Exiled Writers Ink Black Lives Matter Statement
Exiled Writers Ink stands in solidarity with The Black Lives Matter movement in both the UK and abroad. The brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and too many countless other Black lives at the hands of the police cannot continue to go by unnoticed or unpunished. We support those protesting and fighting for an equal and more just society across the world.
While much of the attention over the last few months has focused on events in the United States, Exiled Writers Ink recognises that the institutional and structural racism seen in the U.S. also exists in the United Kingdom. The brutal history of British imperialism and colonialism has resulted in the oppression of Black lives and its impact still reverberates throughout our society and institutions to this day.
Through our work with refugees, migrants, exiles and immigrant communities for over twenty years, we have long fought for the voices of those most marginalised to be heard. As an organisation, we will continue to reflect on how we can do everything in our power to be anti-racist, support racial equality and continue the fight against systemic injustice both at home and abroad.
Exiled Writers Ink acknowledges the need to provide a platform for those who are underrepresented within literary and artistic spaces. We aim to address this with immediate action over the coming months.
* With our partners, The Literary Consultancy (TLC), Magool Foundation and Kayd Somali Arts and Culture, we hosted a Black Lives Matter Through Poetry event in July 2020. The aim of the event was to provide a platform for Black poets, writers and artists who have publicly shared work on the theme of Black Lives Matter and are social activists responding to institutional racism and the onset of police brutality in North America and Europe and featured the poetry of Zena Edwards, Inua Ellams, Ifrah Hussein, Tshaka Campbell and the music of MariaM.
We welcome ideas and suggestions on what can be done to impact a real change within the writing community. Please contact us on exiledwritersink@gmail.com