quite adamant that I wanted a natural birth. I’d been with the home birthing team, but home births in my area stopped during lockdown due to ambulance availability. I had a scheduled induction planned.
I’m 44, and from my 20-week scan he’d shown large for his age so the obstetrician said they didn’t want him to go full-term. I was feeling confident I’d go into labour early, though, as we have a strong family history of early births.
That didn’t go to plan.
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At 4am on May 4 – the morning of the day of my induction – my waters broke at home. I called the hospital, who told me not to go in incase I went into labour naturally. They said to call back after 24 hours. I stayed at home, went for walks and did what I could, but nothing – absolutely nothing – happened.
First thing on Tuesday morning, I went into hospital at 8am. I’d always planned to have a doula, but she couldn’t come for the induction so I was on my own.
It was quiet on the ward – only two other woman there. The staff were lovely. I was hooked up to a machine, had a pessary, and was told they’d reassess me after six hours. That’s when things started happening.
From lunchtime, the contractions started. They went from being pretty spaced out to thick and fast in under an hour. I couldn’t even walk the 20m to the other side of the ward to go to the loo without stopping. My doula was on WhatsApp throughout it all – they told me not to tell her to come yet, but I knew it’d be soon, so I asked her to come anyway, even if she had to hang around hospital for a few hours.
I was right. Everything suddenly sped up and I was moved into my own room.
I’d packed so many lovely things in my hospital bag to keep me occupied and calm me down, but none of it came out! There was definitely no ‘ambience creation’ in that room.
“I’d packed so many lovely things in my hospital bag to keep me occupied and calm me down, but none of it came out!”
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My doula arrived when my contractions were coming quickly. I was standing up, leaning on the bed, which had been raised, with gas and air. It was tough, but I felt like I could get through each contraction. And every time I did I felt positive, like I could manage this.
After all that, my midwife checked on me. I was only 2cm. My son’s heart rate dropped dramatically so they advised me to lie on the bed for a rest. I didn’t want to, but as soon as I stood, his heart rate dropped again and I bled. Staff came in and agreed they’d monitor me, with a potential C-section later in the day. I had an injection to slow the contractions, but it didn’t work for long.
I felt cold and started hyperventilating. My midwife told me it was a panic attack and helped me to control my breathing. I felt so miserable at this point.
Soon after, a senior obstetrician called Lisa walked in – I remembered her from my 36-week scan and she’d been lovely. She recognised me and that made me feel more secure. She noted my son’s heart rate and that my panic attacks had been a concern – we each had our own distress.
HuffPost UK
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The conversation ended with the realisation that an emergency C-section was needed. I agreed. It all happened so quickly from there. An anaesthetist came in to slow the contractions down, I got wheeled into theatre. My sister was on speakerphone and my doula was able to talk to her about what was going on.
I’d been very scared of a C-section, but it was the right choice in the moment. The whole team in theatre were female, and it was a really positive atmosphere. And once the epidural worked, it was amazing how suddenly the pain went. My doula was next to me the whole time, and my sister heard my son scream as he was born. They showed him to me really quick, and he went off for checks. He totally stopped crying when he was laid on my chest and heard my voice.
I was shocked I never went past 2cm, but I felt empowered making the decisions I needed to in the moments that mattered. It was a huge relief and nothing else mattered in that moment. He was there. He was perfect.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Justin Trudeau Pauses For A Very Long Time Before Answering Question About Trump

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took quite the pause before responding to a question about President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Trudeau was asked to comment on Trump’s call for military action to deal with the protests that have spread across the US following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. Floyd, a Black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck.
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Trudeau appeared to collect his thoughts for around 20 seconds.
Then, he said:
“We all watch in horror and consternation what’s going on in the United States. It is a time to pull people together but it is a time to listen, to learn what injustices continue despite progress over years and decades.”
Check out the video here:
Watch: PM Trudeau takes a long pause after question about U.S. President Trump’s response to racial unrest.
