Watch Young #BlackLivesMatterUK Members Explain Why They Called for a #ShutDown
Like Sandra Bland, Sarah Reed was found dead in her jail cell. The only difference is that Reed died while in custody of British police — unveiling a long history of institutional racism in the United Kingdom.
Reed's name is one of many mentioned in a powerful video where young black men and women are calling for a #ShutDown until the U.K. acknowledges that black lives matter.
Reed was arrested in October 2014, as reported by Vice U.K., for allegedly defending herself against sexual assault in a psychiatric hospital. Reed had a history of mental illness since the death of her newborn baby in 2003. She is one of the many black prisoners that died in English and Welsh prisons, and #BlackLivesMatterUK is pointing out that Reed is, sadly, one of the many victims of anti-blackness in the U.K.
The video, featuring prominent British black writers and activists like Wail Qasim and Marcia Riggs, mentions numerous statistics about the disproportionate treatment blacks in the U.K. face in comparison to whites.
Some of the activists mention how British imperialism played a role in the deadly refugee crisis that cost the lives of too many black and brown bodies.
Others mention the cruel detention and treatment of black immigrants in the U.K.
One activist mentions how anti-blackness is intertwined with institutional Islamophobia through the U.K.'s counterterrorism policies.
Another discusses how black women are more likely to be discriminated in the workforce than white women.
The video also highlights an immense uptick in hate crime activity since the voting results of #Brexit.
Through these statistics, these activists feel that there's no other option than to protest against state-sanctioned anti-blackness with a #ShutDown.
You can watch the video in its entirety below:
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