Pensioners in Black Lives Matter vilage protest

A PAIR of self-titled “quiet and retiring” friends joined the global Black Lives Matter movement – from their tiny rural village.

Liz Hodgkin and Patricia Karlsen, in their 70s and 80s respectively, caused quite a stir as they took their “a-political” message through leafy south Warwickshire, ending their protest in the village of Ilmington.

Residents of Ilmington themselves, said they wanted to lend their voices to the ongoing anti-racism movement.

We caught up with Patricia on the eve of the pair’s second protest. “Liz and I are both interested in the disproportionate number of black people that have been affected by Coronavirus,” she said.

“As older women who are not able to participate physically, we asked ourselves, how can we help? Well, you can protest quietly by listening to people who say Black Lives Matter, and asking yourself, what can I do about this?”

Liz and Patricia have been friends for many years, and decided to do this protest, not only in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, but also to raise awareness of how black lives are disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.

Their sign read: “Pandemic latest! Black people 3 times more likely to die from Covid-19. Why?

Black Lives Matter.” Last month, we reported on how one African community in Coventry had “seen so many go” as result of contracting the virus.

Just earlier this week, a Public Health England review into how ethnic minorities have been affected by Covid19 came out. The main takeaway was that people of Chinese, Pakistani, Indian, Caribbean, African and “other Black” heritage are at 10-50% higher risk of death than white British counterparts.

With this in mind, and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests across the UK and across the world, both Patricia and Liz decided to take action.

Patricia said: “Black Lives Matter, why is it disproportionate, and what can we do to help?”

We may not have heard about these two if it wasn’t for fellow villager, Deborah Sarjent, who encountered the pair taking a well earned ice cream break on Ilmington village green.

In a Facebook post which has now had nearly 1,000 shares, Mrs Sarjent said: “I encountered a two-woman protest for Black Lives Matter outside Ilmington Village Shop today.

Enjoying a sit-down and ice creams from the shop, 85-year-old Patricia and 78-year-old Liz asked if I had a phone and could ‘send them viral.’ I was happy to oblige.”

They had been protesting on the streets of Shipston-on-stour and were now attracting a steady trickle of interested passers by on the village green.

Mrs Sarjent said: “I think the ladies are inspired and inspiring. I’m getting reactions from all over the world from people who appreciate this small gesture of solidarity from a rural village in England. We are all ordinary humans, watching the world news, and wanting to stand up for other humans, wherever they may be.”

There have been Black Lives Matter protests across Coventry, with another one planned for Sunday.

As the pair continued their tour of South Warwickshire,

how has their protest been received?

Patricia said: “This community of Ilmington is a very good little community for any village to look at. We had a very good response and we were asked if we wanted to join a larger group in Leamington, which we will do.

“At our age, next week could be the end, you just want to do something and make a difference.”

Patricia wanted to make one thing clear: “It’s nothing to do with us, we are quiet retiring women of considerable age who will stay home and chat about things.”

So what would she say to people that want to join in and support the cause?

“The best thing for people to do would be to give money to the Black Lives Matter organisation. You can follow directions, wash your hands every time you go out of the house, stay six feet apart, and follow the instructions. We want to protect more black and ethnic people from becoming infected.”

Our conversation ended there as Patricia had to ready herself for the next day’s campaign. She concluded: “We need to be aware of this, we need to be aware that Black Lives Matter, protests can be done quietly in a very English way.”

We need to be aware of this... protests can be done quietly in a very English way.