See more here: https://t.co/1WldUelY4U pic.twitter.com/4fRCNQskAP — CTV News (@CTVNews) June 2, 2020
Twitter users were split on the significance of the pause.
Many thought Trudeau was being careful in choosing his words in a bid not to anger Trump, given how the US is Canada’s neighbour and trade partner.
Some suggested the prime minister had not been prepared for the question.
Others, meanwhile, recalled Trudeau’s own racism scandal from 2019, when old images resurfaced of him wearing what appeared to be blackface.
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CNN’s Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon discussed the pause on Tuesday.
“Was it a stunt? What was the effect?” asked Cuomo. “For me, it’s that a leader doesn’t just talk, a leader has to listen but most importantly, a leader has to feel, a leader has to feel what the people he leads feels.”
“I think he faced a conundrum in that moment that many people face, they don’t know what to say,” said Lemon. “They don’t want to say the wrong thing, they don’t want to jump to conclusions and then you’re just sort of flummoxed because we’ve never really seen anything like this before.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Sweden Admits Light Lockdown Was Wrong Approach To Fighting Coronavirus

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The scientist behind Sweden’s decision to impose one of the lightest coronavirus lockdowns of any European country has admitted the approach has not been effective and has led to one the highest death tolls per capita in the world.
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Sweden’s relatively soft approach to combating the virus had attracted international attention and was lauded by those who argued lockdowns were unnecessarily damaging to economies.
Large gatherings were banned but restaurants and schools for younger children have stayed open.
But then the death toll started to rise sharply.
People enjoy the sun at an outdoor restaurant, despite the continuing spread of the coronavirus disease in Stockholm, Sweden March 26. TT News Agency / Reuters
Some 4,468 Swedes have died whereas Denmark and Norway, which both border the country but imposed much stricter lockdowns, have seen 580 and 237 deaths respectively.
Per capita, Sweden has the 7th highest death toll in the world, behind San Marino, Belgium, Andorra, Spain, the UK and Italy.
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The current situation is even bleaker with Sweden currently having the highest seven day rolling average death toll of any country with population of over one million.
Statista
Speaking to Sveriges Radio, Sweden’s state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, said: “If we would encounter the same disease, with exactly what we know about it today, I think we would land midway between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world did.
“There is quite obviously a potential for improvement in what we have done in Sweden. It would be good to know exactly what to close down to better prevent the spread of the virus.”
A sign with a portrait of Anders Tegnell, the face of the country's response to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, is hanged at an entrance to a restaurant to instruct people to wash their hands on May 10. JONATHAN NACKSTRAND via Getty Images
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AP journalist Phelan Chatterjee said on Tuesday that the “deaths have exposed cracks in the Swedish nation, leaving some in disproportionately affected groups wondering how much their lives really matter”.
He added: “Even as transmission slows, Sweden’s death toll has soared to over 4,200 — four to nine times higher per capita than Nordic neighbours. Antibody levels are disappointingly low. A sense of unease finally seeps into the national debate, expanding as the nights contract.”
Asked about the approach in Sweden, former UK government advisor Professor Neil Ferguson said on Tuesday he had the “greatest respect for scientists there” who “came to a different policy conclusion but based really on quite similar science”.
He added: “They make the argument that countries will find it very hard to really stop second waves… I don’t agree with it but scientifically they are not that far from scientists in any country in the world.”
Prof Ferguson said Sweden was not, however, now seeing a decline in death rates most European countries are seeing.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Jay-Z And Roc Nation Honour George Floyd With Full-Page Newspaper Adverts

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Jay-Z and his Roc Nation brand have taken out full-page ads in various American newspapers to honour the life of George Floyd.
According to Rolling Stone, the rapper worked closely with various activists and attorneys to put the advert, which centres around a speech made by Martin Luther King in 1965, together.
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The quote reads: “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.
“So we’re going to stand up amid horses. We’re going to stand up right here, amid the billy-clubs. We’re going to stand up right here amid police dogs, if they have them. We’re going to stand up amid tear gas!
