Afua Hirsch
@afuahirsch
Followers
187,117
Following
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Media
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Statuses
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Decolonising My Body… out now!
London / Los Angeles
Joined February 2009
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Pinned Tweet
Happy Publication Day, Decolonising My Body!
I’ve been overwhelmed by how much you tell me you need this book
Proud to finally bring it fully into the world today 🙏🏽💫
#DecolonisingMyBody
#DMB
@SquarePegBooks
“Somewhere along the line, the story of my making has been lost”
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In a former life, when I thought you cd politely persuade people not to be racist
Their response? "If you don't like it here, LEAVE". Which I'm yet to hear said to a white British person
Racism is telling black people who have a critique of their own country, they should leave
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This is literally why I teach journalism
So we never produce another generation who spout and normalise this
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How can we have trust in a government which changes the narrative to fit the results?
Hard to contain my frustration with a situation where the government is congratulating itself as people are dying.
#BBCQT
@bbcquestiontime
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The British government is scrambling to appear less racist because suddenly that’s not such a good look any more. I see you 👀
#ByeByeTrump
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If I’m honest, this is exhausting. Constantly having to explain, even having to justify explaining reality of white privilege, is exhausting. It’s not our burden, as ppl of colour, it’s everyone’s reality. Choosing not to see does not make it go away, it just makes you blind
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Imagine calling people marching peacefully, for an end to killing, "hate marchers"
Calling the far-right, assembling for hate, "counter-protestors"
All under a government that says that to use Armistice Day to call for an armistice is "disrespectful"
Imagine
#March4Palestine
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Is it just me or has the attack on
@jeremycorbyn
been completely trivialised by the media? He was not “egged”, he was punched by a man holding an egg. Reports have made it sound harmless. Can we please take a stand against violence and abuse, is that too much to ask?
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If the media paid more attention to Britain’s communities of color, perhaps it would find Meghan and Harry's announcement far less surprising. My piece for
@nytimes
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BBC now has to explain; 1. why it reprimanded Naga Munchetty for condemning racism. 2. Why it only reprimanded her, when co-host Dan Walker was the one drawing her into it. 3. Why BBC lied twice, on air, when we questioned the reason she'd been singled out
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IDEA 💡
Since statues are sacrosanct
And women's bodies are not
We should put up a statue
Every time a woman is assaulted
Creating a field of silent protestors
Who cannot be arrested nor removed
Because they are statues
😢
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Seems a lot of people only now waking up to the racism thats been a frequent feature of life for so many black people in Britain. A lot of my most overt experiences took place in newspapers or on TV. My trauma was for entertainment. It was normalised.
#RacismIs
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I remember having to explain that not only are brown ppl capable of racism, but colonialism gave many a deep self loathing, which was then weaponised against other brown ppl
To
@SuellaBraverman
For educating an entire nation on what this looks like
thank you for your service
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This is not "a crisis”. What black people are experiencing the world over is a system that finds our bodies expendable, by design. So when the British government says de-escalate, we say dismantle. My thoughts on
#GeorgeFloyd
and global racism in
@guardian
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Embarrassed for them tbh
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There will always be misogynists whose fantasy is violence against women
The learning point has been:
This misogynist is friendly w the Queen consort
The editor who published him is friendly w the King
The man who owns the paper is friendly w the chair of the press regulator
THIS
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So, I spent some time w
@rihanna
Whose pro-black, pro-woman business consistently change the game
Whose next album is... well, read the piece!
Ever seen a durag cover of
@BritishVogue
before? A DURAG?!
