At Nottingham Women’s Centre we are horrified by the death of George Floyd and wish to send our deepest condolences to his loved ones. This tragedy reaches far further than the state of Minnesota. The incredible outpouring of solidarity across the world shows both that change is desperately needed, and that there are millions of people eager to take a stand for what is right. We stand with them.
Although this has highlighted the unfair treatment Black people face from the police in the USA, we cannot afford to be complacent about racism in our country, in our city, and in our institutions. We acknowledge that structural racism exists at NWC. This is challenging and uncomfortable to admit, but without this ownership we risk seeking solutions to the symptoms rather than addressing the causes of our concerns about the experience of NWC for some Black women. We have a responsibility to be active allies and to be constant in our effort to combat all forms of racism and its impact for women.
We are currently working on an action plan to address the findings of the research we commissioned last year with local Black women, and recent events have reminded us how crucial it is that we both act and support others to act. Women have asked us what they can do to inform themselves and help affect change, and we have started to put together a list of petitions, fundraisers and resources on our website at the link below, which we will continue to add to. Please let us know of any more that we can share.