“We’re going to stand up amid anything they can muster up, letting the world know that we are determined to be free!”
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The advert was featured in newspapers including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Enquirer, and was also shared on Team Roc’s Twitter page, alongside the message: “In dedication to George Floyd.”
It was co-signed by Jay-Z and representatives for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Innocence Project, Van Jones’ Reform Alliance, the Women’s Global Initiative.
Jay-Z at the Criminal Justice Reform Organization launch last year Shareif Ziyadat via Getty Images
The parents of Botham Jean, DJ Henry and Antwon Rose II, all of whom were Black people killed by police officers, also co-signed the ad.
George Floyd died last week, after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, while he protested that he couldn’t breathe.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Lea Michele Dropped By HelloFresh After Accusations From Former Glee Co-Star

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The food-kit brand HelloFresh has announced they have dropped Lea Michele as a spokesperson after a number of her Glee co-stars spoke out against her past behaviour.
Earlier this week, Lea was accused of making former Glee actor Samantha Ware’s working life “a living hell” during their time on the musical teen drama.
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Samantha took issue with a post from Lea in support of Black Lives Matter, accusing her of “traumatic microaggressions” that made her “question a career in Hollywood”.
LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET. I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD “SHIT IN MY WIG!” AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGRESSIONS THAT MADE ME QUESTION A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD... https://t.co/RkcaMBmtDA — SAMEYAAAAAA (@Sammie_Ware) June 2, 2020
Since then a number of former Glee stars have shown support to Samantha, including Amber Riley, Dabier Snell and Willam Belli, prompting HelloFresh to make a statement.
Lea Michele Gary Gershoff via Getty Images
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“HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind,” they said in a tweet.
“We are disheartened and disappointed to learn of the recent claims concerning Lea Michele. We take this very seriously, and have ended our partnership with Lea Michele, effective immediately.”
HelloFresh does not condone racism nor discrimination of any kind. We are disheartened and disappointed to learn of the recent claims concerning Lea Michele. We take this very seriously, and have ended our partnership with Lea Michele, effective immediately. — HelloFresh US (@HelloFresh) June 2, 2020
Lea Michele is yet to comment on the accusations publicly. HuffPost UK contacted her representatives on Tuesday, but did not receive a response at that time.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--It’s Time To Get Rid Of ‘BAME’ – The B Has Been Diluted For Too Long

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This week it was reported that the Covid-19 death rate in England is higher among BAME people than white people. The announcement was very much in the shadow of the current Black Lives Matter protests, further highlighting the systemic, historic racism that British society is built on.
While BAME is a catch-all term to include all Black, Asian and minority ethnic people, the Black Lives Matter movement is just that: about Black lives, those of Black African or Black Caribbean heritage.
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Because, after all, it is not BAME Lives that are threatened disproportionately. Or POC Lives. Or BIPOC Lives. The acronyms represent such a broad section of the population, with different backgrounds, beliefs, ways of living. The only thing BAME people have in common is being othered. This means that there cannot be automatic solidarity among all BAME people with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“You do not get an automatic pass from also being from a minority. You have to show up, do the work, and become a genuine ally.”
For too long, the B in BAME has been diluted. Lumping all these groups together not only shows that we live in a white-centred world but that there is little regard for the unique experience of Black people, and the progression of other ethnic groups masks the lack of progress made in fighting racism against Black communities.
People hold up signs during a Black Lives Matter demonstration outside police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles ASSOCIATED PRESS
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It is equally not helpful to categorise entire communities with a few simple letters. In the US, the term BIPOC – Black, Indigenous and People of Colour – is becoming more commonly used, as anti-Black and anti-Indigenous sentiment and oppression are deep-rooted. While this goes some way to recognise those as unique experiences against the generalised POC term, it is still a very homogeneous way to identify people.
As a person of colour who identifies as mixed race of Indian and white Scottish heritage, I’ve known from early on that my experiences are different to other people of colour.
I am not a woman in a hijab. I am not a bearded Sikh. I am not a Black man. Facing police brutality and living in fear are not part of my daily life.
I acknowledge that despite any racism or discrimination due to my skin colour or name, I have a certain level of privilege from white proximity. I grew up in a predominantly white city and was the only person of colour in my class, my workplaces and social circles since have been largely white, and the world around me has typically been bathed in whiteness: cultural references, fashion, people in positions of power. I have benefited from the societal structures that make life so much easier for white people than they do for Black people. As will have many non-Black people of colour.
“Getting rid of the term BAME would help to signify that the differences between minorities are vast.”
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Not being white does not mean you can’t be racist. Racism and anti-blackness are prevalent within non-Black POC communities, both in the UK and US. I have friends from Indian Hindu backgrounds who would often wonder what would anger their parents more: falling for a Muslim or a Black person? In many Arab and South Asian countries, whiteness is seen as the ideal and having dark skin is seen as bad.
This means that all the work on solidarity and being anti-racist is just as pertinent for non-Black people of colour as it is for white people. You do not get an automatic pass from also being from a minority. You have to show up, do the work, and become a genuine ally.
Recognising the generations of ancestral trauma that are lived through Black communities goes some way to breaking down whether we need a term like BAME, which homogenises all minorities and can remove a sense of self. We have not lived those same experiences but we are all products of a society built on inherent racism and rooted in a colonial past that is easily washed over.
Getting rid of the term BAME would help to signify that the differences between minorities are vast. That we are all more than just a box on an equal opportunities form.
However, discussing whether or not a term should be used can easily distract from the fundamental issues at play. It’s vital that Black Lives Matter is separate to other BAME movements, because time and time again, it is Black people who are consistently oppressed, abused, marginalised and killed.
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Your solidarity is not based on your race. It is based on your actions.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Ibuprofen To Be Tested As Treatment To Reduce Covid-19 Symptoms

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A new trial has been launched to assess whether ibuprofen may hold the key to preventing severe breathing problems in Covid-19 patients.
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Experts are assessing whether a special formulation of the drug could help reduce the serious side effect seen among patients infected with the novel coronavirus.
It is hoped that the special formulation of the cheap anti-inflammatory drug, to be delivered at a certain point in illness among hospital patients, will reduce severe respiratory illness.
This could potentially lead to shorter hospital stays and fewer patients needing help in intensive care units (ICU).
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Jennifer A Smith via Getty Images
Mitul Mehta, professor of neuroimaging and psychopharmacology and director of Centre for Innovative Therapeutics at Kings College London, told the PA news agency: “It’s a trial for patients with Covid-19 disease to see if giving them an anti-inflammatory drug – a specific form of ibuprofen – will reduce the respiratory problems they have.”
He stressed that the trial was for hospitalised patients – not those who have mild or suspected Covid-19.
Participants will be drawn from those who are hospitalised, but not so ill they are in need of intensive care.
“And if we can reduce their symptoms at that stage we have a number of benefits: we could reduce the amount of time that someone spends in hospital – they might recover quicker and go home, that’s obviously a fantastic outcome; we also might be reducing the degree of respiratory distress so that it can be managed in the hospital setting, without needing to go to ICU. And that is a fantastic outcome as well.
“Theoretically, this treatment, given at this time, should be beneficial. But this is based on animal studies. It’s based on case reports, we need to do a trial to show that the evidence actually matches what we expect to happen.”
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Prof Mehta said that animal studies into acute respiratory distress syndrome – a symptom of Covid-19 disease – shows that around 80% of animals with this condition die. But when they are given this special formulation of ibuprofen the survival rates increase to 80%.
“This is very promising,” he said. “But of course it is an animal study, so we want to translate that really compelling result into humans.”
The trial is a joint effort between experts from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London and the pharmaceutical organisation the SEEK Group.
Half of the patients enrolled in the trial will receive standard care and the other half will receive standard care plus the special ibuprofen formulation.
