We hear of stereotyping, underestimations and exposure to violence as well as the colourism, police bias and work-place discrimination Akala encounters even as an adult. Written with calm understanding, Akala explores his life and childhood growing up as a mixed race citizen in 1980s' England and weaves his narrative into a wider understanding of history and politics surrounding British and colonial culture with logical analysis at a local and global scale. This book really presents the reader with an educational perspective into structural racism, white privilege, class and identity. One of the most prominent, influential voices of the movement in the UK came from the rapper, intellectual and writer, Akala, whose semi-autobiographical book ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of the Empire’ discusses issues and questions surrounding race and culture in the UK and on a global scale. The Black Lives Matter movement, which was energised by the death of George Floyd on 25 May this year, still resides in the society we live in as powerfully as it did amid the strikingly passionate protests worldwide. Rose Chaplin discusses the reasons why everyone should educate themselves on the Black Lives Matter movement and why this book is so essential in that education.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |