Today marks the 5th anniversary of George Floyds tragic and very public murder.
In the midst of the Covid pandemic, his final moments were played out on social media for the world to see. Rightly, his death sparked outrage and horror, and a surge of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, both in the USA and UK.
The officer responsible for his death was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 22.5 years and was also convicted of violating George Floyd’s civil rights, for which he is serving a concurrent 21 year sentence. The other officers on duty at the scene also received various sentences for their part in his murder.
But 5 years on, what (if any) lessons have been learnt?
Data for 2020–2024 reveals 1198 Black people have been fatally shot by the Police in the USA since his death. Included in these sickening statistics are people like Sonya Massey, who made the headlines when she was murdered by police in her own home in July 2024, after calling 911 for help.
And this is not just an American problem. According to the Institute of Race Relations, Black people in Britain are twice as likely to die in police custody and seven times more likely to die following restraint by police than White people.
13 Black and Asian men have died during or following restraint or detention by police in the UK since 2020.
The BBC2 documentary Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd is a hard-hitting account of his murder and the events that followed. It also examines the aftermath of his murder, police brutality and racism in the UK. Featuring Sal Naseem former Director for London of the IOPC, who has played a pivotal role in numerous high-profile investigations of racism and police misconduct, it gives a stark insight of how much work is still to be done.
So today, in remembering George Floyd we also want this to be a call to action – to learn lessons from his death. Action for Race Equality works across Employment, Education and Criminal Justice to bring this change. The Alliance for Police Accountability, their Steering Group Chaired by Lee Jasper is working tirelessly to transform policing and address serious violence.
Please consider donating and supporting their essential work.
An International Day of Remembrance is not enough. Most “Days of Remembrance” are not enough to truly honour the victims of whatever atrocity took place, be it a murder, a massacre or a war.
For the estimated 15 million victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which lasted almost 400 years, it is definitely not enough.
Some would argue that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was abolished so long ago the victims are no longer alive, so is it still relevant? While it’s difficult to definitively pinpoint the single “last” enslaved person’s death, Hannah Durkin, at Newcastle University, identified an enslaved woman, captured in Africa in the 19th Century and brought to United States called Matilda McCrear who is thought to be one of the last. Matilda died in Selma, Alabama, in January 1940, at the age 83. Daniel Smith, who was believed to be one of the last children of an enslaved person, died on October 19, 2022, at the age of 90. Which brings the distant past frighteningly close.
Even for distant descendants of enslaved people, the implications are still felt today. Our founders’ families are of West Indian descent. The Mayers name undoubtedly linked to John Pollard Mayers, Joseph Mayers or Joshua Mayers Gittens. All registered owners of enslaved people in Barbados. The Pearson name also has ties to the Slave Trade in Jamaica. Surnames giving clues to their ancestral families histories. Family trees that come to an abrupt halt, with DNA tests now the only way to trace their true origins.
There have been many campaigns for reparatory justice in the form of economic and social compensation the over the years. Reparations is a complex and contentious subject. How do you begin to value the lives taken, the trauma and suffering caused and the lasting economic damage? And who is going to foot the bill?
Many countries have issued “statements of regret” instead of apologies, resistant to the idea of accepting responsibility and weakening their stance on owing reparations. In September 2015 the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on an official visit, told the Jamaican Parliament that “the Black people should cease looking back to slavery days and focus on the future.” As a descendant beneficiary of a fortune made by his enslaver ancestors in Jamaica, the Prime Minister’s statement was particularly insulting and misplaced.
Worse than the refusal to consider reparations or even provide an apology, is that in 1835 after slavery was abolished, British slave owners were compensated for their “loss of property”. A staggering figure (for 1835) of £20million was paid to slave owners. A debt which according to the Tax Justice Network, British taxpayers finally finished paying off in 2015, the same year as Cameron’s visit to Jamaica.
Let that sink in for a moment… every taxpayer in the UK up until 2015 was paying the bill for compensating slave owners. Meaning every Black working person in Britain between 1835 and 2015 was compensating the families that had potentially enslaved their ancestors.
When the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade is taught in schools, we hear the names of compassionate abolitionists who campaigned for (and eventually achieved) the abolition of slavery on the grounds of social justice and humanity. However, we are not taught about the revolutions of enslaved people taking place in Haiti led by Toussaint Louverture, or Jamaica by key figures such as Samuel Sharpe and Nanny of the Maroons, or across the colonies. Without these uprisings, and a decline in the economic importance of slavery due to the industrial revolution, it is questionable whether the abolition movements would’ve achieved success.
The famous billboard slogan “We did not come to Britain. Britain came to us.” makes an important distinction for those people who are anti-immigration, anti-refugee, (or just plain racist). It is because of Britain’s history, its colonial past and participation in the Transatlantic Slave Trade that we have a wonderful multicultural society today. For a fascinating whistle-stop history lesson on Black History, Colonialism and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, that you didn’t get at school, we highly recommend checking out Akala’s address at the Oxford Union.
