The passing of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted a lot of thought for me, and for all the team at Spark and Co.
As the Founder of an organisation striving to build an anti racism movement, I believe it’s essential to practise allyship even when it is difficult to do so. Doing that whilst also honouring the loss of an icon is an incredibly complex thing to do.
I’ve rounded up my thoughts on practising anti racism and allyship whilst responding to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
1. Acknowledge the complexity within this loss
As news and tribute posts flood our social channels, many of us will be processing and responding to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. My response might not be like your response.
When an icon passes, any icon, our instinct is to celebrate their legacy and everything they stood for. Queen Elizabeth II was known in the UK and across the Commonwealth for her 70 years of service, for her institutional knowledge, for being a mother and a grandmother, for her love of colourful and immaculately co-ordinated outfits and of course, her Corgis.
If we remember her for only those things though, if we choose to only honour only what is palatable and polite, we are doing history a disservice. For many, the Monarchy is symbolic of colonialism, Empire and loss. On a personal level, my ancestors we made refugees during Parition - a decision that this Monarchy oversaw. Many families suffered huge loss at the hands of violence perpetuated under Empire. We also have a responsibility to recognise these communities and their responses, and to make space for this complexity.
2. Don’t tell people this isn’t the right time to be talking about it
I’ve spent a lot of time with Grief this year. I understand what it is to feel loss. I know that her family will be grieving this loss - one of a person, one of a human. As a Nation, the country will also be grieving the loss of leadership and stability, one that has come at a volatile time. However, we absolutely can hold that loss and allow that grief without limiting the nuance and reality of it.
Our work at Spark and Co. is inherently rooted in anti racism and anti oppression. We believe we have to challenge the systems, mechanisms and people that uphold systemic oppression, even (and especially) when it’s difficult to do so. I believe we have to do that every day, even the ones where the British press cycle doesn’t agree.
3. Keep educating yourself on why this complexity has come to be
If you’re finding yourself questioning my reponse, wondering if this is the right time to talk about colonialism or struggling to understand what all the fuss is about, I would strongly urge you to continue educating yourself.
Start with:
- This thread on Twitter
- This acticle "Queen Elizabeth's death revives criticism of Britain's legacy of colonialism"
4. Allow your discomfort and hold space for it
The truth about anti racism is that you can’t only practice it when it’s simple and easy, when it suits you to, when it’s polite to do so. For all of us who posted Black squares, went to Diversity and Inclusion training, felt shocked when colleagues told us stories of discrimination, this is the time to practice being anti racist.
When all the news and our social feeds are filled with glowing and gushing tribute posts, it can be uncomfortbale to go against the grain, to challenge the status quo. In order to be anti racist though, we have to make a commitment to practice allyship even when it’s uncomfortable. To practice it when people won’t agree, to do it even when we’re being called on to be "civil".
Hold space for that discomfort, hold space for your own learning, hold space for people who don’t think like you, hold space for complexity, for nuance, for grief.
Ultimately there is no one right thing to do, no correct way to respond. I will hold space for this loss, but I won’t stop honouring the lesser heard history of the world, and I won’t ever stop challenging oppression.
If you're ready to have better conversations about the Queen, ones with nuance and complexity, ones that recognise the legacy of Empire, I'm all ears. Reach me on ishita@sparkandco.co.uk.