Getting Out From Under That Knee - by Dr. Cheryl Diane Parkinson

On May 25th 2020, the murder of George Floyd changed the world forever. 46 year old George Floyd was murdered in full view of the public by white police officer Derek Chauvin. Almost two years on, we are more united as a black community and work together to create a better future for all but there is still work to do. The very public murder of George Floyd by a white officer reflected a common history of violence against black people and triggered a more sustained, public fightback.

In the UK, there has been some progress since the days of  Darcus Howe, Claudia Jones and the Relations Acts but racism, prejudice and inequality still has its knee firmly pressed on black necks without any sign of letting up.

As an educator I have encountered institutional racism as well as outright verbal racist abuse multiple times. A classroom display detailing ‘the good side of slavery,’ a racist petition, and the loss of jobs to inexperienced, underqualified white counterparts are just three incidents of many.

The racist display detailing the ‘good side of slavery,' had articles written by students stating   slaves ‘enjoyed singing in their free time and liked going to church.’ I made a formal complaint and requested an immediate meeting. The headmistress declined, afraid of meeting an ‘angry black woman.’ Following the correct legal procedures, I forced a meeting. The headmistress defended the teacher that organised the display, claiming ‘he was a nice man.’ All too often, the institutional racism within schools is implemented, sustained and reinforced by people who are ‘nice' but their likeability isn’t the issue.      

 Another situation occurred over a Literacy Coordinator post. I had years of teaching experience and a proven track record of raising the standard of literacy. Students in my class exceeded their targets and my exam pass rate was good. I was also a member of a nationwide reading association. Measured as an Outstanding teacher, I had a Master’s Degree in Literature, was near completion of a PhD in Writing and was a published writer. The ‘better candidate’ who secured the position was a much younger white trainee teacher. The informal feedback I received was that I sounded ‘too eloquent.’ 

I have also been racially abused by white students. I have been called a black b*tch as well as other racially motivated names. This particular student was left unpunished because her parents put pressure on the school when they tried to give her a sanction- resulting in her being in my lesson the following day and no action being taken.

We have all understood and heard that to be a black person in a white world of work, we need to be better than our white counterparts. This, I have found to be true. I have been criticised during the interview process for using a higher form of teaching, arguing that they wanted to see me ‘do my stuff.’ I have had a minor punctuation error pointed out to me whilst at an interview to undermine my confidence, and I have had a Head Teacher admonish me on first meeting before a formal interview to let me know he wasn’t interested in anything to do with me. He was only interested in me producing ‘outstanding’ lessons. I have also been judged as ‘lesser’ and incapable of meeting the other challenging aspects of being a teacher, by colleagues and Head Teachers.

On another occasion, I applied for a middle leader position in another school. During the interview, I noticed that the leadership in the school was all white and the students were predominately black. When I was asked if I had any questions, I asked what they were doing to ensure their leadership team reflected the cultural diversity of their cohort. It wasn't a surprise when I didn't get the job. The post was, again, given to a white trainee teacher who had interviewed in jeans.

The incident however, which stays with me most was my introduction to racism within schools whilst I was a trainee teacher. Whilst teaching the National Curriculum, my all white class organised a protest at having me as a teacher. A signed petition was presented to my line manager to remove me. The argument was that they did not want to be taught black issues because it had nothing to do with them. And did not want a black teacher.

The outrage I expected from my line manager didn't materialise. Instead she commented on how well the students organised themselves. They were not given any punishment and after a period of ‘cooling off’ I had to continue to teach them. 

In 2022 we like to think we have made vast improvements. We no longer have black faced minstrels shows. Racist gangs like Skinheads and The National Front are less of a visible presence, especially on our streets. And we have black representation on television - a notable difference since George Floyd. Whereas America had the Jim Crow laws that they could actively dismantle through the Civil Rights Movement, Britain did not. But we did and continue to have the same harmful ideas of a system which placed the white ‘race’ at the top of a racially categorised pile. This systematic racism arguably began and was propagated by the British through their domination in the slave trade and Empire. The created system used skin colour as a visible marker to reflect status within the slave society reinforced by pseudoscience; black was synonymous with the status of a slave. This idea of imposing a persons value based on this hierarchical colour system is a legacy of slavery that still exists today and is challenged by movements such as Black Lives Matter.

The mindset of white Britain needs to change. Until it does people of colour are going to face prejudice, racism and inequality unchecked because of the internal bias and explicit racism we as a community are receiving. It is no wonder we are crying out in one voice, ‘we can’t breathe.' The continual fightback leaves us exhausted, frustrated and angry. It is this determined, stubborn anger which fuels us to resist and persist despite being suffocated. 

We are all familiar with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho & Bukayo Saka’s treatment during the football of July 2021. It is by no means over. For any of us. Freedom in this life means to fight: from the ground roots, to the top; from the providers of our education, to entertainment. From our small local council, to holding those accountable at number 10. When we have a recent history of our ‘leader’ referring to black children as ‘picannies with watermelon smiles,’ and our public figures racially abused, it is evident that we need to stand together to meet and challenge these racist attitudes and abuses. At every level, if we are to eradicate the poison of racism to pave the way to a fairer society. 

 And while the end goal isn’t yet in sight, we must fight on. For although our ultimate goal is freedom, our most immediate goal must be to breathe, survive and get out from under that knee.