NOTE
Dear _____,
I am one of your constituents, and an ally to the Black community, I am writing to you today with the hope that you will respond to my request to take action on the following points:
Firstly, the UK Government is complicit in the injuries and deaths caused as a result of the excessive force used by US police officers attacking unarmed protestors. These protesters should not have to fear injury and death whilst protesting for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the countless other innocent Black lives that have been taken away by brutal police officers. For example, a pregnant woman in Austin was shot with a rubber bullet whilst she was peacefully protesting, and this resulted in her miscarrying. This is just one account of the many abhorrent acts of violence that have been committed using tear gas and rubber bullets.
Given that the UK is known to export such items to the US, and there is a very real chance that they are being used by barbaric police officers to mercilessly harm protestors, the UK Government is morally obliged to suspend the sales of these items to the US.
Secondly, President Trump’s belligerent response to the protestors is deeply worrying, and should be overtly condemned. The UK Government cannot be beguiled by Trump’s post-Brexit economic deals, and it must instead put humanity at the forefront of its policies. Black lives are important, Black lives deserve respect, and Black lives deserve justice. Trade deals with an undeniably racist President should not be placed higher than the importance of Black lives.
Thirdly, the investigation into Belly Mujinga’s death was simply not good enough. Belly’s safety was ignored by the Government. She was not provided with any PPE, and was therefore a victim of not only a hate crime carried out by the callous individual who spat on her, but also a victim of the UK Government’s sheer negligence. Belly and her family deserve justice. How can the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance be funded for over thirteen years, but the investigation into the attack that led to Belly contracting Covid-19 be so quickly dismissed?
Finally, as supporters of The Black Curriculum, we are dismayed by the events of the last few weeks which have disproportionately affected Black people in the UK - exacerbated by Covid19, and the subsequent lack of response by those in authority. Thousands of us, the British voting public are grief stricken and concerned about the existing status-quo in the UK, which disregards the lives and contributions of Black British people. We would like to bring to your attention some of the structural inequalities in the UK, especially pertaining to education and the national curriculum.
As you are aware, the national curriculum excludes Black histories throughout, and omits the vast contributions Black people have made to the UK. As a result, young people who learn from the national curriculum are not given a full or accurate version of British history, which limits their opportunities and futures in an increasingly diverse landscape. Despite numerous calls over the years to reform the national curriculum to incorporate Black histories, these requests have been denied. Learning Black history should not be a choice but should be mandatory. Our curriculum should not be reinforcing the message that a sizeable part of the British population are not valued.
Black people have been in Britain since Roman times, have contributed to and shaped the foundation of our society. Therefore, we are asking you to specifically include Black histories on the national curriculum from KS1 - KS4 to include Black British histories across different subject areas, including History, Citizenship, English and PSHE. By doing so, you can invest in the lives and opportunities of all young people across the UK to become fully rounded citizens and create a better, fairer society. This is in line with the DfE Strategy’s first principle as highlighted in 2015-2020 World-class Education and Care:
“Our first principle is to ensure each policy puts children and
young people first. We must not let anything detract from
improving the lives and opportunities of those who rely on the
education and children social care systems.” – p.11, DfE strategy 2015-2020
We support The Black Curriculum in demanding that you work with them to adequately incorporate Black British history into the national curriculum and to fulfil your goals of British education truly being able to help the government’s “commitments to social justice and economic growth.”
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter; I would be more than happy to provide further information on some of the incredible activists that are driving for the changes outlined above.
I hope you will consider the demands above, and fight for justice.
Yours sincerely,
____________