You have not
On newsstands Monday
Online now
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This week in British racism so far... Liam Neeson blames Northern Ireland heritage for wanting a lynching, Tories complain about being deprived of racist slur "Paki", more black Brits being deported, black female professors being bullied & stereotyped. & it's only TUESDAY MORNING
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Cant believe this needs to be said of
@HackneyAbbott
situation
She made a mistake & apologised
Now you all having a debate where there isnt one
What there is, however, is undeniable bloodthirstiness to take down a black woman who’s been enduring attacks since before I was born
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Dear
@timesradio
, did you give any black people a show? Or appoint black senior producers? Because when new opportunities are created in broadcasting, black talent is excluded. When a new platform for the national conversation is launched, we are not in it. Awaiting info, thanks
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So not only does Danny Baker post an image comparing a baby w African heritage to an ape, but he has the audacity to say problem is that those of us who point out how racist it is have “diseased minds”. Classic example of blaming those of us who call out racism for its existence
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This whole
@GaryLineker
story is motivating me to tell ALL the stories about
@BBC
impartiality fail I have been quietly repressing for the past few years.
I got stories, yo
Thinking on it
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The greatest irony is that
#MeghanMarkle
left Britain – as I suspect
@Oprah
will clarify– to get away from the toxic, racially motivated media obsession with her
What better evidence that she was right
My piece in tomorrow’s
@guardian
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Today has been a beautiful reminder - which I often need - that there are a LOT of very, very good people on Twitter 🖤
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If you are a person of colour in Britain who is deeply hostile to anti-racism work, who thinks structural racism is a myth, our government urgently needs YOU to help run reviews of racial inequality
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Why are Africa's success stories in managing Covid being overlooked? Incl
#Senegal
$1 test,
#Ghana
's innovative testing, &
#Madagascar
early signs of of a treatment. I have some thoughts. My column in today's
@guardian
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1. Ebenezer Azamati felt compelled to arrive early
@OxfordUnion
b/c lack of accessibility
2. Confronted for returning to seat HE RESERVED
3. Dragged out in act of violence powerfully symbolising acts of aggression towards MANY black students
I am raging
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Standing w my brother DJ Sideman - who has quit
@bbc1xtra
in protest at BBC's astonishing decision to defend using the N-word on air
@sidemanallday
.
Brave.
👏🏽
Why does a black man have to walk away from his job for
@BBCNews
to listen to basic anti-racism?
Tired of this shit
Solidarity with
@sidemanallday
!
BBC News - Sideman quits Radio 1Xtra over BBC's use of racial slur
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I feel quite an effort must have been made to achieve this
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A white lady just emailed me scolding me for A) “turning her off” and
B) not serving her adequately with practical advice.
So
A) I am not your minstrel, it’s not my job to make you feel good
B) my advice is very practical
EDUCATE. YOURSELF.
You’re welcome
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Thank you for all the love for my comments on
@bbcquestiontime
last night. I feel like we are all crying out for some real talk. I'm not the only one offering it. So many of us are at rock bottom with this madness. Peace x
‘Is it too much to ask for our government to show leadership?’
Author
@afuahirsch
says the principles underpinning the UK’s constitution have been ‘trashed’.
#bbcqt
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What this whole
@Trevornoah
thing reveals is how many people really think calling someone an African is an insult, while calling them French is a compliment. Pity them. I’m British by the way. And African too. Wasnt my idea, Europeans invented these dual identities through Empire
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You are very welcome to follow me during
#blackhistorymonthuk
but you will find absolutely zero discernible change from the content I post all year long
thank you
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If you’re wondering what my new book Brit(ish) is all about- this, by the brilliant
@wnettleford
@vintagebooks
@JonathanCape
@CandiceC_W
But where are you really from?
@afuahirsch
's new book Brit(ish) is a personal and provocative investigation of a very British crisis of identity.
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Relieved to hear
@BorisJohnson
say "we cant photoshop our history"
Presumably now we can discuss how racist systems were built w the work of historic figures we were told must be revered
Also a good time to discuss how Britain went around the world stealing other ppl's heritage
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If a Labour politician insulted Jewish religious dress, which of these Boris apologists wd call it “healthy debate”. Ive bn calling out antisemitism in Labour, its time we took same approach to the frightening Islamophobia & racism in Conservative Party. Starting w
@BorisJohnson
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“We can disagree and still love each other. Unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression.” My column on the AMAZING response to that debate in today’s
@guardian
@marcusryder
@rydermc
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Here is BBC director David Jordan saying "the Complaints Unit deals with the complaints it gets... we haven't had a complaint about Dan Walker's role."
