Story by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu • Today
Oh dear, Britain.
Ngozi Fulani was subjected to relentless attempts to discredit her
(Picture: REX/ITV/Shutterstock)© Provided by Metro
This country has rarely looked uglier than it does at this moment.
Last week, with wearying predictability, I watched as a Black British woman was vilified over her experience of racism at the hands of a white member of staff in Buckingham Palace.
The ugliness of those defending racially charged comments is on public display, and while the savagery and ferocity of it is nothing new or surprising, it never fails to take my breath away.
After Ngozi Fulani shared her experience of being repeatedly challenged on ‘where she is from’, she has been subjected to an unholy combination of relentless attempts to discredit her and distortion of facts around the actions of Lady Susan Hussey, who has since resigned.
As a recipient of relentless smear campaigns, racist abuse, harassment and gaslighting on a daily basis, I know how she feels.
Instead of holding Lady Hussey to account for her actions and using this as a teachable moment for all, her defenders sanctified her record of service, and blamed her offensive line of questioning on her age or even ‘friendly curiosity.’
A strange phenomenon happens when we Black British people experience racism – our lived experience is misinterpreted as an attack on Britain itself, or British values.
Rather than dispelling my conviction that Britain is a systemically racist country, incidents like last week’s in fact validate it.
I believe that the reaction to Ngozi Fulani is both hypocritical and bigoted.
It begs the question why people continue to claim that Britain is ‘not racist’ or indeed, ‘one of the least racist countries.’
Ngozi was even accused of appropriation
This country has rarely looked uglier than it does at this moment.
Last week, with wearying predictability, I watched as a Black British woman was vilified over her experience of racism at the hands of a white member of staff in Buckingham Palace.
The ugliness of those defending racially charged comments is on public display, and while the savagery and ferocity of it is nothing new or surprising, it never fails to take my breath away.
After Ngozi Fulani shared her experience of being repeatedly challenged on ‘where she is from’, she has been subjected to an unholy combination of relentless attempts to discredit her and distortion of facts around the actions of Lady Susan Hussey, who has since resigned.
As a recipient of relentless smear campaigns, racist abuse, harassment and gaslighting on a daily basis, I know how she feels.
Instead of holding Lady Hussey to account for her actions and using this as a teachable moment for all, her defenders sanctified her record of service, and blamed her offensive line of questioning on her age or even ‘friendly curiosity.’
A strange phenomenon happens when we Black British people experience racism – our lived experience is misinterpreted as an attack on Britain itself, or British values.
Rather than dispelling my conviction that Britain is a systemically racist country, incidents like last week’s in fact validate it.
I believe that the reaction to Ngozi Fulani is both hypocritical and bigoted.
It begs the question why people continue to claim that Britain is ‘not racist’ or indeed, ‘one of the least racist countries.’
Ngozi was even accused of appropriation
To me, the only explanation that makes sense is that those who defend racist behaviours so vehemently do so because they are guilty of racism themselves – it reflects who they are.
I think there’s a fear among some of her prominent defenders that if Lady Hussey is held to account, then they will be held to account.
According to some of her detractors, Ngozi Fulani can’t be a victim of racism because she changed her name from Marlene, apparently making her some kind of fraud.
Related video: ‘Racism Should Be…:’ Here’s What UK PM Rishi Sunak Said On Royal Family Racism RowDuration 4:30
Well if Ngozi is a fraud I assume the Royal Family are too after changing their original German name to Windsor.
Ngozi was even accused of appropriation by wearing African attire, which was also used to excuse Lady Hussey’s questioning.
Apparently, Ngozi went looking for trouble and set Lady Hussey up – I assume she must have psychic powers to know Lady Hussey (someone she’s never met before) would make a beeline for her in Buckingham Palace and interrogate her on her identity.
The utter idiocy of these groundless accusations is evidence of the kind of cognitive dissonance from reality Black British people have come to expect.
Never mind that witnesses present corroborate the truth of Lady Hussey’s relentless interrogation and that Lady Hussey stood down without denying the comments.
But these are inconvenient truths to those determined to make an example of Ngozi Fulani.
As is the oversimplification of Lady Hussey’s line of question to merely ‘where are you from’?
That deliberately ignores the escalated variations of the question, including ‘where are you really from’ and ‘what part of Africa are you from’ even after Ngozi clearly told her ‘I was born here and I am British.’
There’s even been white people implying it is somehow comparable to them also being asked ‘where are you from’.
I just want people to stop with the false equivalences.
My theory is that those powerful people who use incidents like last week’s at the Palace to deny Britain’s problems with racism are sticking to their furious lies, gaslighting and smears because they have a much wider target.
I know they aren’t just trying to teach Ngozi Fulani a lesson but sending a message to all Black British people to be quiet about racism or face this kind of abuse.
The exception being the racial gatekeepers who legitimise these discredit and smear campaigns by their actions.
It’s a threat to our lives and liberty.
As one of many Black British subjected to this threat, I’m confronted with this attempted silencing every day.
But we will not be silent, and we will not be silenced.
I refuse to be cowered because of a truth the detractors cannot deny.
I am British, this is my country of birth and my home. It belongs to me too. Therefore, I will not be hushed about racism and will help build this country into something it can aspire to.
A country where, as a Black woman, I have freedom, and the right to exercise that freedom without fear, intimidation or discrimination.
I am determined to fight the good fight and rid this country of mine of the kind of ugliness we saw after Ngozi Fulani’s experience.
If you agree racism is unacceptable at any level, then you will do the right thing and join me.
D
No comments:
Post a Comment