Young people call for an end to systemic racism

Summit told of the need for Irish people to be anti-racist

Zoey Nyoni, a student of Sacred Heart Secondary school at the anti-racism youth led summit in Cork City Hall on Friday. Pictures: Chani Anderson

With fists in the air, the youth of Cork took several turns around the room in silence, in an effort to be seen and listened to as they declared the need for change and to be anti-racist in Ireland.

With masks on their faces, each bore a word in silver marker: Freedom, solidarity, change, justice, anti-racist, George Nkencho, while one person wrote on a cardboard placard: “Racism is a Pandemic.”

“It is about the youth, not me. It’s all about the young people and the change they want to see in Cork, in Ireland,” rapper and occupational therapist Raphael Olympio said at the anti-racism summit in Cork City Hall on Friday.

It was created three years ago in remembrance of George Floyd — who was murdered by a white police officer in Minnesota — to help make Cork an anti-racist county.

This year’s summit was the second one that was led by young people from black, brown, and Travelling communities who wanted to see a change when it came to systemic racism.

Through poetry, music, raps, speeches, and dance, the children shared their experiences, whether it was about the colour of their skin, being in direct provision, or bullying.

Boys who are part of The Hut Youth Project based in Gurranabraher shared the discrimination they would receive as Travellers.

Jason, Christopher, Laurence, Rhys, and Rhys, created posters to show what they would like to be in the future.

Jason, Christopher, and Laurence at the summit.

“We made these posters because we are proud to be Travellers,” they said.

Sometimes people treat us differently, we get racist names, they give us dirty looks and we go into the shops and they accuse us of robbing. Some Travellers rob, but you can’t paint everyone with the same brush.

The summit also saw politicians and policymakers questioned and criticised by the young people on the “brutal conditions” in direct provision, not standing up against racism, and why asylum seekers were living in tents.

It also heard from educators in schools on what policies they have implemented to make their institutions a safe space, and also anti-racist.

“You need to hear and you need to act,” chief executive officer of Anti-Racist Cumbria Janett Walker said as she spoke about active listening at the summit.

The group was developed after “George Floyd’s lynching” to make Cumbria the first anti-racist county in Britain.

Speaker Seheedoo with members of the Travelling community at City Hall.

“Racism does not always come with black skin, white power is real and the changes suit the agenda to keep the power where they want to keep it kept,” Ms Walker said.

She added that children start to become aware of skin colour at the age of three while they start to recognise racial differences dependent on skin colour at the age of four.

Ms Walker added that funding for groups to tackle racism was essential and was immediately available following Mr Floyd’s death, but said it was becoming much more difficult to receive it now.

There was a sense of positivity, that change could be implemented to remove the “pandemic” that was racism, in contrast to the growing sense of anti-immigrant sentiment in Ireland.

There was also hope that by listening to the young people, policymakers, politicians and educators could help implement anti-racist policies.