How is your neighbourhood watch group doing? Now that Neighbourhood Watch groups are back up and running since lockdown stage 3, i decided to do a bit of a social experiment. i say 'experiment' although given the stories i have heard over the years i didn't expect any kind of response except the one that i received. This was the ask: i would love to hear from people who are or have been part of [...]
Are you ready to improve your world? We are all responding to lockdown in different ways. But some people are really using this time well, as they have the means and the capacity. So i wanted to share a few ideas for you to consider [and pass on - please consider hitting SHARE and inviting your people to join in as well]. Some you might already be doing, but maybe there is something here [...]
It's the end of the DA as we know it [or is it a realisation of the DA as they have always been?] i don't tend to write overtly political posts on here. Well, a lot of what i write is political but i mean with regards to specific political parties. But somehow that has changed during lockdown. It started with a post about a story i heard about when a crowd of homeless [...]
A lot more people than normal seem to be exploring anti-racism, which is good. What is important is that this momentum continues. This cannot be a fad or a flavour-of-the-month or a dabble. This move towards being less racist personally and working in the spaces you find yourself to help them become less racist will likely keep us busy for the rest of our lives. This work needs to be sustained. But it really [...]
People seem to be jumping into race conversations more than ever. Which is great. With that comes a phrase that has the power to kickstart defensiveness for so many people: White Privilege "How dare you say I have white privilege? My family grew up poor!" "White Privilege? I had to work three jobs to get to where I am today!" "Maybe in the past that was a thing, but these days with BEE..." Are [...]
What is the problem with #AllLivesMatter? This past week, we have seen the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag and movement on the rise again. A lot of people have been responding with tags like #WhiteLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter as if this is an important and necessary counter to #BlackLivesMatter. i would love to try and explain to anyone who feels like this, why i think differently on the matter. i think it is also important to say at [...]
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 [...]
