#BlackLivesMatter
JMSU stands in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
We stand with you, in the fight for justice.
We stand with you, in the fight for equality and inclusion.
We stand with you, to put an end to the systemic racism and discrimination.
We stand with you, because you matter.
Because Black Lives Matter.
At JMSU, we pledge that we will not stay silent; that we will call out racism and injustice. That we will do our part to put an end to the systematic discrimination you have too long put up with. We pledge to stand with you and we pledge to fight for your justice.
At JMSU we continue to commit to stand in solidarity for inclusion and equality. We condemn racial discrimination that the Black community has too long put up with. We pledge that we will not stay silent and call out injustice.
Institutional racism against Black people is not foreign to the UK. It’s not just a U.S. problem, it’s ingrained in our society and its roots deep in every aspect of our lives - from education to healthcare, the courts to the police, all these systems benefit from not telling us the whole truth.
The truth that colonialism destroyed entire communities while benefiting others. The lynching, persecution and slavery; they helped build some of the most beautiful buildings of the modern world, they helped create the society we live in today. Black people were raped, black people had their children taken away, black people were treated like animals. But the history books won’t tell you that; and still, they won’t teach you that such violence, hate and discrimination still exists in today’s world.
Due to this systematic racism, black people today, are 9 times more likely to be stopped for a stop and search are twice as likely to die in prison. Black women are 5 times more likely to die during pregnancy. Black people are less likely to go to university, and when they do, black students are more likely to drop out. If they do stick around though, nationally black students are 26% less likely to be awarded a good honours degree, even when they come in with the same grades as their white counterparts. And of course, more recently we have seen that black and BAME people are more likely from COVID.
So, we cannot say ‘all lives matter’.
All lives don’t matter because according to our society black lives don’t matter, and only when black lives matter, will all lives matter.
Dear black students, we see you; we hear you. We understand that some of us will never understand, but we stand with you.
Dear white students and non-black students of colour, we cannot stay silent. It is no longer enough to be not racist; we must be anti-racist. We must challenge the system and join the fight for justice for our black brothers and sisters, in the U.S., here at home, in the UK and across the world. We must use our privilege to elevate their voices. We must pass the mic.
Our privilege is so powerful. We can choose to be complacent, or we can choose to use our privilege to be actively anti-racist. We must choose to stand up to injustice and educate ourselves to learn about a type of discrimination that, as white people and non-black people of colour, we have not experienced and will never have to experience.
Or, we can choose to be silent, but remember that silence speaks volumes to your complicity.
We must say ENOUGH to violence, and that includes silence. We must say ENOUGH to discrimination, in the classroom, at work, in the streets and in our own homes. We must not sit idly. We must call it out.
Black Lives Matter.
While the world is showing its outrage and taking to the streets to protest, we know there is so much more work to be done long-term and change stems from looking inwards. That is why at John Moores Students’ Union:
We pledge that we will not stay silent.
We pledge to call out racism and injustice.
We pledge to invest in our Black students and Black students' campaigns.
We pledge to continue our work in closing the Black Attainment Gap and decolonising the curriculum.
We pledge to support our Black students in representation, including Student Officers, the BAME student network, African-Caribbean Society and across student groups.
We pledge to diversify our organisation and work alongside the University to ensure that representation exists within our structures.
We pledge to continue the work of the reciprocal mentoring scheme with the University.
We pledge to work to improve the experience of Black students, in and outside of the classroom. We pledge to listen to you, we pledge to learn from you.
We pledge to support you and to support the Black community in Liverpool.
We pledge to educate ourselves and support the education of others.
We pledge to be the organisation we want others to be.
Julia Daer – President
Lila Tamea – Vice President Academic Quality
Mollie Foster – Vice President Activities
Megan Hill – Vice President Community Engagement
In tribute of Anthony Walker, Mzee Mohammed, Stephen Lawrence, Damilola Taylor, Sean Rigg, Leon Patterson, Olaseni Lewis, Sheku Bayoh, Mark Duggan, Belly Mujinga, Anthony Grainger, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Cynthia Jarrett, Joy Gardner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castille, Tony McDade, Dion Johnson and many, many others.
*This statement was issued June 2020.
Sources:
Stop and Search: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/crime-justice-and-the-law/policing/stop-and-search/latest
Access: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/jan/26/black-students-struggle-uk-university-places-ucas
Attainment Gap: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/07/ethnic-minorities-jobs-gap-bame-degrees?CMP=twt_gu
