Anywhere is good I guess.

Let's Start Somewhere. 

Written by Moyin Ekundayo 

Anywhere is good, I guess.

Hello all, my name is Moyin Ekundayo. I am the son of a teacher and a lawyer, sadly both have passed away, but the lesson they taught me will also stay with me. These lessons are about trying not only to educate others but to listen to others. 

The project's aims are to post short but detailed topics on different issues, the intersection and sub-issues related to them, i.e. Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Social class. I will be looking to reach out to some brilliant individuals to work on topics close to their hearts to publish. The aim will be to post something every 2/3 weeks. 

The first topic will be, SHOCK, 'Taking the knee'. Who would have guessed it? 

This 'the beginning' could start from anywhere, but I will start from the recent memory of recent reactions.  

'Taking the knee' started with Colin Kaepernick, first taking the knee in 2016. Kaepernick says he sat because the country "oppresses black people and people of colour." Mr Kaepernick later worked with an ex-Green Beret who suggested that Kaepernick kneel rather than sit during the anthem as a peaceful protest. This was to respect the American national anthem and call attention to racial inequality and police brutality. To Kaepernick taking the knee was something bigger than him and sport. It was about raising awareness. 

"Kneeling has a long history in terms of prayer, in terms of protest, and in terms of challenging status quo arrangements." - Dr Edwards (American Civil rights activist and sociologist). Edwards later explained that the act of kneeling in protest can be traced back to the civil rights movement. In one widely shared image from 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. and others kneeling in prayer during the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. 

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. kneels with a group in prayer prior to going to jail in Selma, Alabama. Getty Images

To say Kaepernick taking the knee during those games was something else will be willing not listening to the man himself and trying to divert attention to something making it diverse. This happened, and the conversation was about him kneeling than the core message of lack of justice and accountability in the American system. Please remember this as it will be important later on.

But why were England and Premier League players taking the knee? Whilst I cannot pinpoint each individual player's first moment of receiving racist abuse, or the amount they received the pre-euros, this is something they have been facing for a majority of their life, which get amplified when they come to the limelight as players. 

The taking of the knee in England gained momentum after the unlawful killing of George Floyd. This moment in time was personally one of mixed anguish and real pure tiredness, not only of seeing this gruesome scene but the fact that I had almost been desensitised by it, this was almost a moment of 'oh another one.  

The case of George Floyd for me as a Black man in the UK might seem disconnected. He was living in the states, but I could not watch that video without immediately imagining myself in his direct position, which breaks my heart and still makes my eyes water to this day. This very moment was the chilling moment when he called for his mother. This woman had passed away years before this terrible incident. 

Mr Floyd's killing was, as I hinted, around the world for most black people was one of many, but seemed to have been the one that broke a camel's back, for not only black people around the world but also for people that saw injustices everywhere. Mr Floyd did not want to be a martyr or symbol of some kind, but unfortunately, this happened and sparked and charged a worldwide movement. 

At first as a sign of peaceful protest and solidarity. Whilst you can argue that this was a 'gesture', it was a powerful message against racism, as almost everything's understanding changed, but the core of the message remained, a message that does not need much explaining but here it is racism = BAD.  

What does it mean to stand in solidarity? If you stand and do not fight injustices and racism fiercely, you are part of the problem. We cannot let this moment become a trend. We cannot be passive. 

Players are "overwhelmingly in support" of continuing to take a knee to highlight racial inequality and fight discrimination, says the Professional Footballers' Association. 

A lot has been made recently on how do we tackle racism online. However, it is also essential that we remember that these online attacks come from real people. What messages do our politicians portray?  when they say, "It's not my judgment to say whether they should take the knee or not. They're perfectly free to do what they want. If you want to say, do I think it's symbolism more than action? Of course, it is ... but we've seen it's creating division" What division are you talking about? An Anti-racism message Vs Racism.  

I am dyslexic, and language has also been critical to me. I found that you can interpret what people say in numerous ways, by what they say and what they leave out. Let's have some examples; the Prime Minister's spokesman had said he "fully respects" the rights of booers and their freedom of speech (Can not think of a creative name) to "make their feelings known". What does this sound or read like, when you consider the meaning and reason behind taking the knee. The prime minister fully respects people booing anti-racism? The prime minister supports people being racist? Language is a lot more than what is said.

Action Images via Reuters

I can guess what the rebuttal will be, "but taking the knee supports Black Lives Matters Organisation, and they want to defund the police and destroy society as we know it, with their Marxist ideology". Now riddle me this, why would professional footballers who earn anywhere from the money I might never see in my life to the money I never see in my life want a massive redistribution of wealth. 

