How important is offline activism? i spend a lot of time on Social Media dealing with issues of race and poverty and injustice. The hope is to share and engage and challenge and invite people to explore different areas where their lives could be better. Most of this relates to areas where i am trying to listen and learn and engage and wrestle at the same time. i might know or have discovered some [...]
In spaces of social justice and activism there is often a call for greater kindness. Which i absolutely agree with. But for who? 'Be Kind, but with Spine!' Wow! That is a powerful quote i read today [which may or may not be by Karen Salmansohn, hard to determine] and it sums up quite well what i wanted to write about. i believe deeply in being kind. In the scary and often brutal world we [...]
My name is Brett "Fish" Anderson and i am 46 years and for the last 6 years i have been actively fighting against racism. Although people at times accuse me - and people like me - of being smug or self-righteous or feeling superior - i don't think i am any of those things. To be honest, i feel shame and embarrassment. i have for the longest time been someone who has challenged the [...]
My friend Terence is so negative: Seriously though, on a day when white people were showing solidarity with their one black friend, Terence had to go and make them feel bad. And they did - read the comments. There must be discomfort when confronting injustice Let me just be clear here - Terence is not negative. i agree with his status completely. But it led to one interaction with an old friend of mine [...]
i started this as a thread on the Twitterer but thought it might be good to stick it here as well. If you're a white person reading this, i want to encourage you to answer a couple of questions honestly. Then, when you get to the end, read the instruction and work through them one more time. White friends: i'm not sure enough of us get how different our lived experiences are simply because [...]
The Colourblind argument seems to be a confusing one for many people. White people, trying to do the right thing, often hold on to the statement: I don't see colour. While completely believing it. i would like to approach that from a different direction than i have before, which might make it easier for some of you to get. Many of my best friends are black, coloured and indian people. And no, that's not [...]
"I can't breathe!" he screamed As he scowled at the police as They made him pack up his surfboard and go home While the black man lies motionless On the other end of the wave. Meanwhile the Coopers were having A domestic in a nearby park Cos she wouldn't put a leash on her dog And he was too black. "Nothing to see here!" was the statement Of the law-enforcing bodies Who had just [...]
White self-professed racist With his hand up the ass of a puppet Spent his time using his reach To try help the rest of us gaze into the mirror While the one with the platform And all of the influence Could have gone there But all he got was this lousy t-shirt One threw his voice The other threw his voice away How is it that the Con ended up being more than Rad [...]
This has been a week of two stories when it comes to the homeless people of Cape Town or those who tend to live on the streets. Earlier this week i was encouraged and inspired to see testimony from the St Peters microsite that has been created to take care of around ten homeless men during lockdown. Which you can and should read about over here. A number of my friends are involved there [...]
Does the term 'anti-racist' sit well with you? i admit that any term that defines someone as something they're not or something they're against feels unwieldy to me. This is why i come out so strongly against the term 'non-white'. It puts white people in the middle as the norm or accepted or perfect thing and then distances anyone who is called non-white away from that. As if whiteness is normal or right or [...]
