After the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, a report in 2000 foresaw the Black Lives Matter discussion – but didn’t survive the backlashCould this year prove a turning point for racial politics, identity and nationhood in Britain? The Black Lives Matter movement has cut through to the mainstream and dovetailed with the racial and ethnic disproportionalities reflected in Covid-19 mortality rates, and the wider inequalities these lay bare. On the other hand, and waiting for us to come out of lockdown, is Brexit and all the cleavages it has deepened.The UK shares much in common with other European countries that have never made peace with their colonial pasts, not least in how postcolonial populations migrated to the societies that their forebears made wealthy. But it is worth reflecting on the distinctiveness of Britain’s own near recent history, and where there might have been other opportunities to reflect on the big questions about who and what we are. One moment in particular stands out. Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/12/britain-race-20-years-ago-stephen-lawrence-black-lives-matter