 Maybe their message is about the discrimination many of them face and nothing to do with an American organisation as they have alluded to. Maybe people have misconstrued the message and found a way to be against the core of anti-racism with the baton of 'but look, this unrelated topic is why I cannot support anti-racism and anti-discrimination.

Now for a short history of Black Lives Matters. 

The term Black Lives Matter can be traced all the way back to 2013, and shock came from an unlawful killing of a young black teen named Trayvon Martin. Trayvon was shot and killed by George Zimmerman for looking suspicious in the neighbourhood where his relative lived whilst visiting them at the time of the shooting. Zimmerman was at first charged with murder for Martin's death but acquitted at trial and found not guilty.  

Trayvon Martin was unarmed, a teen and had been in that neighbourhood multiple times. We can debate the American justice system all day. Still, this failure of 'justice' yet again portrayed discrimination and sadness, anger and other powerful emotions, the waves of which swept around the world.  

I, too well, know about being stopped and searched for looking suspicious, a feeling that is not only isolated to me but others around the UK that look like me.  

I remember my mother telling me to be very careful when I walk around. I try to smile and not seem angry or unapproachable because people might find it scary, intimating or suspicious. This is is something that I never put too much mind to. Still, when I think about it this way in her way protecting me, do not get me wrong I am a believer in smiling, being happy and approachable. Still, she told me this after a security guard had stopped me from exiting a store and searched me at the age of 14.

In America, shortly after the trial of Zimmerman, a post went viral, and the closing statement was "black lives matter".  

Later in 2014, after two more killings of Black Men, the movement was born. The movement comprises many views and a broad array of demands, but they centred on criminal justice reform. 

The activism behind BLM has been carrying the fight in America, and I used the word fight intentionally. It is a constant struggle. Political slogans used during demonstrations include the eponymous "Black Lives Matter", "Hands up, don't shoot" (a later discredited reference attributed to Michael Brown, "I can't breathe" (referring to Eric Garner and later George Floyd), "White silence is violence", "No justice, no peace", and "Is my son next?", among others.  

You might have noticed that I have not spoken about taking the knee about BLM. This is because one is an action to raise awareness. The other is an organisation that is a decentralised network of activists with no formal hierarchy. The unfortunate and sometimes blatant attempt to confuse what one person says with a movement that wants the disproportionate killing of black people by the hands of police in America to stop I sometimes find funny, it will be easier to say, "I do not want discrimination to stop, or I do not believe". 

Back to England, as I have alluded to, things across the Atlantic often change when they arrive here. Vice versa, for good or the worse, take the Americanisation of British Tv shows. Anyway, on-topic, when people in the UK say Black Lives Matter, they mean it personally, either through what they have faced or in support of others, "We all have what political capital that we are spending every time we publicly identify with a social cause. The impact may feel small, but collectively, our words have the power to change which topics air on the nightly news or appear on a politician's campaign platform". Deen Freelon (Associate Professor, Journalism and Media). 

PHOTO BY SAMUEL CORUM/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES

Now you might be thinking, but you live in the UK, what do you have to complain about? Then you are either not trying to understand, or there is no point. Deep down, I was always suspicious that the incidents when England lost were always in balance, but that was never the case. The ugly underbelly of racism was simply patiently waiting for its big moment. Racism is not something of the past, and a racist is not always a cartoon-like character who spits out abusive rhetoric.

 

Over the last couple of months, I have read posts from politicians that encouraged the booing of players kneeling to oppose discrimination, saying they are disgusted now after stoking division. By calling anti-discrimination acts divisive, you help foster this. This behaviour already existed, but it boiled and bubbled everyone who saw it. They could not look away, and you helped it grow, stoking the fires. Now you have been caught on the wrong side.

I am glad you have managed to make it this far; if you are willing to read more or want to understand more, please follow some of the references and additions reading list: 

• Taking the knee in football, why this act of protest has always been political(Article). ‘is this a watershed moment in the black experience?’ (Video)  by Author: Paul Ian Campbell Lecturer in Sociology (Race, Ethnicity and Leisure), University of Leicester. 
• Taking the Knee is No Empty Gesture But a Symbol of Righteous Indignation (Article) by Author: Pele Petnga-Wallace
• Taking the knee has 'gone on long enough' and Tory MP comparing taking a knee to giving a Nazi salute (Video) James O'Brien.