Open your heart and listen

You’ll see people posting on social media that someone like Dawn Butler suggesting she is subjected to racism is her being divisive and a race-baiter. I’ve even seen some people who I am friends with on Facebook post anti-Dawn Butler stuff.

Dawn just posted today a load of messages she’s received since that car stop video, saying things like someone should kneel on her neck, an SAS kill squad should be sent for her, she should go and drive in Africa instead, and “if you can’t breathe Dawn drop down dead simple”

I once got one death threat on social media aimed at my children a few years ago and I still think about it.

One.

Years ago.

And it still chills me.

Honestly I just implore people, when someone in public life says that something happening to them is a symptom of structural racism, step back from examining that one incident they’ve cited forensically and being like “Well, she was rude” and finding reasons to dismiss it.

It’s like looking at one atom of water, deciding it is harmless, and then saying “I don’t understand why this person is talking about ‘the so-called sea’. What a troublemaker”

Open your heart and listen.