Tag: POC

I feel sick.

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I’m currently in my 10th week of lockdown, and to be honest quarantine life hasn’t really made me want to write about anything.

But yesterday, another innocent black man was murdered in America by the police. This is the third black person to have their life cruelly taken away from them in the space of a few months because of police brutality.

Because of inherent racism in a country that calls itself openly ‘the land of the free.’

Because of a systematic and biased system that is supposed to be there for the people, not just a small selection of people they deem worthy of their protection.

It is disgusting and sickening for me to see this. And I’m tired. Tired of seeing black people mercilessly black listed, oppressed and denied their human rights. How many more innocent lives will be claimed and taken before they should be? How many more families will lose loved ones? How many more children will be scared to step outside of their own homes?

Staying silent, knowing that what is happening is wrong, is just as complicit as doing nothing. We need to use of platforms to show solidarity, to show our support and to make noise loud enough the world over to show that we will not stand for these injustices. I am reminded of this poem from 1946 as I type this out and I would urge you all to read it.

Just because you are not black does not mean that you cannot empathise with their plight. You can make yourself an ally and show your support:

  • Educate yourself – don’t just take what you read and watch on TV and social media as fact. Research it for yourself.
  • Ask someone – if you don’t feel like you know enough, or you need help understanding or clarification don’t be afraid to ask.
  • Promise to listen – give people a platform and your ear. Listen to their grievances.
  • Step in – if you see racial injustice, no matter how uncomfortable you may feel, step in and help.

For too long we have sat back and watched as people from different races and backgrounds have been persecuted and killed, made to feel worthless and scared of living in the countries they’re born in and done nothing. We need to do more and we need to do it now. The time for change is here.

I am here and I am an ally. I will stand up for you and I will not back down from your fight.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery.

Say their names✊🏽

xo

Deeds not words.

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Happy International Women’s Day to all!

In 2018 I wrote about a badass woman Princess Sophia Duleep Singh who led an incredible life. If you don’t know who she is please give it a read!

This IWD I want to pay homage to one of the original suffragettes – Emmeline Pankhurst.

Emmeline Pankhurst statue in Manchester.

Seen by many as a radical and a threat, Emmeline was a woman who refused to back down and allow women to be mistreated after seeing the dire conditions that many worked in in Manchester’s workhouses. Her methods may have been extreme, and their effectiveness has been disputed, but there is no denying that her work was crucial and seminal in leading the movement and gaining votes for women.

Born and raised in Manchester, it’s amazing to see this statue everytime I make my way into the city centre. It genuinely brings a smile to my face watching and seeing people young and old surrounding the statue. It gives people, especially young boys and girls, a chance and an opportunity to discover a part of Manchester’s history that went on to change the entire UK.

Feminists don’t wear pink

“Feminists Don’t Wear Pink” is a collection of short stories and essays from women across Hollywood from actresses to teenage activists. They l tell their story of their personal relationship with feminism and what it means to be a woman. For me, it shows is how far we have come as women and a society, but still how far we have yet to go.

There are still 31 million girls in the world not in school and 17 million of them probably never will. 1 in 5 women in the UK have experienced sexual assault – but these are just from the brave women who have come forward to report it. And at the rate the word is going it will take over 100 years just to close the gender parity gap.

Emmeline Pankhurt fought over 100 years ago for the rights for women, but in order to make the world a fairer and just place we must all come together to create it.

Let us all incite this meeting to rebellion.

xo.

Gotta love a bit of Shakespeare 

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Hi!

Look at me writing two blogs within 2 days😊 Fingers crossed this streak continues!

Today I want to talk about Shakespeare…I mean, it’s not as if no-one’s given the man enough of a spotlight right?

I was disillusioned with Shakespeare for so long – mainly because it had been improperly taught to me and forced down my throat from the age of 7 when I couldn’t really comprehend the complexity of his writing. It wasn’t until I was in my final year of University (doing a Shakespeare module I might add) where I fell in love with good ol’ William. My lecturer was so passionate and taught his work in a way that was digestible, understandable and most of all, enjoyable. I finally understood why he was a big deal in the literary world – his prose, poetry, descriptions and language are just sublime.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a few plays I don’t like ***controversial opinion upcoming*** like Romeo and Juliet (🤤). Why this one you ask? Again I’ve been forced to read, react and perform this since the age of about 10 over and over and over again. I think by the time I was 14 I was so sick of it. I mean once again, don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch Leonardo DiCaprio in all his 90’s cute glory at any given point in the day, but the play itself I just can’t bring myself to enjoy reading. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and give it another go…maybe.

But I will say this about Shakespeare. All his plays are strongly rooted in terms of genre – whether it be tragedy, comedy or history – and his characters are widely flawed, human, and real. That’s what makes his play so memorable and so contemporary at the same time. There’s a reason why he’s stuck in the public mind for over 400 years. His plays, while written in the Elizabethan era, are so adaptable and transferable for any time period or actor.

Coriolanus

Coriolanus is my favourite play of his. It’s classed as a tragedy, but like so many of Shakespeare’s plays there’s overlaps with other genres. It’s so witty (I think anyway), and relatable especially in these recent times. I was lucky enough to see Tom Hiddleston’s performance at the NT which was incredible (and he’s super hot too🙊). Please give it a read if you haven’t!

Ah Shakespeare, you keep on doing your thing❤

xo

All kinds of cliches

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Hello☺

So nearly 2 months on from this blog post, have I managed to change things? Well…yes and no. So far I have:

  1. Utilised my time more effectively in the mornings on my commute into work by reading more🎉
  2. Taken a notebook around with me everywhere as well so that I can jot down all my ideas and thoughts. I’m actually loving this one! Just writing down my ramblings on paper made me realise how much I miss the simple act of putting pen to paper.

Aaaaand that’s pretty much it🙈 Although 2/5 from my list isn’t too bad I guess. I’m still a little annoyed that I haven’t been able to implement the others, or even get a start on them. Work has been super hectic this month and I’m really hoping after this week everything dies down a heck of a lot so I can invest more time into my writing and reading even more.

I did come across the below quote by Stephen King recently that really made me snap back into focus and realise what it is I’m passionate about. Writing has always been something I’ve never been 100% comfortable with. I mean don’t get me wrong, I can write a damn good essay, but that’s pretty much it. Facts, opinions and a strong solid subject. But writing for myself has always alluded me because I think I’m just not good enough. That my writing won’t be as inviting or intriguing as some of the amazing work I’ve read by my favourite authors, or my peers. But it’s this kind of thinking that’s held me back, and probably holds a lot of people back. Doing something (whatever it may be) for the sake of others, whomever they may be, won’t allow you to reach your full potential. Do whatever makes you happy for you. After all, you’re going to be the one investing your time and emotion, no-one else. It needs to make you happy.

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ― Stephen King

As a lover and student of literature, I know it’s been buried deep within me to write a novel or something one day, even if it’s just for myself and no-one else. I would love to devote more time to it if I can. Hopefully this blog will inspire me to keep on going.

xo