Black Lives Matter around the world
Guled Mire
Award-winning creative, community advocate, policy adviser, Fulbright New Zealand scholar and fellow at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs
One year ago we heard the name George Floyd for the first time. Like many, I watched the brutal and horrific murder of a black man at the hands of police. The prevalence of antiblackness and the lack of value for black lives is not new. It’s connected to a longstanding history and system of statesanctioned abuse.
The killing of George Floyd was galvanising. It energised myself and so many other black, indigenous and Pacific youth to mobilise and take action. Soon after, protests erupted across the United
States and the world. Thousands rallied in Auckland. Wellington saw its biggest march in a decade, with an estimated 20,000 taking to the streets.
Ta¯ ngata whenua, Pasifika, African,
Asian, Pa¯ keha, and all our diverse communities came together to reiterate that black lives matter and to highlight our kotahitanga and commitment to eliminating systemic oppression and racism.
New Police Commissioner Andrew Coster dropped the trial of armed response teams in predominantly Ma¯ ori and Pacific communities. We engaged in an important conversation about the removal of statues and changing names of streets, cities and villages whose names ignite painful trauma for many.
It felt as though we were finally able to distinguish between violent murders of unarmed black and indigenous men by police, and the racist systems that allow such atrocities to occur with little accountability.
But in the months since, such protests have petered out. And it seems as though not much has changed. Reports have emerged of police illegally photographing and storing images of rangatahi Ma¯ ori.
In March, Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon accused the police of ‘‘systematic and institutionalised’’ racial profiling following revelations about the tactical use of pain on
Ma¯ ori suspects. Police Minister Poto Williams’ stance is no different to her predecessors’. She is yet to acknowledge the existence of systemic racism in the police force.
Similarly, the Leader of the Opposition, Judith Collins, also denied the prevalence of systemic racism despite serving as both police and justice minister during her time in government. I am sick and tired of having this same conversation.
The evidence is overwhelming, and we choose to dismiss the issue of racism at our peril. Ma¯ ori have witnessed this firsthand for hundreds of years and continue to do so. Although the events in the US may make us feel that we are so incredibly far away from the struggles AfricanAmericans face, that is far from the truth.
The reality is that in many ways, the lived experiences of black people are global and shared, as highlighted in a 2016 AUT study on the biases and the mistreatment by police that many black New Zealanders face. Almost all of the 30 young individuals we talked with spoke of their experiences of being unjustly stopped by police, told they don’t belong here, insulted with racial slurs, questioned about their identities, and intentions; offended and insulted in every way to make them feel like they were unwelcome.
Perhaps we think that because black communities make up a small percentage of the population, that those issues, harms, and struggles, don’t matter.
Even if it was just one person, it matters.
We will keep repeating: Black lives matter. Our lives matter. Yet while the issue of race relations in the US remains polarising and divisive, one thing is clear – unlike New Zealand, the need to tackle systemic racism remains an area of focus for its lawmakers.
Despite not meeting initial deadlines, key institutional reforms proposed in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act are expected to be passed in the coming weeks. My hope is that the mahi to help dismantle structures that enable and facilitate murders like Floyd’s can get under way in New Zealand too.
We need to look at the facts and question why 50 per cent of those imprisoned are Ma¯ ori. Why one in every 142 Ma¯ ori is in prison. This isn’t random, or by chance. This is systemic, historical, structural racism.
And in doing so, let us take some time to remember the man behind the global movement and remain optimistic that change will one day come, in part because of him.
The challenge is to stay energised. We can’t let the momentum die down.