2020 is proving a shocking year, what with COVID-19 and regular spillages of hate coming to the surface in America. Jamie HP’s resident DJ Aamyko explains how we could use these tragedies positively across the rest of our lives and tells us why now is a the time to rise up, because all lives matter; Black lives matter.
FREAKING OUT!!
Well, well, well, I say: Who would have thought that 2020 would start out just like this. Remember, people were *FREAKING* the fuck out in 1999 thinking the entire world was going to end at the start of the millennium but it turned out to be quite a lacklustre year. Impending doom was never forecast for the start of this decade, to my knowledge But one thing is for sure, historians will be looking back this period for many years to come.
In just the last few months events have changed the way we will be living a lot. The global pandemic COVID-19 has sent the entire world into a whirlwind of “WTF” moments, including deaths, uncertainty and misery. Life as we once knew it has been suspended as we learn to adjust to the ‘new normal’, yet as we continue to deal with the the virus has caused and review how we have been living, I can’t help but wonder if that really is a bad thing?
So far, 2020 has not only been the year of COVID-19 but it also the year that racism took centre stage, following the outrageous killing of protester George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25th 2020 in the USA, which was nothing short of criminal and shocking, especially as he believed he was was following official guidelines governing Chauvin’s detention, something some of his colleagues publicly agreed with. With the eyes of the media watching and citizen journalists out in force, we all became witnesses of a shocking murder taking place by someone who was supposed to serve and protect the people.
ALL LIVES MATTER
This isn’t the first time that this has happened to black people in the hands of the police. This led to massive “black lives matter” protests all around the world, with pretty much everyone demanding an end to the huge inequality that people face on a daily basis. But just when you thought that it couldn’t get any more problematic, president Trump’s administration reversed the Obama policy that banned health care providers from discrimination against transgender patients and women seeking abortions. So just to be clear, the US administration can now legally discriminate.
Here in the UK our own equivalent of Trump, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is also doing his best to keep up with the president by reversing plans to make it easier for people to change their legal gender by self-identification. The plan under Theresa May would have made the complex process of changing your gender shorter. It would have also removed a medicalised transition, which is a huge weight to carry for thousands of trans people. It’s plain to see that the anti-trans rhetoric is strong in both the US and UK.
Looking at equality in general the struggle can be overwhelming for many of us that have a more unified and accepting view of the world. Bigotry, ignorance and hatred is something that many are exposed to on a daily basis. I for one find it very difficult to stomach and am calling out for something that we could do ourselves to a the difference that is needed in the seemingly bleak world right now.
VOTE WITH YOUR FEET
If you you are not one for marching the streets or protesting, then sign petitions and write emails to your MP’s. Support small businesses and charities that have a clear rack record of good practice and targeting equality, such as those specifically set up to champion human rights, including race, gender, legal and nationality and peace.
Be wary of organisations that might not be a charitable as they claim; look beyond their human rights agenda and check that the money is reaching where you expected it to go. Do they have an effective Equality in the Workplace policy in place? If you are short on cash but still want to give, connect with an organisation that distributes items such as food or clothes. Make the charities you choose to work with work for you, but at the same time please give generously. This is a difficult time for many charities right now with many struggling to meet demand.
One of the great resources of the voluntary sector is the personal service they offer. Try and get familiar with the charities that you choose as the best way of reassuring you that you have made the right choice.
To our customers from the States, we ask ‘have you registered your vote’? Every vote will matter in this November’s election, perhaps like never before. And if you are someone who cannot sit on their hands and likes their voice to be loud, you can get your voice heard by protesting on the streets. Check your local media for organised events, then go for it! Be loud and get your point across.
DIFFERENT STROKES
Wherever you are, I believe that the most important thing right now is to not stay stagnant. That truly is the worst thing any of us can do. Whether its race, air pollution or LGBT rights as your cause, there are movements taking place that are forcing people to listen. You are not jumping on the bandwagon by rising with the tide. But don’t feel guilty because you feel that what you’re doing isn’t enough, or someone else is doing more. It takes different strokes to rule the world all have our own way of dealing with things. It’s is by coming together that your true colours will be heard.
It would be both lazy and foolish of any of us to dismiss 2020 (so far) as a shitty year. It’s been tough for sure but ultimately it’s been a time where we have all been forced to look at a lot of things that are not right and try to fix these issues somehow in order for us to progress personally as well as a society. History has taught us that little changes without some sort of event that forever redesigns the world and it’s people. This is without a doubt our time to step up to the plate and give it a go.
You’ll do amazing sweetie
Aamyko XXX
Aamyko Iddiols, resident DJ at SBN for Jamie HP June 2020.
