Good Grief!

You can say what you like about the Queen, but you can’t deny that she had a great eye for a nice hat. And anyone who appreciates a good hat is okay in my book. Indiana Jones, Frank Spencer, Porkpie off of Desmond’s, Jamiroquai*, Ghengis Khan… the list goes on. So it is a little sad that […]

Adultification and the case of Child Q

The Met Police have been compiling their Greatest Shits album for some while now, and with the addition of Child Q, not a quarter of the way into 2022, ‘Now That’s What I Call Some Racist-Ass Bullshit’ is already shaping up to be an absolute banger. The case itself is a pretty tough read. Child […]

Why is it always about race with you people?

Well first of all, when you say “you people” to me, I’m just going to assume you mean distractingly beautiful, witty, talented, Psychologists. Admit it… I’m right aren’t I? That’s what you mean. Anyway, lots of ‘things’ are happening at the moment, and it just seems like there is almost always some sort of racist […]

If we’re so woke, why are we so stuck?

Anyone who works in academia (and probably a lot of people who don’t) will have heard the phrase “decolonizing the curriculum.” Oooh, scary! Generally speaking though, we have a pretty poor understanding of what it actually means. So we put some pictures of brown people in our shitty powerpoint slides and give ourselves a lovely […]

Why can’t Black women just be less good at things?

If you don’t want Black women to be successful, just stop them from doing things. I mean, it’s certainly a bold strategy, but I’m unsure as to how successful it can be, long-term. After all, I’m told there are quite a few Black women, and a lot of them are apparently very good at things. […]

Monkey chants and bananas: Understanding the racist language of sport.

I’m sure most football fans would say that supporting their teams is their main motivation for getting back in the stands. It’s also entirely possible that 90 minutes of outdoor screaming might provide a cathartic outlet for those still frustrated at seeing Black people enjoying gravy on TV last Christmas. While a third lockdown might […]

The Great Unwokening and the Gamification of Social Justice

Wokeness is defined as the quality or state of being aware of social justice issues. Consult the Urban Dictionary though, and you get a different definition. Here, to be woke is to be in a state of being permanently offended. Wokeness has become a pejorative term, an insult. Those fighting for social justice are mockingly nicknamed […]

White Supremacy shaped all of us. We must accept that before we can move on.

It’s difficult to know exactly when I figured it out. I was pretty much reading by the time I was three. I mean, I take absolutley no credit for that. I was three, I didn’t know what I was doing. But my mum made sure I was literate by the time I went to school, […]

I can see your but…

“I support the Black Lives Matter protests, but…” “I’m against police brutality, but…” “I deplore the 21st century lynching of a black man in broad daylight at the hands of those supposed to serve and protect… but…” I see you, you know? I see what you’re doing. I read what you write. I listen to what […]

Beyond the Blackout – How to start the real work of anti-racism

While #BlackOutTuesday was a lovely show of solidarity for one day, remember that if you truly believe that #BlackLivesMatter, your work doesn’t start and end with you changing your profile picture for a few hours, posting a neat slogan as your status, or taking a knee for a photo op. Your anti-racist work is ongoing. […]