Black Lives Matter.

mrjj997

its a Social divide, which should be bridged. I agree
I believe the more people (especially white privileged people) that speak up, alongside protests, sit-ins, strikes, whatever people feel able to take part in will bring about change. You also have to hold your government to account, platitudes do not cut it.
The fact that people are discussing this demonstrating about this is a positive step.

The old mantra 'They get EVERYTHING .WE get NOTHING springs to mind, and thats Asylum seekers with nothing, who get furnished flats. This is a tactic of divide and rule. If the poor and disadvantaged in society argue about others having more than they have, then they can't organise to argue against the privileged.
What are your thoughts on what should be done?

johnrooney80

mrjj997

it starts in Schools, and in Homes.

if its in the Parents psyche, it'll wash on the child, as they're like sponges.

heres some interesting Data

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/01/george-floyd-death-police-violence-in-the-us-in-4-charts.html

mrjj997

barishna 😕 😖

mrjj997

johnrooney80
Thanks, I wonder if there is a way for giffgaff to help with this? vespaash2
The CNBC article is fascinating so thank you for that too. I tried to give it a thumbs up but site won't let me.

eileenusher

johnrooney80 Thank you something I’ve being saying for a long time, if a parents a racist a child will most likely to be, to combat that schools need to educate children more on racism, half hour a day on the history of racism and slavery from age 5 to age 16 should drum it into most its wrong, that everyone is equal.

johnrooney80

mrjj997 when will black people be as valued as white

Once it's rooted out at the Police Academys

mrjj997

johnrooney80
And societies other power structures, parliament, law courts, housing, schools, councils etc.

johnrooney80

mrjj997

you could pop an email off to hello@giffgaff.com

or ask @vespaash2 h for advice on starting a petition Thread on Contribute or G.D, gauge response and info replies 👍

read 1st post in Thread

God Bless 🙏 1+All.

ma2013

vespaash2
Very well said. giffgaff should stand for the Black Lives Matter movement, as should we all! It's only by not ignoring and not just being by-standers will the scourge of racism start to go down and hopefully disappear one day! 🌈🌍♥️❤️

chand311

vespaash2 weldone giffgaff.

mrjj997

msmon55
thanks I have read your comments on unbelievable/19 and my response is what one of the posters links says:

_it's important to understand what drives the BLM movement and how to support it — by using the phrase and standing behind what it means. It can be an uncomfortable experience for many of us, especially if you're someone that hasn't taken the time to grapple with your own role in the systemic oppression that exists in our society. But it's also an essential education, no matter where you are in your journey.

What Does Black Lives Matter Mean?
Black Lives Matter is an anthem, a slogan, a hashtag, and a straightforward statement of fact. While it is not a new movement, the message is central to the nationwide protests happening right now. BLM speaks out against the police brutality and systemic racism that caused the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and Breonna Taylor, as well as the thousands of violent incidents that happen to Black people that aren’t recorded, aren’t reported or aren’t afforded the outrage they deserve. At its most basic level, it calls for a shift in the statistics that Black people are twice as likely to be killed by a police officer while unarmed, compared to a white individual. According to a 2015 study, African Americans died at the hands of police at a rate of 7.2 per million, while whites were killed at a rate of 2.9 per million.

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
#BlackLivesMatter
the next time u wanna say "all lives matter*" understand what the movement is actually about pic.twitter.com/t6PiY32uc7

— jite (@JlTEAGEGE) July 7, 2016_

Does this explain sufficiently for you to understand the need for BLM and not ALM which is the point of this chat?

