I didn’t expect to be writing this post, this week. I didn’t expect to be having some of the conversations I’ve had over the last seven days.
I didn’t expect to be feeling that I need to check in with friends and colleagues who might be feeling unnerved – and now I know shocked and scared – of what’s been unleashed across towns and cities in the UK in the last week.
And, I certainly didn’t expect to be having conversations with people that have helped me understand their fear of the unfamiliar and unknown.
But that’s been the reality.
Image: Stocksnap, Pixabay
It’s been very easy to get hijacked by the emotions of anger and fear in response to the senseless targeting of individuals, communities and businesses on the grounds of race and religion, fuelled by misinformation, fear and misunderstanding.
But this is not all of us.
I’m not an expert in this area. But I am a human being who wants everyone who deserves it, to be treated with respect.
If you’re feeling the same and are a bit stuck about what you can do, based on what I’ve heard and learned over the last week, here are a few ideas that might help you to support change for the better:
Check in with people. Let them know you’re there for them.
Think community. Where you live, work or worship, use your voice and take action to try to bring people closer together. Whether that’s sharing positive stories or information that helps to build understanding or bringing people together. Whatever you can do, do it. Community and connection can help to dampen flames of hate.
Don’t take things at face value – and encourage others to do the same. Check sources of information before you make judgements on anything and definitely before you like or share
Seek out the positives and share them. Show others what good looks like. There are LOADS of great things happening amidst all the negatives, from imams opening up mosques to help break down barriers and misunderstanding to people quietly restoring their communities from decimation.
It might feel uncomfortable and demands courage, but calling out acts of violence and racism, ideally with facts, can really help, if it’s safe to do so. This can lead to some very difficult conversations (I’ve had several recently) but recognising that courage in the face of discomfort is part and parcel of change, helps. You’re not on your own in this.
Reassure your employees who may be afraid to leave their homes or families or are afraid to travel. The last thing they’ll want to worry about is losing their job on top of everything else.
Most of all, listen to people and take time to be curious. On one hand, it can be so helpful in uncovering what’s driving fear responses. And, whatever people’s race or religion, you can learn so much from everyone’s stories. It’ll help you to speak up for people who might not necessarily be able to do that for themselves.
I appreciate that this might not necessarily align with everyone’s thinking right now, but we are at a tipping point in this country that I still feel proud to call home.
But if we are to have a country and communities that we and our children can be proud of and where we can all live without fear, what we do now to drive change, really matters.
If you want to read more, check out these links (thank you to Berenice Howard-Smith for her LinkedIn post that included several of these links):
Hope Not Hate – helps build understanding and supporting communities and has a pledge to shift pessimism into positive action.
Full Fact – independent fact-checkers and a go-to to get the real facts.
Camerados – a fabulous movement helping people come together in the face of so many differences
Jon Alexander and the Citizen project. A fabulous concept that helps us reconsider our roles in society as citizens.
Please let me know any other sources that could be useful to share.