We now know that is a lie.
So I'll ask again BBC, why did you single out
@BBCNaga
when there were complaints against both?
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Compare and contrast 👀
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This is not just my view. This is a view of dozens of broadcasters and media figures of colour across the UK media - who have signed this letter - as well as numerous white colleagues who have voiced their support. The
@bbc
position is offensive & absurd.
‘This ruling legitimises racist opinions by suggesting they should be treated impartially’
@afuahirsch
The BBC ruled against presenter Naga Munchetty over comments on Donald Trump.
Dozens of BAME broadcasters are calling for the BBC to reconsider.
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Nigeria's first ever entry to the Oscars has been disqualified for... wait for it... featuring too much English. So now we are getting penalised for having been colonised by Britain? Wow. Someone please give
@TheAcademy
a history lesson
Nigeria's Oscar race entry Lionheart disqualified by Academy
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@pritipatel
@UKLabour
Our expectation of ethnic minorities is to not defend & perpetuate systems of racism. Same as our expectation of white people. I know in the past it's worked for u to dodge this by saying the left think they have a monopoly over minorities. I don't think that'll fly anymore
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This is one of the nastiest & most bitter reviews of any book I’ve ever read. Unhappily for author it effectively confirms my point- the prejudice & hostility that still exists in this country towards ppl like me who dare to regard our voice as legitimate
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This is how racism works in the British media
1. Take crucial story about black lives - disproportionate Covid deaths- & trivialise it
2. Target black journalist (excellently) reporting it instead of the facts
3. Weaponise a black Tory who opposes anti-racism to seal the deal
I will be requesting payment from The Mail on Sunday for using my photo without consent and without offering a right of reply before publication, which I intend to donate to support families disproportionately affected by coronavirus:
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Lol at all the white people demanding (not entitled at all) that I publicly celebrate the fact that black and brown people who consistently demonstrate hostility towards their own communities get rewarded with positions of power.
This is peak racism
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I'm still getting racist abuse for this piece despite saying nothing for time, so I might as well repost it
Racism is attacking the people who tell the truth about how our system was built, rather than asking how to change it.
#BlackLivesMatter
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On this day in 1957, the first black African country to break away from its European colonisers founded a new, independent nation with a powerful symbol of African liberation and unity. Happy Independence Day Ghana! 🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭
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An open letter from a group of black British women eviscerating the white privilege, bullying, & the normalisation in our media of trivialising experiences of racism. Wow
@Influenchers
@SholaMos1
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This is a complete joke at this point
We have a minister on race equality who doesn’t believe in racism
A minister on gender quality who doesn’t believe in feminism
Except it’s not fucking funny
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So Shamima Begum was actually “never British”. This says little about the v few who support terrorism, but speaks volumes for rest of us who KNEW our Britishness on trial from birth, conditional on good behaviour, & also whether we give our children “endearing” names like Harry
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White privilege is demanding black women serve you, rather than picking up a book about race, whiteness, privilege and educating yourself. Privilege is feeling so entitled to mine or
@junesarpong
‘s labour, you don’t even see the irony in your tweet
Hi
@junesarpong
I'm from a white working class background, failed my 11+, Comprehensive educated, with 1 A Level, grade E.
@afuahirsch
grew up in a wealthy middle class family in Wimbledon, privately educated, then Oxford University.
Can you explain where is my white privilege?
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Of all the people in the UK gvt to welcome Ron DeSantis, who is anti black history (for which read history) anti gay rights, anti feminism…
…it’s the minister for women and equalities.
Sinister.
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Next...