It is hoped that the way the drug has been formulated will reduce potential gastric side effects linked to ibuprofen.
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Professor Matthew Hotopf, director of the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre said: “This highly innovative therapeutic approach seeks to rapidly advance a potentially important new treatment. If successful, the global public health value of this trial result would be immense given the low cost and availability of this medicine.”
Early on in the pandemic, there was controversy over the use of ibuprofen after a French health minister advised against the use of it.
Scientists in Britain launched a review to assess ties to the drug and Covid-19.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--US Man Who Shielded Protesters From Police: I Hope My Son Grows Up To Be Like Them

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A US man who is being praised for opening his home to protesters so they could escape arrest thinks the people he helped are the real heroes.
“I hope that my 13-year-old son grows up to be just as amazing as they are,” Rahul Dubey, 44, told ABC news channel WJLA Tuesday after nearly 70 protesters left his Washington, DC, home as the city’s curfew lifted at 6 am.
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"I hope that my 13-year-old son grows up to be just as amazing as they are."
Rahul Dubey opened his home to nearly 70 strangers overnight and sheltered them during D.C.'s curfew. He says our country needs people like THEM.
FULL INTERVIEW: https://t.co/hucxiraHk9 pic.twitter.com/BKFMsTsSgk — ABC 7 News - WJLA (@ABC7News) June 2, 2020
Protesters were demonstrating Monday evening against the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck, when police corralled them to a street and blocked them in several hours after the city’s 7 pm curfew.
It’s not clear there is any good way for this to end. Protesters are totally boxed in with nowhere to go. pic.twitter.com/1mxnbWVdgt — Stephanie Mencimer (@smencimer) June 2, 2020
After a 15-minute standoff, the police surged forward, pushing protesters with their shields and spraying gas, according to The Washington Post.
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“It was a human tsunami,” Dubey told the paper. “I was hanging on my railing yelling, ‘Get in the house! Get in the house!’”
He opened his door, and protesters raced in. He gave them milk to wash out their eyes, and let them spend the night — despite police attempting several times to coax the group outside to be arrested, according to protesters who spoke to local DC news station WUSA9.
They shot mace at peaceful protesters is a residential neighborhood. The man who took us in is named Rahul Dubey. He gave us business cards in case they try to say we broke in. pic.twitter.com/gKzmrvCa75 — Meka (@MekaFromThe703) June 2, 2020
Dubey can also be heard saying in a video posted widely to Twitter that police “shot tear gas through the window” of his home. He also said that police “put me up against a wall” for about 15 seconds when he tried to get to his home earlier that evening.
“How were you able to get home if they were holding you?” a protester recording the video asks him.
“Because I’m not Black,” he responds.
This is Rahul. Rahul saved 62 DC protesters who were trapped for hours on his block by police. He allowed them to stay all night, fed them, gave them water, charged their phones, and most importantly kept them safe. This was no party, the police through pepper spray canisters pic.twitter.com/ZDpNkfXsoa — suckmyunicorn (@suckmyunicornD) June 2, 2020
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Although many would see his actions as brave, Dubey doesn’t think he did “anything special.”
“I know most people would’ve flung open that door,” he told WUSA9.
He added to the news channel that he feels the nation is “lost” and “very fragile,” and he decided to help because no one is “doing anything about it, except for these people.”
I found this very inspiring, Rahul Dubey of DC who sheltered ~50 protestors on #SwannStreet last night, after emerging, gave this interview to @WUSA9 and @slazo88
“Our flag is hanging by a string”#2020Protests #savejenny #1stAmendment #compassion pic.twitter.com/S5uVzgrrQe — Ian Glenn (@IanBGlenn) June 2, 2020
He continued by describing what the protesters were doing while staying in his home:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--LA Residents Flood Zoom Meeting With Calls For LAPD Chief To Resign

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Los Angeles residents flooded a public Zoom meeting with anger and frustration on Tuesday over the city’s response to ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd.
