Okay. I hate harm coming to other people and I have a massive guilt complex for injustices I had no part in.
Tonight I have learnt even more about the horrors of what Britain did to other countries, such as India and Pakistan, as recent as 80/90 years ago...
I already knew England was FAR FROM INNOCENT, having- since I was around 19- dug further into the true history with help of libraries and my history clued-up dad. But I'm learning even more now I have more friends from elsewhere and, frankly, it's disgusting what British people are three or four generations before have done to people in other countries.
I can't just have this knowledge and do nothing.
So, I have put together some ways that myself, and anyone else feeling as disgusted as I do, can do our bit to make sure we are SO MUCH BETTER than are predecessors.
Ways we can do this:
1) Educate ourselves and others on the uncensored realities of the British Empire, supporting migrant and racial justice networks, engaging reparative justice movements, and amplifying the voices of communities impacted by historical colonisation. (Note- people in many of these countries do not have freedom of speech like we do, so we should speak up for them when we can).
2) Support Grassroots Campaigns: Get involved with organisations such as The Racial justice network (https://racialjusticenetwork.co.uk/), which is an organisation that seeks to dismantle racism and challenge colonial systems.
3) Dismantle the censored teachings we learnt in school: Engage with the work of historical reconciliation. For example, groups like the Decolonial Centre produce educational resources that connect modern systemic inequalities to their historical roots. The least we can do is educate ourselves. https://decolonialcentre.org/about/
4) Promote Restorative Justice: Explore the concept of restorative justice on a societal level as a means of addressing historical harm. "Why-me?" is a UK-based charity advocating for this approach and there are projects people can get involved with. https://why-me.org/get-involved-2/
5) Support campaigns calling for the return of looted and stolen cultural artifacts to their countries of origin, which many heritage experts view as a vital step in colonial reconciliation. https://www.cpahq.org/knowledge-centre/blogs/reparations-and-reconciliation-in-the-commonwealth/
WE CAN BE BETTER THAN THE GENERATIONS BEFORE US. We owe it to all the countries our predecessors did harm to.
