A month or so of protests have seemingly galvanized waves of young people whom many may have dismissed as apolitical. However, it remains to be seen how of if this youthful energy can be mobilized and whether Black Lives Matter is the right vehicle given their  desire to neutralise the traditional (“narrow”) Black Nationalist movement of “love Black, live Black and buy Black…” (1)  For their part, the police are playing their  customary role with their harassment (stop and search) of a quarter of all 15-24 year-old Afrikans (22,000) in London during lockdown. Even though four out of five of these stops required no further action, the Met Commissioner said this was because they happened “not to have it there and then (so much for presumption of innocence).” (2)  To furhter emphasise that our young people have been historically targeted by the state, when Afrika Speaks listed the nearly 200 Afrikans that have died in custody of the state, their average age  was twenty-nine. (3)

The backdrop for all of this is the ongoing “pandemic” that the government’s study reveals is, in certain circumstances killing Afrikan men and women respectively more more than three times and more than twice the rate of white people. (4)

Despite all of the initial activity, particularly in online forums, little resembling a comprehensive community position on either the protests or Covid-19 has emerged, which must be disconcerting for those young people looking for guidance and direction.

(1) Barbara Ransby (2015) The Class Politics of Black Lives Matter. https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/class-politics-black-lives-matterfbclid=IwAR3IJCju3uDMWrDmN9r9VAx7xxyd3BVk310y7BXBsyXON4fhBukGlUOkLqI

(2) Jamie Grierson  (08/07/20) Met carried out 22,000 searches on young black men during lockdown. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/jul/08/one-in-10-of-londons-young-black-males-stopped-by-police-in-may?fbclid=IwAR3IJCju3uDMWrDmN9r9VAx7xxyd3BVk310y7BXBsyXON4fhBukGlUOkLqI

(3) Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan (15/06/20) Have we done Enough to Support Death in Police Custody Families? https://www.alkebulan.org/2020/06/14/aswag-284-bdc-support/

(4) Office for National Statistics (19/06/20) Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by ethnic group, England and Wales: 2 March 2020 to 15 May 2020. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyethnicgroupenglandandwales/2march2020to15may2020

We ask the question:

Black Lives/Police Protests: A moment or a movement?

1) Is Black Lives Matter the right vehicle to mobilise young people in the UK?

2) If not what alternatives are there?

3) Does the justification for the high numbers of police stops prove they are beyond redemption?

4) Does protesting carry the risk of contracting Covid-19?

5) Is there a coherent Movement that can guide young people?

Bro. Omari: is 18 years of age and works with an organisation called BPG (Black People Giving) that supports the melenated community from London to Afrika. BPG is a business and also has a charity side called Wayewa. Bro. Omari also has interests in music and has produced a song on YouTube called Real Pain Freestyle (https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=real+pain+freestyle).

Indigo Child: is a 16-year-old college student who’s grown up in the conscious community. She’s been raised with a strong sense of self and is currently running her own mobile hairdressing business called Prosperity Hair.

Princess Konadu: was raised in a pan Afrikan organisation and an Afrikan based home life. She was also part of a home school collective and has now launched her own reading and tutoring business called itsquitesimple. Alongside launching a joint business with Princess Kesensa called Amarni in variety of services.

Princess Kesensa Mordi: is 17 years old and has been home schooled for the majority of her life.  This has allowed her to travel quite a lot. Her travels have been crucial to how she views social matters that affect the black community as a whole,  As well as reassured her of the need for the Afrikan diaspora to unite.

Princess Metertat: is 17 years old and has grown up in the Pan-Afrikan community.  She will be going to university in the autumn.