Hundreds of citizens called in to the Los Angeles Police Commission’s first virtual meeting since the demonstrations began. For more than eight hours, dozens of residents repeatedly called on Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore to resign after he made comments on Monday blaming looters for “capitalising” on the man’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer last week.
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“I’m going to say that Chief Moore should be fired and the police commission isn’t an oversight board if you aren’t actively pushing for this,” one resident said in a clip compiled by The Los Angeles Times. “Blaming protesters for George Floyd’s death it’s bad, it’s horrible.”
Another continues: “Chief, you need to step down. You need to resign or this commission needs to do its job and fire you.”
Moore has publicly apologised for the remarks and said Monday he misspoke out of frustration over a rash of looting that broke out across the city in recent days.
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“Yesterday during the course of a press conference I made a terrible mistake and misspoke regarding the death of Mr. George Floyd,” Moore said at the start of the Zoom meeting. “Looting is in no way comparable to his murder. My remarks were meant to convey my frustration with those who, as they committed violence, attempted to justify their actions. I apologise and I am sorry.”
LAPD Chief Moore just said that "[#GeorgeFloyd's] murder is on the hands of the looters."
Chief Moore said this...who actually shot two people and killed one as a rank-and-file officer.
We're hearing calls to #FireMoore.#BlackLivesMatter — #BlackLivesMatter-LA (@BLMLA) June 2, 2020
This afternoon we saw the best of Los Angeles. Thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched in solidarity. We will continue to facilitate everyone’s 1st amendment right to assemble peacefully...we will continue to listen, learn, and grow. pic.twitter.com/9FTFkgifr2 — LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) June 2, 2020
City officials have faced a barrage of criticism over their handling of the largely peaceful protests. Thousands of residents gathered outside the home of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday, who has imposed a countywide curfew while appealing to protesters to remain peaceful. More than 3,000 people have been arrested in the city since Friday.
“I need to protect all Angelenos. I need to protect protesters. I need to protect police officers,” Garcetti said. “My hope in my heart is that as soon as we don’t need that curfew we can get rid of it.”
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Garcetti also defended Moore on Tuesday and said he was glad the chief apologised.
“I’m glad he quickly corrected it, and I’m glad that he further apologised, as well,” Garcetti said, per the LA Times. “I want to be very, very clear about that. If I believed for a moment that the chief believed that in his heart, he would no longer be our chief of police. I can’t say that any stronger.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Washington Archbishop Condemns Trump's Visit To Catholic Shrine

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Washington’s Roman Catholic archbishop has roundly criticised Donald Trump’s visit to the Saint John Paul II National Shrine on Tuesday.
One day after Trump used federal police to forcefully disperse a peaceful protest in front of a DC Episcopal church for a photo op with the Bible, Archbishop Wilton Gregory insisted that the former pope the shrine is named after would never have condoned the president’s tactics.
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“I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom we might disagree,” Gregory, the first Black archbishop of Washington, said in a statement.
Saint Pope John Paul II, known for opposing communism in his native Poland during his papacy, was an “ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings,” the archbishop said.
“He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace,” Gregory added.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump visit Saint John Paul II National Shrine, June 2, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
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Trump briefly visited the Saint John Paul II National Shrine with first lady Melania Trump, who identifies as Roman Catholic. The pair posed for media photos before turning to gaze at a statue of the former pope for a few minutes. They also laid a wreath of flowers at the shrine. Trump did not make any public comments at the shrine, The Washington Post reported.
The president then returned to the White House and signed an executive order intended to promote international religious freedom.
The Saint John Paul II National Shrine is managed by the conservative lay Catholic men’s organisation, the Knights of Columbus.
In a statement, its leaders said that the shrine “welcomes all people to come and pray and learn about the legacy of St. John Paul II.”
“The White House originally scheduled this as an event for the president to sign an executive order on international religious freedom. This was fitting given St. John Paul II was a tireless advocate of religious liberty throughout his pontificate,” the shrine’s statement read.
