Your Views: ‘Black Lives Matter protest in Kenilworth was a great show of unity - and hope for our future’

Hundreds of people gathered at Abbey Fields in Kenilworth last month to show their support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In the last few weeks, the movement has gathered pace both here in the district and internationally. Here are the views from two people who were at the march - Madeleine Rogers and Ire Soda - on what it meant to them and what is needed for the future.

MADELEINE ROGERS: WE CAN AND MUST DO BETTER - THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

In the weeks following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, the protests that began in Minnesota have spread across the world as the Black Lives Matter movement has gained momentum.

Across the world, citizens have taken to the streets to denounce white supremacy, structural racism and police brutality in unprecedented numbers.

As someone who grew up in Kenilworth and has lived here for most of my life, I was unsure whether these global protests would reach our small town – so I was pleased and excited to find out that Ire Soda (see opposite page) had organised a rally. On June 13, my sisters and I walked down to Abbey Fields expecting to find a small group of other young people with similar views to us. We were overwhelmed to instead see the park full of people who had come to hear Ire speak and to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

An estimated 400 people were in attendance, who represented Kenilworth residents of all ages and backgrounds. Families with young children stood alongside members of the older generation (while maintaining social distancing, of course) as we listened to Ire speak about the history and current reality of racism in the UK and the USA.

The atmosphere was by turns lively and excited, as we stood together in solidarity and expressed our support of the BLM cause, and respectful and reflective as we listened to Ire and others speak about their own experiences of racism in Kenilworth, and when we knelt together for eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence (the length of time for which Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck) to consider the changes we can make as individuals and as a community to combat racism in our own lives.

The protest in Abbey Fields and the march through the town centre that followed – which stopped traffic along Warwick Road for a good hour on a Saturday afternoon – was an excellent opportunity for two reasons. The first was to listen to black and other POC members of our community in order to understand the ways they experience racism in our town, and to be educated and think critically about wider structural racism and its roots in Britain’s violent colonial history which is so often glossed over in our schools. The other was to vocally express our support for the Black Lives Matter movement and denounce racism in a visible way. So many of us present were long-term or even lifelong residents of Kenilworth who cannot remember a protest of this size ever happening in our town before, and it has given us much to think about and reflect on since. But as Ire said during her speech, a protest in itself is not enough – it must be the starting point for further action. In the weeks that have followed the protest, we have been asking ourselves (and must keep asking ourselves): what more could we be doing?

Our first step as a community has been to use social media to facilitate discussion and education, by setting up a Facebook group to discuss anti-racist concepts and share resources. Many of those who were present at the protest have expressed the importance of continuing these conversations, particularly those with children. We hope that by having these conversations, we will be better equipped to confront racism wherever we may encounter it.

Unfortunately, it is clear that racism is still a serious problem to be dealt with in Kenilworth. While much of the reception we received as we walked through town was positive, with cars beeping their horns and pedestrians clapping, the protest was marred by a gathering of drunken counter-protesters “defending” the War Memorial, who shouted racial slurs and violent language at what had been an entirely peaceful protest. That anyone could feel emboldened to use such disgusting racist language in public is damning of Kenilworth as a whole and makes me feel ashamed of this town, even as I’m proud of all those who protested.

We can and must do better as a community; there is much work to be done and we must each ask ourselves what we can do to effect change. This is only the beginning!

IRE SODA: KENILWORTH CAN TRANSFORM INTO A PLACE OF TRUE COMMUNITY AND LOVE - WE HAVE THE INGREDIENTS RIGHT HERE

I organised the Black Lives Matter solidarity protest in Kenilworth. I am a final year medical student at Warwick Medical School. I have spent most of the lockdown period working in the NHS as we were given the opportunity to do so while our course was suspended.

I initially had no intention of attending any protests. I have always supported the Black Lives Matter movement: with my words, my time, and my money. But due to my exposure to hospital patients I did not think it worthwhile to support the movement with my feet. I was wrong.

Someone suggested a protest on Facebook, and I was shocked and horrified by the swift and aggressive response to the mere suggestion. That is when I realised that having a protest here was, in fact, necessary. So I suggested a silent, socially distanced meditation. A safe gentle show of support. Yet, the deluge came. I was accused of starting trouble, of being an outsider, of causing division. There were predictions that there would be violence and vandalism. I received private messages threatening me. I ended up having to call in sick for my next shift at the hospital because I could not sleep the night before due to the realisation that my neighbours, the people around me held so much vitriol towards any idea of black liberation.

Someone said that anyone who attended should no longer be entitled to NHS care, which was hugely ironic considering how many healthcare workers attended the protest (myself included).

Speaking of irony, this backfired massively on these individuals. The nastier their comments were, the more others were galvanised to join and support the movement. Although I organised the protest, I certainly did not do it alone. I was touched by all the support and it was worth all the abuse I suffered. I realised that a simple meditation would be a waste of an opportunity. So instead I changed it to something I realised people need more: a history lesson. A strong foundation in history is often the antidote to racism. It is much easier to believe that certain groups deserve to suffer in the present when you only have a superficial understanding of the past.

The weather had been terrible all week, but for us, the sun came out and gave us her blessing. I had initially expected around 20 people to attend, instead we had almost 400. People of all ages, of all races, came together to show their support and stand in defiance of the racists that tried their best to silence us. Part of me hoped it would rain just in case I cried a little bit. And so, with a microphone in my hand and a slight tremble in my voice, I went through the history and I highlighted each time how a historical injustice led directly to a present-day injustice. Then we had the silent meditation. Eight minutes and 46 seconds – the time Officer Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck as he slowly died. Then I opened the floor for audience input and chanting. Many people went on to march. I did not join as I was not confident it would remain socially distanced and I felt I had a responsibility to my patients to prioritise safety wherever possible.

However, I did see videos of the verbal altercation at the War Memorial during the march. A group of drunken men (one with his beer bottle leaned up against the memorial he was there to ‘protect’), began shouting racist slurs at the group. All the abuse I received, all the accusations thrown my way, and the only trouble made, the only division sowed, was from these hateful individuals. They were everything they accused us of being.

So where does this leave Kenilworth? There is a division. There are many filled with racism and hate. But for each of them there are 10 others who are filled with love and caring for others. It can be hard to see this, as often the hateful people are the loudest. This has the effect of making them seem and feel bigger than they are. But they’re not. That’s why they were so threatened by this protest. It was a beautiful, poignant representation that Kenilworth is not what they think it is. But our work is not done. I wish it was. I would feel safer in the neighbourhood I live in if it was. We need to educate ourselves and each other. We need to look critically at the world around us and call out injustice. We need to support those who are making a difference with our words, our time, our money and yes, our feet too. Through sustained action, Kenilworth can transform into a place of true community and love. We have all the ingredients right here.