In place of promoting our own research this week, the Gender History Research Cluster is instead sharing links to accessible pieces that explore the current situation in the United States. Also linked are some articles that expose similar issues in the UK, as well as material relating to the still relevant report from the Royal Historical Society about inequality in the British History profession.

 

CONTEXTUALISING THE CURRENT PROTESTS

 

In The Washington Post, Keisha N Plain explores racist violence across US history and police involvement in that violence:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/05/30/violence-minneapolis-is-rooted-history-racist-policing-america/

 

Kali Nicole Gross reflects upon the unique challenges that face black women in the United States, including disproportional experiences of violence at the hands of police:

http://abwh.org/2020/05/31/by-remembering-our-sisters-we-challenge-police-violence-against-black-women-and-legacies-that-eclipse-these-injustices/

 

Ibram X Kendi outlines the ‘American Nightmare,’ detailing how black Americans have been excluded from equality:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-nightmare/612457/

 

PRACTICING ANTI-RACISM

 

In gal-dem, Kemi Alemoru analyses the impact that viewing videos of racist violence can have, and reflects upon how we should share such harmful content:

https://gal-dem.com/bookmark-this-what-should-we-do-with-videos-of-police-brutality/

 

Nesrine Malik urges ‘white allies’ to continue the fight for equality even when large protests are not dominating the news cycle:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/02/white-people-racism-george-floyd?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

RACISM IN THE UK

 

Wail Qasim explores police violence in the UK:

https://novaramedia.com/2020/06/01/the-uk-is-not-innocent-police-brutality-has-a-long-and-violent-history-here/

 

In Elle, Marcia Rigg shares the story of her brother, Sean, who died in police custody in South West London in 2008. Police violence is not just a US problem:

https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/a32742001/marcia-rigg-anti-racism/

 

George the Poet highlights the links between racism in the US and the UK:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/george-the-poet-newsnight-emily-maitlis-black-lives-matter-george-floyd-a9544776.html

 

INEQUALITY IN THE PROFESSION

 

History is an overwhelmingly white profession in the UK. See the October 2018 report by the Royal Historical Society:

https://royalhistsoc.org/racereport/

 

Meliesa Ono-George, Historian at the University of Warwick, reflects on broader problems of this stark lack of diversity:

http://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/power-in-the-telling/