Aliyah Hasinah who with others helped organise the Black Lives Matter protest in Birmingham looks at the future of the movement – via ART!VIST UK.
#BLMBrum at New Street, Birmingham. Photo Credit: Shyheim Prince
Yesterday something went down in Brumtown.
At 12pm a little outside the Bullring’s private property we stood in solidarity. In solidarity with the US Black Lives Matter Movement after the recent deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Pedro Erik Villanueva and Delrawn Small. We also stood to highlight the brutality and intolerance on our own doorstep because whilst black lives are overtly claimed in the streets in America, they are covertly taken by force in police custody in the UK. We did this through live art – but we’ll talk more about that a little later.
A lot of what happened yesterday was about educating and spreading awareness that we do not live in a post racial society. That everyday micro-aggressions and so called ‘tolerance’ in British society has been bred from intolerance and the dehumanisation/brutality of Black and Brown bodies throughout history and the present day. (Sidenote: we want to decolonize institutions and mindsets)
Black Lives matter isn’t just a US a movement. It is actually a global issue, because how many of us hear the stories of the Congo Civil War or Baga or new age colonialism as well as those on our doorsteps. The silence is not by coincidence, stifling voices and representation is a powerful tool to keep people oppressed. So big up Media Diversified for always keeping it 100 in the UK. We salute you.
Police brutality and the debasement and lack of care for Black lives is world wide. These issues are not reported as prolifically as white deaths or atrocities in the west and we all know the crack with who’s allowed to be a terrorist and who isn’t (cough* If you’re Black or Brown you can have that crown, if you’re not, they blame it on mental illness – which is extremely offensive to those dealing with mental heath everyday).So why demonstrate for Black Lives Matter through art?
Well, we’re artists. Everything we do with ART!VIST UK is a mix of art and activism and that’s what we’ll continue to do. Many quoted how powerful it was that we stood in silence for so long playing music to show how long this brutality has been occurring for, from Sam Cook and Nina Simone to Jorja Smith and Kendrick Lamar we made their words ring true through our silence. When it got to 2pm and we ripped off the tape on our mouths (alongside most of our lipstick) we erupted and there was no way we couldn’t of be heard.
Marching down New Street to demands for justice and the BBC to tell the real story we stopped Trams in their tracks and had people jump off their buses to join in. City Centre got SHUT DOWN as we headed to Steelhouse Police Station to meet with the family of Kingsley Burrell and Mark Duggan (two of the UK’s police brutality victims) who had started a procession from Handsworth Cemetery. An inter-generational unity is essential to continue and grow. These activists have been out marching for decades, they need our fresh anger to fuel the causes they’ve been fighting for for years. So please find out more about what they do here. We need to unite and organise together.
We also made a pit stop outside Aunt Sally’s Caribbean Takeaway to start shout “SUPPORT BLACK BUSINESS” because it’s important to build within our communities to get to positions of influence in order to help change and influence societal culture.
The impromptu poetry and music session that occurred when we got the police station was also a show of the power art has. Huge thanks to Imi Agboye for helping hold it down and grabbing poets and singers from all directions.. having super talented friends helps so thank you all. Janel and Marika singing freedom outside the police station.. this is our Artivism, you cannot unhear our noise!
It’s been long winded I know but we finally go to it.
I personally don’t believe in protests that do not have a follow up plan. Which is why this was a demonstration, it’s only part one of the plan, the awareness needs to be raised within our communities, in Handsworth, in Aston, Nechells, Lozells, Small Heath, Balsall Heath and all across the UK. Until we have a collective consciousness of what we are up against, our rights and our history in order to power us forward then protest will always and only every be a burst to get our aggression out and to massage our ego. Ego isn’t all bad, some might say it’s even there to protect us from doing stupid things, but we can’t be down for only 2% of the revolution.So how are we doing things? Well through art obvs.. Hip Hop Lit sessions across the community, breaking down and studying the lyrics as a means of self education and as a segway to understanding larger systemic injustice.Whoever is down and wants to get involved/help run session drop us an email at artivistsuk@gmail.com we’ll be having an open community Hip Hop Lit organising session on July 24th if your interested stayed tuned on the ART!VIST UK page.Yesterday showed anyone can set something up, we did it this time, but the power is really with you. We want everyone to know that if they do not believe they have the power to organize, than the institutions holding us down have won, the self doubt stops us in our tracks. But really YOU GOT THIS!
We want you to be running these sessions in your own communities instead of us jumping in and hijacking, Organise with those you know in the neighbourhood you know like the back of your hand and we will have your back, if you need our help holla.
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But if you can’t make or are not interested in the Hip Hop lit sessions – which are only a stepping stone in the full plan, that will be revealed with time – Join us for more artivism at Herstory LIVE on Friday 5th August to hear the stories and histories unheard by mainstream outlets to be educated through entertainment.We’re also on BBC WM tonight at 8.20pm please tune in.In power and Solidarity,Aliyah Hasinah
@AliyahHasinah @ARTIVISTSUK
