No Justice, No Peace

It was a much smaller turnout than the anti-racism gathering in early June, but the power and message felt as important as ever. A group called Movement Against Racism is organising protest marches every two weeks in Cambridge to keep racism at the top of people’s agendas. The group is just forming so I understand why far fewer people knew about this event, but hopefully it will build and not just have been a flash in the pan for the majority.

As we walked and chanted through the city centre we could see people teeming into the newly reopened Claire’s Accessories and queuing around the John Lewis building. As I am also victim to it at times, I understand that non-essential consumerism is a draw on people’s time and that it’s difficult and emotionally taxing to read about racism and do something about it. However we must all try, from ordering informative books, to sharing videos of police brutality, to reorganising social media feeds in order to follow more educational pages.

Lockdown hasn’t lasted long enough to change people’s psyche. Precisely because shops are open and lives are returning to normal, the anti-racism movement must maintain focus and energy. To lead to real change, awareness needs to grow much more and a greater number of people need to acknowledge and do something about systemic racism.

We chanted ourselves hoarse and I came away with the same vocal result as having been in a nightclub singing at the top of my lungs for six hours. Public responses ranged between bewilderment, solidarity and timidity. Outside King’s College there was a silence for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other victims of police brutality, and the march continued on its loop back past the lines outside Primark and John Lewis. I hope some of them absorbed the message of the protest.