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Several hundred people gathered outside the shrine to protest Trump’s visit. Catholic activists prayed the rosary, listened to a reading of the Beatitudes, and held signs, including one that read, “Our church is not a photo op.”
We’re here to express our dismay at #45’s visit to the JPII center @jackmjenkins pic.twitter.com/nkyObB4GDV — Judy Coode (@Judy_Coode) June 2, 2020
Susan Gunn, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, a Catholic ministry, helped to organise a prayer vigil outside the shrine. After watching videos of what had happened at St. John’s Church the night before, Gunn said the vigil was planned to be “far enough away that we felt safe from overly aggressive police tactics to move a crowd and yet close enough to see the presidential motorcade.”
Gunn said she felt “outraged” that Trump would use the Catholic faith for what she suspected would be another “photo op to further his political agenda.”
“We wanted to pray for healing for those who are grieving and for our fractured communities, and we wanted to share our message of solidarity and love in a public way,” Gunn said of the vigil.
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Bob Cooke, a leader for Pax Christi Metro DC-Baltimore, local chapter of a left-leaning Catholic group, told HuffPost that he believes the Trump administration has long acted in ways that are antithetical to the gospel. But violently dispersing peaceful protestors for a photo op while the nation grieves 400 years of racism was “more than many Christians could take.”
“So as a Catholic, I needed to be out there today to protest his misuse of Christianity and the Bible for his own temporal, evil plans,” Cooke said.
Prayerful protest outside the Basilica waiting for Trump pic.twitter.com/6ouEKpX9Zr — Ryan Koronowski (@koronet) June 2, 2020
Bishop John Stowe, from the Catholic diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, also criticised Trump’s visit.
As Trump visits the St John Paul II National Shrine today, I hope someone proclaims today's Gospel (Mark 12:13-17) where Herodians and Pharisees are called out for their hypocrisy. — Bishop John Stowe (@BpStowe) June 2, 2020
Sister Simone Campbell, who leads the Catholic social justice advocacy group Network, accused Trump of using the Catholic faith “in another photo op to defend his appalling refusal to address racism and police violence in the United States.”
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“He is trying to create a false dichotomy of peaceful protestors versus the Church. That could not be further from the truth, and any Christian who believes it does not understand Jesus’s message,” Campbell said in a statement.
“Saint John Paul II himself spoke out against racism multiple times during his papacy, I hope President Trump learns that history during his visit,” she said.
Reverend James Martin, editor at large of the Jesuit Catholic magazine America, also said that Trump was visiting the shrine “for another photo op at a religious site.”
Demonstrators stage a protest near the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, which President Donald Trump visited on June 2 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong via Getty Images
Gregory’s condemnation of Trump’s visit to the shrine comes just one day after Washington’s Episcopal bishop lashed out at the president for using one of the churches in her diocese for a photo op.
On Monday evening, law enforcement officials in riot gear fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators gathered at Lafayette Square to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in police custody last week in Minneapolis. The square is located right in front of St. John’s Church. Clergy who had gathered at the church to offer water and solidarity to protesters were among those who reported being tear-gassed and driven off the church’s property.
The president then walked from the White House to pose with a Bible outside of St. John’s Church, which had been set on fire during protests a day earlier.
Reverend Mariann Budde, leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, accused Trump of using the Bible and St. John’s Church as a backdrop for a message that is “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for.”
Budde said that she was sad about the damage to the church, but that she and her diocese still stood in solidarity with protesters demanding an end to police brutality against Black Americans.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--Keir Starmer Warns Boris Johnson To 'Get A Grip' Or Risk Second Wave Of Coronavirus

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Labour leader Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of causing a collapse in public confidence over the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis – and told him to “get a grip”.
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In a Guardian interview, Starmer launched a scathing attack on the prime minister over the easing of the lockdown restrictions such as reopening schools and relaxing shielding advice.
He said Johnson had made a “difficult situation 10 times worse” by carrying out “an exit without strategy”, and that the government would be directly responsible if the infection rate rose again.
