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Hello {{ first name | friends}},
As you know I spent most of September in England. During that time I moved between London, the East Midlands and Manchester, with a one-day foray into Coventry, where I used to work. It was definitely an "interesting" time to be in the country, and to feel how it had changed from my perspective. At the same time, I was paying attention to the global news, with various things continuing to unravel in the US. So one day, I sat down and made a list of the experiences I'd had within the space of a week. I offer them as I wrote them, without further editing:
In the last week I have:
Had several conversations on the impossibility of reclaiming the England flag
Had the seat next to me stay empty when the bus was full
Had a woman clutch her bag to her looking back in alarm while my daughter and I were walking and chatting behind her
Had people welcome me into a fabulous restaurant
Had people grudgingly serve me at another place
Discussed the state of the world with fellow activists and Black people
Seen other people of the global majority fail to "come correk"
Witnessed misogynoir and racism
Seen exclusionary graffiti on a bridge
Been in white spaces and felt it
Been in diverse spaces and felt it
Wondered which of the people around me participated in far right marches
Wondered which of the people around me will be voting Reform and whether they understand what that says to me
Heard people talking about immigration as a problem
Had someone stand up as an ally with the facts in one of those conversations
Felt the let down when people I love and like have views I loathe
Been encouraged by the views of the lovely lefty young people around me
Been disappointed by the white primacy of politics no matter what the party
Supported activists who are struggling emotionally and financially
Wondered what it takes to get more people to support necessary work so we can all eat
Read the news dismissing lynchings while glorifying a racist
Despite the glimmers of hope there have been too many downs. And things don't seem to be getting better. Is it any wonder we're tired and terrified?
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Postscript: I was going to call this piece "Tired and Terrified" but then I realised that's not strictly true. It's more accurate to say that if I was tired of racism in 2020, I'm profoundly weary now, and appalled at the acceptance of far right "discourse" (if you could call it that) by politicians and media outlets around the world.
What still gives me hope, because there IS still hope, is the thousands, if not millions of us still working to create a better future.
I'm interested to hear how this list lands with you, and where you are finding hope in this moment.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon
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I am an anti-racism educator and activist, the author of “I’m Tired of Racism”, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast.
© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2025. All Rights Reserved. This newsletter is published on beehiiv (affiliate link).