We are nearly on the same page but not quite.

ma2013

mrjj997
Thank you for your informative post, there seems to be a lot of backlash on giffgaff forums about support for BLM. Your post needs to be shared more in all the forums (particularly General Discussion). 🤔

extreme_one

mrjj997

extreme_one
Thank you, I have struggled to explain to @msmon55 what you have succinctly shown with the photo. Respect!

davidvarley

extreme_one
Glad to see that all lives matter on there.
Racism is bad but so is homophobia and other discriminations.
No one should have to face discrimination due to skin colour. Gender. Sexuality. Or religion.

brulaw

@vespaash2

A very good initiative by yourself and giffgaff , the more people / organisations / businesses / that show support for an anti-racist society the more chance there is of changing things .

persco I think it’s not just us blacks but people from all races should be treated equally. A little love goes a long way.
@persco , well said , a agree 100%

giffin

Thanks

frenchielove

persco what a great post

munglespoon

jaymailsays

vespaash2
it wasn’t until I saw the extent to which members within our own giffgaff team had been affected that the true reality sank in. I’m deeply sorry for that.

It took George Floyd's death on another Continent, for us in the UK to react and accept there could be a race problem. Where were those same people, some of whom who worked in London, when Stephen Lawrence died on our streets, did they speak out then and say that things must change. Very few did, fewer still, spoke up about being policed by an officially 'Institutionally Racist¹' Met-Police service. Who are we to criticise America, when here in the UK we haven't started to address our own acts of racism played out by Institutions and the Media?

Nothing has changed much, since the Scarman Report² way back in 1981 he painted a bleak picture of inequality and described those in charge, of essentially being negligent.

How is it that giffgaff didn't ask a Black Staffer to author this thread?
I watched the 10yr giffgaff party video, I don't remember seeing much ethnicity on display, nor do their tv or cinema adverts truly reflect the race diversity of the City I work in and where giffgaff HQ is located.

Discussion is all very well but when might we see real change, here at home?

John Barnes the former England footballer, seems to have his finger on the pulse of a sick society, identifying those who hounded and criticised Meghan Markle over her relationship with her father and who are now positioning themselves as defenders of Black rights. Those that did that, are not fooling anybody, they never did, it is positive actions that create constructive changes, words alone are no longer enough, in fact they never were.
¹
²

gloriousiam

vespaash2 there shouldn't any descrimination based on colour, race or wealth but depend on your deeds.

zeenat5

vespaash2

This is very good topic, because yes black lives matter and all lives matter. We have to learn a simple rule that no life is valueless, when it come to lives of humans or animals. We all need to respect each life. Thank you 🙂

mrjj997

leeon1988
I did not realise that you worked for giffgaff! I asked @vespaash2: What practical ways can you use your power to combat inequality and racism within your organisation?
I have not received a reply to date. I can understand now that the structural racism is as embedded in this organisation as it is where I work. I have recently written to the leadership team, asking them to use their 'power' to effect change in society as a whole. I have not received a response and it has been a week! Don't give up keep doing what you are doing and hopefully they will 'get it'.
Thank you for sharing.

vespaash2

mrjj997 You asked me what practical ways I can use my power to combat inequality and racism within our organisation.

I’ve been reflecting on this and the way you’ve phrased the question I’m going to answer it from a personal perspective based on what I am already or intending to do. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s where I’m focusing at the moment.

I have a duty of care to everyone that works for giffgaff but with the best intentions we all have unconscious bias so building a culture where we feel challenged and supported in equal measure to do the right thing is very important to me. Here’s my top 3 priorities:

Keep diversity and inclusion on the agenda and affect positive change – giffgaff has a wonderfully diverse team and is all the better for it. When I took over as CEO I started some conversations about D&I to give us more focus. In practical terms this means, trying to remove any barriers to getting a job at giffgaff, or getting the right personal development and support once you’re a member of the team. It also means skilling up our managers to promote inclusion and diversity so it’s simply built into the way we do things.
Provide guidance and support - last year I was a coach for two BAME employees from another business. The relationship we built was mutually beneficial, I certainly learnt a great deal. I’ll be making myself available again as an ally.
Be clear that as a business we are pro inclusion and anti-racist. We published our Inclusion statement at the beginning of the year. We’re still committed to that.

This won’t be everything we do, and there will be more as we progress, but that’s where we are right now.