Too political for a Saturday night? Really?
Leana Coopoosamy-Pearson (she/her)
Highly Commended Best People Professional People In Law Awards 2022 | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Speaker | Founder @ Nigella Boutique | Destigmatising Miscarriage
This word ‘political’ has really grated on me recently when it comes to Black Lives Matter. There is no debate here. This is life and death. Lots of deaths frankly. This is human rights. Black Lives Matter is a statement, it's a movement, it's a fact.
Black Lives Matter is not political because it has no political agenda.
Ofcom received over 24,000 complaints for Diversity’s Britain’s Got Talent performance on Saturday 5th September which depicted the police brutality in the US and the Black Lives Matter movement. Complaints that the show had been ‘hi-jacked by a political agenda’. When reflecting on this, I don’t think there’s a phrase that says it better than. ‘it’s a privilege to lose interest in dismantling racism’. For many of those making the complaints, they may have never had an interest in the first place!
What’s worse is that it’s a privilege for people to not think about this issue, to turn off their TV or their social media. But how tiring is it for those who live this experience?
Watching Diversity’s performance gave me goosebumps. The creative depiction of what has been happening over the recent months with the purpose of using their platform on a stage to spark conversation, did the job. For those people who deny that we have racism in the UK, the backlash demonstrates just that. Ashley Banjo, founder of Diversity, is a Black man. He has Black individuals in the Diversity group. This is more emotive to them than we can imagine, yet he has received a large amount of abuse. An unfortunate reminder that being in the UK, we are not exempt from the ‘US racism problems’. It’s very much alive and existing in the UK.
Was Britain’s Got Talent the right platform people asked? Absolutely! If anything, there should be more platforms for creatives to express themselves in the way that Diversity did to portray a message to the general public. Ashley and Diversity shouldn’t have to defend themselves. ITV and BGT took their time to respond but stand behind the decision to broadcast their performance naming it an ‘authentic, heartfelt response to many of the issues and events which have affected society in 2020’.
Thankfully Ofcom have announced there won’t be an investigation and said the message from the performance was ‘a call for social cohesion and unity’. People may not be comfortable with a performance of art depicting the facts of today’s world and the society we live in but there are people who day in and day out, live a life of fear that they could be the next George Floyd. Diversity’s performance needs to be seen. We must allow for freedom of expression especially from those who are rarely represented in mainstream media.
The least we can do is be human. This is not political. Black Lives Matter.
If you haven’t seen their performance yet, you can watch it here.
Head of Customer Success, EMEA | Giving business leaders unrivalled clarity on what is really going on in their organisation, helping them get the right people doing the right things at the right time.
4yVery well put Leana - "Black Lives Matter is not political because it has no political agenda." In the past, I avoided getting involved in any discussions related to race; because I fear I might "say the wrong thing"... It would have been easier to just hit "like" on this post as a silent way to show support towards Black Lives Matter... But if we were to truly change the systemic, subconscious racial inequalities that is deep rooted in our society and upbringing, we ALL need to speak up. Thanks Leana and Diversity for leading by example.
Head of Alexandra Centre
4yThank you as always Leana for creating such thought provoking articles each week. The complaints to itv, as well as some comments in response to your article are the very reason why we have people like you championing these topics and areas. The more that people understand that there was no political agenda behind this and focus on the intentions from Diversity, the more we take steps to moving in the right direction to breaking down these inequalities and injustices that we see on a daily basis.
Deputy Director @ TAG International | International Development Expert | Programme Management | Conflict Zones | Crisis Management | Strategic Partnerships | Governance and Social Development
4yYou have captured this perfectly Leana and there needs to be so many more platforms where racism is being discussed as a human right not as a political power play.
Founding Director at Luminate
4yGreat post Leana. It’s sad to think there are that many people out there who would go to the lengths of making a complaint
Ironically, Diversity are the least diverse dance troupe on TV. Good performance though, and I hope next Saturday they do something to bring attention to the plight of the Uyghur Muslims, being forced to work as slaves and then murdered by the Chinese Government when they find a buyer for their organs. That dance might put things in perspective.