SEED reflections

Anonymous
‘After the George Floyd event it felt as if those who turned a blind eye to the experiences of minorities couldn’t brush it under the carpet. Suddenly not acting meant something. Being nice wasn’t enough; more people wanted to learn, to be agents of change, to take action. We were all part of the problem and it became easier to begin those difficult conversations. A year later, it was still on the agenda and pretty clear that it wasn’t going to be something that institutions and organisations could brush off this time’.

Dr Sumeetra Ramakrishnan, Hospitality, Tour, Events
……Nothing, absolutely nothing prepared me to watch George Floyd beg to breathe. In a world of conflicts and disasters, we are used to sympathising with the loss of human life and moving on. Even in wars, enemies treat (and hate) each other equally. To watch one human treat another as less than human, not worth dignity or the right to life, casually watching him die, shook me to the core. It is a sad irony that the people who thought they reduced George to something less than human were the ones much worse than the vilest of all creatures.

Anonymous
As we mark the anniversary of the death of George Floyd, I have mixed emotions. Sorrow, that yet another black person had to lose their lives at the brutality of the police but also, a degree of hope that the recognition of George’s painful death is a step in the right direction to act on the fact that Black Lives Matter. A year ago, whilst the world started to listen and educate themselves, unfortunately as a black woman that has lived in Surrey her whole life, I felt ashamed of the ignorance of many people around me and the volume of racist comments I saw on social media. I really hope we can start to see improvement and change, as after all, every one of us deserves the same respect and opportunity as the next person.

Jocelyn Chandler-Hawkins, Web & Communications Officer + Race Equality Adviser
Recently I encountered the distressing image of George Floyd being knelt on during his arrest at the time of the court case of the policeman who killed him. As I looked at the image it made me very upset as George Floyd could have been a member of my family. I have two brothers and two nephews and as a black Caribbean family we know that at anytime they/we could encounter a racist attack which could end lives. You might think I’m being dramatic and although we have different laws in this country, there is still a feeling that as black people we are judged first on our skin colour and not our merit. My brothers have had to speak to their sons about how they carry themselves in public, interact with authority and the low expectations sometimes held of black men that could impact their life chances. George Floyd didn’t have the easiest path in life but like many other black men on both sides of the Atlantic, being seen as inhuman has cast a long shadow (not for all but for many). I urge anyone reading this to strive for better, treat everyone on merit, be an ally when you see injustice, share the space in leadership roles and to remember that black parents and parents of black & mixed race children up and down the country have to have very difficult conversations with their children far sooner than they would like.
Watch Eddie Nestor and other parents talking about race (4 minutes BBC website)

Namy Yu, International Student Support Adviser
It is such a tragedy what happened to George Floyd and I feel tremendously grateful on how it sparked the different movements to protest against BAME racism and enlightened the wider public to our hidden challenges and basic instincts for survival. I have been a silent Asian, who was afraid to speak up against racism after enduring the feeling of being different. I was guided to “accept” this feeling, not belonging to this society, and I could not find any other alternatives. However, it started to change by finding people who have the same belief that BAME people also matter in this world and are equal. I started to believe now there are some white people who support our issues, and they are trying to accept us. Will this continue? That is the big question I must ask and continue to explore.