“There is a growing concern the government is now winging it,” he said.
“At precisely the time when there should have been maximum trust in the government, confidence has collapsed.”
Johnson is set to face Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday for the first time since news of Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip broke.
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Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of “winging it” over the easing of the lockdown restrictions. PA
The prime minister will likely be grilled over his support for his senior adviser, which Starmer said had resulted in public trust in the government being “burnt”.
He warned Johnson’s “mismanagement” of the lockdown easing risked a second wave of infections.
“I am putting the prime minister on notice that he has got to get a grip and restore public confidence in the government’s handling of the epidemic,” he said.
“If we see a sharp rise in the R rate, the infection rate, or a swathe of local lockdowns, responsibility for that falls squarely at the door of No 10.
“We all know the public have made huge sacrifices. This mismanagement of the last few weeks is the responsibility of the government.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-06-03--George W Bush: George Floyd's Death Means It's Time To Listen, Not Lecture

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Former President George W Bush released a statement Tuesday about the police killing of George Floyd but emphasised it wasn’t his place to say how the country should handle its systemic racism problem.
Instead, he said, it was time for Americans to recognise “the repeated violation” of the rights of Black Americans who didn’t get “an urgent and adequate response from American institutions” in a statement posted on the George W Bush Presidential Center website.
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“Laura and I are anguished by the brutal suffocation of George Floyd and disturbed by the injustice and fear that suffocate our country. Yet we have resisted the urge to speak out, because this is not the time for us to lecture. It is time for us to listen. “It is time for America to examine our tragic failures ― and as we do, we will also see some of our redeeming strengths.”
The 43rd president noted that “it remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country.”
Bush is the second president, after an essay Monday by Barack Obama, to speak out about Floyd, 46, a Black man who died last week after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed on the ground. Video of the arrest, over a suspected counterfeit $20 bill, shows Floyd repeatedly telling officers he couldn’t breathe. His death has ignited protests and unrest across the nation over racial injustice and police brutality.
Bush, in his statement, added that peaceful protests, when protected by responsible law enforcement, “make for a better future.”
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But then Bush, who The New York Times noted never made any public statements against police brutality during his two terms in office, then said that Floyd’s death ― one of “a long series of similar tragedies” — raises the long-overdue question of how does America end its systemic racism:
“The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America — or how it becomes a better place.”
Bush acknowledged the country’s greatest challenge “has long been to unite people of very different backgrounds into a single nation of justice and opportunity.”
He added: “The doctrine and habits of racial superiority, which once nearly split our country, still threaten our Union” and admitted that “we have often underestimated how radical that quest really is, and how our cherished principles challenge systems of intended or assumed injustice.”
The former president then cited American heroes like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr as “heroes of unity” while conceding their actions “often revealed the nation’s disturbing bigotry and exploitation — stains on our character sometimes difficult for the American majority to examine.”
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Still, he said, “we can only see the reality of America’s need by seeing it through the eyes of the threatened, oppressed, and disenfranchised.”
Although Bush never called out President Donald Trump’s fiery rhetoric, he did concede that “many doubt the justice of our country, and with good reason.
“Black people see the repeated violation of their rights without an urgent and adequate response from American institutions.”
Bush said that “lasting justice will only come by peaceful means,” adding that “looting is not liberation, and destruction is not progress.”
Lasting peace, he said, can come only from truly equal justice.
“The rule of law ultimately depends on the fairness and legitimacy of the legal system. And achieving justice for all is the duty of all.”
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Bush said for that to happen will ”require a consistent, courageous, and creative effort” and that Americans need to understand the experiences of their neighbours and “treat them as equals, in both protection and compassion.”
He said if Americans apply empathy, shared commitment, bold action “and a peace rooted in justice, I am confident that together, Americans will choose the better way.”
Although many people found Bush’s statement “resonant and powerful” and “the type of leadership we need,” it should be noted that Bush’s own record on race issues was mixed.