We believe understanding Britain’s true history, not the “white-washed” version taught in schools throughout the Commonwealth, plays a really important role in improving ethnic pride, integration and acceptance. For us, more than a day of remembrance, that acceptance would really honour the victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Yet today, 60 years later, António Guterres Secretary-General of The United Nations acknowledged in his personal message “The poison of racism continues to infect our world”. Going on to say “I call for universal ratification of the Convention, and for States to implement it in full. And I urge business leadership, civil society, and everyday people to take a stand against racism in all its forms…”
In the last 60 years, some progress has been made. The Race Relations Act came into force in the UK in 1965, banning racial discrimination in public place places, and made the incitement of racial hatred illegal. In 1968, the Act was updated to address the issues of discrimination in the workplace and accessing accommodation. In 1976, the Act was extended again to define and include direct and indirect discrimination. The Commission for Racial Equality was formed in 1976 too (later replaced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in 2007). In 2000 we saw the Race Relations Amendment Act requiring public authorities to actively promote racial equality. Then 15 years ago in 2010, the Equality Act came into force, updating and replacing the previous legislation.
In Global politics we also saw encouraging signs of change, with Apartheid being abolished in 1992, Paul Boateng becoming the UKs first Black Cabinet Minister in 2002, America electing its first Black President in 2009 and what was lauded as “Britian’s most ethnically diverse Cabinet ever” in 2019 with six Cabinet Ministers being of ethnic heritage. Including Rishi Sunak who went on to become Prime Minister in 2022.
Yet for every step forward we appear to take, we seem to take several backwards too.
In 1970, the infamous Mangrove Nine trial. In 1981, the Brixton Riots. In 1993, the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which prompted the Macpherson Report to be published in 1999, concluding that the Metropolitan Police was institutionally racist. The racially motivated murders of Mi Gao Huang Chen and Anthony Walker in 2005, and Mushin Ahmed in 2015. The Institute of Race Relations monitors deaths with a known or suspected racial element in the UK. Their research indicates that between 1993 and 2013 that there were at least 105 such deaths in the UK. The Windrush Scandal in 2018, exposed the wrongful detention, deportation and denial of legal rights to Commonwealth citizens who had settled in the UK and continues unresolved today. In 2024 Race Riots broke out across the UK.
In 2023, the Guardian reported that Black people are seven time more likely to die after police restraint. The Institute of Race Relations report included the IOPCs 2019/2020 statistics revealing that 23% of deaths in, or following, police custody are people of ethnic heritage, disproportionately much higher than the ethnic population.
Between 2013 and 2023, according to official data, police recorded hate crimes, in England and Wales rose from 41,294 to a staggering 145,214. In 2013/14 the number of successful convictions for racist or religious hate crimes was 10,532, just under 25%.
All this depressing reading doesn’t begin to detail workplace racism and inequality. Suffice it to say, the CIPD report two-thirds of Black employees in the UK experienced racism last year! Race Discrimination claims have also risen since 2018 according to legal firm Wright Hassall.
Our Charity Partner, Race Equality First are on the frontline working to eliminate racial discrimination and support the victims of hate crime. Their CEO Aliya Mohammed says “Racism continues to be a persistent and deeply ingrained issue in our society. While we have made legal and policy advancements over the decades, we still see racial discrimination in workplaces, in policing, in the justice system, and on our streets. At Race Equality First, we stand firm in our commitment to fighting racial injustice and supporting those affected by hate crime and discrimination. True change requires not just legislation but a collective effort from all of us to challenge racism wherever we see it.”
Their continuous work with the UN aims to bring about lasting change by contributing to international discussions on racial equality, providing evidence on racial discrimination in the UK, and advocating for stronger protections for marginalised communities.
So, 60 years on, what can we all do better to eliminate racial discrimination now?
In the workplace:
Ensure you have a zero-tolerance approach to racism
Have positive policies affirming your commitment to equality and respect in the workplace
Ensure Leadership teams and hiring managers have been trained on Inclusive Leadership and hiring practices
Train employees on anti-racism and inclusion topics regularly
Encourage participation in Employee Resource Groups for shared support and learning
Create a safe and inclusive culture where all your people have a sense of belonging and can show up as their authentic selves
Personally:
Learn – educate yourself on different ethnic groups, religions and cultures. Seek out podcasts, books and blogs that will increase your understanding of people with backgrounds different to your own
Take steps to understand your own biases and privilege
Understand the difference between “not being racist” and “anti-racist” – to create change we all need to be actively anti-racist.
Call out racism wherever and whenever you see it
Be an ally to those who are experiencing racism
If you care about equality, diversity and inclusion in your workplace, check, do you have an EDI policy or plan? Do you have employees of ethnic heritage and a good approach to inclusion to ensure all your people feel welcome and safe?
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