It’s on all of our minds right now & I feel that our community really rally together in terms of what is primarily important. I would like to think and I believe that this community in Forest Hill are inclusive so I want us to carry on being that way. I am mixed race and strongly think that if we can continue to convey these thoughts then we will be stronger!!
I am sure that 99.9% of people in Forest Hill think that black lives matter HC. Welcome to the forum.
Hi @HappyChappy and welcome to the forum.
As @Thewrongtrousers says I’m sure everyone will support your sentiment. I’ve always been happy that my children’s school educate about a wide range of cultures and religions so they can at least start to gain a better perspective.
We should all strive so that people are not discriminated against in any form be that based on their sexuality, gender, race, ‘class’, and any other group they put into, be that in terms of career, how they are dealt with in the criminal justice system, social interactions and feelings of safety.
Atrocities continue to occur daily across the world against innocent people by oppressive regimes and \ or people and groups, and in countries where intolerance is not only ignored but in many cases actively encouraged against certain groups of people.
To get this back to be more local focused, perhaps people could list locally based organisations that work against discrimination and towards equality for all that might need support.
I totally agree & your words nail it. My stance is that we absolutely need to support those in need and most importantly OUR local community. I will try and search some support systems and post if I can find them. In the interim, if any other people have some suggestions then please post. Intolerance is the key word here. We simply shouldn’t put up with any kind of prejudice of any nature or of any kind. There’s enough rubbish going on in the world to make us fully aware of this. My message of today is to try and be nice to everyone around you!!!
Thank you for your message.
Why does it seem so easy for many people to assume that the blank space after “BLACK LIVES MATTER” implies the words “more than anyone else’s life” and not just “too”?
The Rev Al Sharpton’s eulogy at George Floyd’s memorial was powerful.
Can I just have a gentle request, please can we avoid politics in this, or any other thread on SE23.Life. this is an important topic and I would really not want it derailed by the inclusion of politics.
Thank you in advance.
John
The politics are important, however, I very much agree. That said, I feel that there is a hell of a lot of emotion around this subject and it is difficult for people. Look - the way I see it is like this. I faced extreme racism when I was younger whilst living in a predominantly white community. But…there must always be change & there always will be
“Be nice to everyone around you” - that’s HC"s message ,and that sounds like my kind of politics.*
I have lots of faith in how FH. I love the way have pulled together and it sounds soppy but I’ve lived here for years and we’re a good community - no we’re the best # love foresthill xx
And Sydenham 
Last post didn’t make sense, kids in the background, I’m sure we’re all aware of children in lockdown who are a big distraction!! I have two (and also a cat). I did mean, keep faith & to clarify, I think we should just try and keep the community spirit up
True
“Let’s talk about structural racism but without discussing politics which is the mechanism by which these structures are built and maintained”.
Yeah, cool idea, lol
Cool idea
I think racism is a term that I personally find offensive but very trure, To be brutally honest and to put it out there, it’s the way people address colour is my bugbear
Colour comes from every walk and life, my heritage is extremely mixed as are my children, going back to my original thread, Black, Asian, Hispanic, any one with brown skin lives with us and matters
Community is constructed on two levels, first is the notion of community, secondly is the feeling of worth - very deep !
I understood this thread to be about celebrating our inclusive community - whatever our colour, race, religion. Not about Politics.
No politics involved! I’m a sociology grad, looked up my old books that’s all. I’m as inclusive as the next person in this forum
Let’s bring this back! Black lives matter, Full stop, exclamation mark.
I have lots of faith in how FH. I love the way have pulled together and it sounds soppy but I’ve lived here for years and we’re a good community - no we’re the best # love foresthill xx
Thanks, this ideally should be a good conclusion to the thread.
Otherwise this may be bordering on becoming a political discussion and we’d kindly ask that if you have a point to make then there are other more appropriate places such as national newspapers with comment sections, and also national and international forums.
As a side note, please refrain from ‘bumping’ your threads or making multiple inline comments just to keep things neat and tidy. See the FAQ for more details https://se23.life/faq
Please also note from the Politics section:
SE23.life is politically neutral and not aligned to any party or campaigning organisation
Just for the record - wasn’t trying to ‘bump’ my thread, just had strong feelings .
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Can I please make a final request for no political posts. If this is not met I am afraid we will have no choice but to lock the thread.
Please read the posted guidelines and note that SE23.Life is not a political forum.
Thank you for your understanding.
I thought it was about Making black lives matter, which is about dismantling racism. How will that happen ‘without politics’?
I am sure it won’t, but this is not the forum to debate politics so please don’t.
That is fine, can I please reiterate that I am not a political protester. I am just a mother of 2 whom has feelings, that’s all. I feel you are now bullying me & will look into this immdediately
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@HappyChappy, my comments were not aimed at you but at everyone. Just a gentle request for everyone not to bring politics into the forum.
Once again, can I reiterate that I did not want this to be political.
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As suggested earlier - Here’s some anti-racist organisations working in London:
Black Lives Matter UK, a coalition of black activists and organisers, has set up a fundraising page to develop new far-reaching methods of organised protest. Help it reach its £500,000 target.
The StopWatch campaign has been fighting the racist and disproportionate use of stop and search since 2010. Run by lawyers, activists and academics, the group works to hold the police accountable through legal and policy analysis and litigation.
Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
This trust was founded in the name of Stephen Lawrence, a black British teenager from south-east London who was murdered in a racist attack while waiting for a bus in 1993.
BLAM (Black Learning Achievement and Mental Health) is a charity mainly based in Brixton, which ‘promotes a truthful discourse of Blackness through analysis of history’ by providing more diverse education for young people
The London borough of Lambeth is home to the UK’s biggest black community, with people of African and Caribbean origin disproportionately affected by the area’s socio-economic inequality. Black Thrive is a charity that works to ‘reduce the inequality and injustices experienced by Black people in mental health services’ in the borough.
The #CharitySoWhite hashtag began in August 2019, encouraging people of colour to share stories about their firsthand experiences with racism in the charity sector.
Lewisham Anti Racist Action Group
http://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/larag/
@HappyChappy I do believe that you didn’t intend this as a political thread and that your original post was more in the spirit of celebrating the inclusiveness of Forest Hill. It’s an emotive and very live global issue and, from experience, threads like this often end up off topic, become inflammatory and require a lot of monitoring by the moderation team.
@djoyner Thank you for those links - some of which are new to me and I’ll take a look at.
I am going to close this thread down on that helpful post after discussing it with the team. We would like to stress that we do believe that everyone, regardless of colour (or for that matter religion, gender, sexual preference or any other perceived division) should be treated fairly, with respect and have equal opportunities.