Four part docuseries
#Enslaved
from
@SamuelLJackson
,
@afuahirsch
and
@simchajtv
coming to
@BBCTwo
:
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Do not be distracted:
Racism was invented to hide the deep inequality which should unite us
Now its reinvented as an imaginary “culture war”
& the threat black people might hijack your culture
has always been one of the most effective, most visual, divide & rule strategies
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Good to see the president of the
@OxfordUnion
has resigned. Now time to ask deeper questions about the centuries-long culture that enabled this horror. My column in today’s
@guardian
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Enslaved is the most comprehensive non-scripted series ever made on the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Watch it tonight,
@BBCTwo
@SamuelLJackson
@SimchaJTV
@FremantleHQ
@EnslavedDoc
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Love my British people 😊
Well done to Stand Up to Racism activists in Barrow-on-Furness calling out
#TommyRobinson
for the fascist he is.
From Barrow to Brighton we’re taking on the Nazis. Join us
#StopFascistTommy
#DontVoteNazi
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Dear British Royals
You personally & institutionally profited from genocide of indigenous ppl & enslavement of Africans
Your subjects are clueless, you've kept them ignorant
You ignore the reparations demands of who survived you
So yeah, maybe not the time for a celebratory tour
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People are rightly shocked and horrified by the casual racism & violence towards Africans on display in France, where it was suggested the risk of new coronavirus treatment could be dealt with by experimenting on Africans. But we wd do well to remember..
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If you’re doubting Serena, or you’ve just been waiting for a reason to jump on her, you need to check out this thread
#SerenaWillams
#DoubleStandard
Djokovic Gets Into Argument With Same Umpire Carlos Ramos at French Open, multiple violations did not result in docked point or game.
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Don't let Boris Johnson fool you into thinking the British gvt doesn't have a plan on race
It absolutely does
And it's dark
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We have an abusive relationship with the royals. This is what happens when you put a woman of African heritage into that space. Good to talk to
@VictoriaLIVE
this morning
“It’s the fact Meghan owns her heritage – she’s proud. That’s what’s inspiring to me, but threatening to parts of the British establishment”
Author and prof of journalism
@afuahirsch
discusses the treatment of Meghan Markle by the press
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Never in 25 yrs in journalism have I found it standard practice for comment pieces to be ghostwritten
Entire point of comment is to reflect someone's authentically held view
Rewarding us for anti-blackness is one thing. Literally turning us into avatars for racist ideas?
Wow
Investigation launched into Daily Mail ghost-writing
Outrage grows after whistleblower reveals paper attached names of Black commentators to racist articles
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Ok, so fellow journos are lining up to say nice things about Allegra Stratton
Shes been mouthpiece for a gvt of racist, divisive policies - pushing new ones as we speak
That’s enthusiastically eroding the role of integrity in public life
So no I don’t have anything nice to say
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As our esteemed Prime Minister said, let’s not photoshop history 👀
My interview today on
@PoliticsJOE_UK
"British people went round the world systematically removing those cultural moments and memories from other people."
@afuahirsch
says Brits are not the victims of statue removal, they're the main perpetrators.
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It’s not everyday you get recognised for saying stuff a lot of people don’t want to hear
Or that you’re in a room with this kind of energy
Wow!
#BlackMagicAwards
Wearing
@sikadesigns
😉
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Threatening & criminalising black people for speaking about racism is an extreme act of racism. For all your extremism,
@TheSun
newspaper, describing commentators like me as "playing the race card" only a close second. & This is supposedly Britain DISPROVING there's racism here
@HRH_Cruella
@steviesteve3211
@piersmorgan
@afuahirsch
& her ilk should be prosecuted for her false accusations of racism.
