hiiii. i’m brown and also in the uk and it’s kinda like. aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaa
do u have any tips for not losing your shit?
if not, it’s okes, i just think you’re cool n stuff
hello! Hope you doing well :)
I know it’s been a while since you asked this question, and I’m sorry for the delay in answering. Honestly, I’ve been sitting on it a while, because shit is getting dicey up in here, but going full doomerpill isn’t helpful or fair, and I wanted to provide some actionable ways to stay safe and get engaged.
Firstly, there’s the practical stuff.
If, like me, you hold British citizenship but were born outside of the UK, it’s definitely worth looking into getting a British birth certificate. This usually costs around somewhere between £300 - £600 in terms of government & administration fees on both ends with transport included (you may need an in-person appointment with the embassy of your nation of birth, which will likely be somewhere in the capital; this is why I’ve included transport & accom costs.
To be totally fair, this is worked out based on the fact the Embassy of Botswana is hilariously slow moving - a single appointment often turns into at least two - and the fact you have to pay for the government of Botswana to expedite your documents if you want to see them this side of eternity. It may well be a lot cheaper for people who don’t have to deal with the purgatory of interacting with Batswana bureaucrats.)
It’s also an idea to renew any government documents (passport, drivers license, visa, ILR certificate etc.) well before the next general election.
In terms of what you can do on a personal and interpersonal level;
- embrace your heritage! At the end of the day there is no degree of assimilation that’s going to appease fascists. Be proudly, loudly you, whatever that looks like.
- get involved with local community organisations! The best way to combat the feeling that it’s you against the world is to get involved in your community. Look up your local food bank and see if they need any volunteers, get involved with your local Rock Choir (all singing abilities and levels of confidence are welcome!), try and meet up with your friends more often. if you speak more than one language, get involved with your local language learning groups, or see if you can do some volunteer translation work for new arrivals and people with limited English.
- buy consciously! shopping from Amnesty International and Choose Love helps to support internally displaced people, refugees, asylum seekers and anti-racism education in the UK & around the world. You can also donate to people displaced by conflict, ecological disaster and civil unrest from as little as 95p on the UNHCR ShareTheMeal app.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, don’t forget to find joy where you can. It is the first step in building the resilience needed for action.
Stay safe out there! If you ever want someone to talk to, connections to more specific groups/organisations, or just want to say hi, feel free to DM me :)
