New show of unity on a Thursday night

LAST Thursday, there was to be no more clapping for the NHS. However, I was very aware of what had been happening in the US with the death of a young black man in a terrible manner.

So I called on one or two houses near mine to see if they would like to mark Black Lives Matter, knowing that I am not fit enough now to go into our city to mark such an event.

At 8pm we had a group of about eight women, mainly of colour, who came to stand near my house. We called out “Black Lives Matter” and I began to recollect and tell them about a visit to Washington many years ago.

I was there with a group of women. Helen John, from Greenham Common peace camp, was to speak in the US capital itself, about activity to help women.

There was also an intention to see for ourselves the living conditions of women of colour in this poor area of Washington.

We stayed in a charitable house where women and children in distress could find shelter before being found somewhere to live.

This was the poorest area of Washington, and those who lived in the area were mainly Afro-Americans. Those coming for help were also people who had come to America for a place safer than their home country.

The area was very poor and although in the daytime it was all right for strangers to walk about, at night it became a war zone, with armed men wanting to be top man for drug dealing, shooting at each other. I had read about these conditions but living there for about 12 days brought it sharply home to me.

Last Thursday we did our event. I brought out from my house a sculpture I had made many years ago of a man who had escaped as a child from being killed in Africa and had found sanctuary in this county. He was a library student at Loughborough before returning to Africa.

So thousands marched throughout the country, possibly passing the virus to each other. It’s difficult, but on balance I think they were right to be there.

Anna Cheetham, Leicester

So thousands marched throughout the country, possibly passing on the virus. I think they were right to be there