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It's 2019, & one of our most respected female TV presenters has to LITIGATE the BBC's 600% pay gap between her & a white male presenter of a comparable programme. I hope we will look back on these times in astonishment. Solidarity
@SamiraAhmedUK
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Britain is under attack. A 🧵
Distinguished lawyer
@JacquiMckenzie6
is known for her work on the
#Windrush
scandal, for which the govt claims to be sorry
She even worked with the Home Sec to review these unjust deportations, an act of good faith many of us would nt have managed
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There are people making noise about this on live TV who told me to my face they didn’t care about Boris Johnson’s anti-blackness so long as he was clear on antisemitism…
Maybe this is an opportunity for us all to reflect on what anti-racism actually is
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The UK’s imperial delusions won't go down so well in a White House whose roots are in Ireland, India and Jamaica...
my column in today's
@guardian
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We didn't choose to be colonised dude. Out here trying to make the best of a bad, bad situation. It never ceases to amaze me that the heirs to the British imperialist instinct, are now the ones resentful at its inevitable consequences
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Britain's economy was built on the backs of enslaved Africans. Successive British governments have paid millions to memorialise other atrocities, but won't treat this history with the same dignity, though it's foundational to our nation. Why?
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What did the African continent do to deserve this?
It's almost as if the British government sees Africa as dumping ground for white mediocrity to attempt its redemption 👀
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Today could mark the first time in its 185 year history that a woman of colour becomes president of the Royal Society of British Architects. So proud of my aunt
@elsie_owusu
. Witness what she has had to go through for the audacity of being willing to lead
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Where are our African leaders?
Is it too much to ask to see
#Nigeria
held accountable for these horrific killings of peaceful protestors?
#Ghana
#SouthAfrica
#AfricanUnion
you spoke out when
#GeorgeFloyd
was murdered
Do African lives not matter too?
#EndSARS
#BlackLivesMatter
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BIG announcement from me
I have been WORKING
This is unlike anything I have written before
and I’m so proud of it!
This October…
Decolonising My Body
A radical exploration of beauty and rituals
💫
@SquarePegBooks
@vintagebooks
#books
#decolonisingmybody
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My book is only 99p today!
👀
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging
Kindle Edition special offer
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How did my voice end up in the
@Oprah
interview?
IDK
I haven’t watched it yet so I won’t be giving any fake news interviews 👀
Altho from what I’ve heard, it confirms exactly what a lot of us have been saying for a while
And that gives me no joy. But it’s why we resist ✊🏽
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The criminalisation of black British people is now at the point where our gold medalist athletes, cabinet ministers,& young children all being targeted. Who will hold the police to account? My column in todays
@guardian
@guardianopinion
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This is literally one of the stupidest stories I have ever seen. Where do you put your baby bumps
@Daily_Express
? Just curious
Have you noticed how Meghan Markle ensures her baby bump takes centre stage?
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“Find me a large organisation, & find me an employee from a minority group who feels able to bring their true self to work today.
I don’t think you’ll be able to.”
Truth.
@BBCNaga
@GilesHattersley
@BritishVogue
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Lead diplomat for Brexit in the US resigns because she has been asked to participate in deliberately misleading the British people. And it's barely a story because this is what we have come to expect from our government. Another new low
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Deep
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Thankfully there are many examples of solidarity btw black, Jewish, Muslim, Traveller and other minoritised communities against the distinct but overlapping struggles we all face in Britain
Strangely these are not the voices I’m seeing centred in media coverage of this “debate”
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You lot made my book THE
#1
bestseller in the Kindle store!!!
Shoutout to all my fellow black authors because we are creating a mutually reinforcing circulation of education and I SEE you and will continue to…
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Proud to be a signatory to this letter condemning the Home Secretary’s despicable attack on a leading lawyer and assault on the rule of law
signed by 100 black and brown women 💪🏽
#WeStandwithJacquelineMckenzie
'..What
@SuellaBraverman
’s words amount to is emotional terrorism, inflicting trauma on
@JacquiMckenzie6
a Black woman’s life...' quote from the just released attached public statement by 100 Black & brown women.
#WeStandWithJacquelineMcKenzie
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I have a sinking feeling that on today's
@ThePledge
I'm going to be called upon to try and convince white people that Danny Baker's tweet was racist. I'm actually serious
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