On Saturday 20^th June at 10 am, a small group of us joined a quiet peaceful demonstration to protest against the treatment some people suffer because of the colour of their skin. As part of the demonstration, I put together a small display about black lives of history in Kent. The information came from the Medway African and Caribbean Association.

Many people have said to me that all lives matter and this is certainly true but it is heartening to see people of all skin colours and all ages standing together to remind society of its responsibilities to treat everyone with dignity, respect and equality. Someone in a minority within a country may indeed feel vulnerable and it is the responsibility of everyone to make society inclusive.

In the UK, we have a history of anti discrimination laws going back to the race relations acts of the 1960’s. The most recent is the Equality Act of 2010, which is comprehensive in its coverage of all types of discrimination, both direct and indirect.

We have the laws and yet there is a strong feeling within society that black people still suffer prejudice and discrimination, possibly in circumstances where it is difficult to prove intent or to apprehend the perpetrator.

The best way to really change society is to show that there is a real understanding of equality and respect. If people are determined to show togetherness, communities are stronger.

We can all demonstrate that we will not tolerate racism in any form. That is the aim of the latest mass protests.

The murder of George Floyd in America on 25^th May touched a nerve across the world. Four officers have been charged with his murder.

It was followed by another murder, that of Rayshard Brooks, who was shot in the back by a policemen in Atlanta, Georgia on 12^th June.

Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old African American medical technician had been shot and killed by the police at home on March 13^th, when police in Louisville were executing a no-knock search warrant.

We are fortunate that we don’t have a society where guns are accepted as a normal part of life and we have a great deal of respect for our own policemen and women. Nevertheless, stop and search is used more among black people than white people. The figures between April 2018 and March 2019 show 4 stop and searches for every 1,000 white people compared to 38 for every 1,000 black people. For Asian people, the figure was 11.

Perhaps the gang culture explains these figures to a large extent but it is something we need to be aware of. Certainly, communities can be protected by police and good training is essential in order that a difficult job can be carried out with professionalism and sensitivity.

Thinking of the past, I understand that there are people and events in history that have caused misery and distress. The slavery of so many people taken from their homes and countries overseas in terrible conditions is one of the things that shames humanity.

We must learn from the past and remember it. As the years go by it is sometimes difficult to accept that such things even happened. By leaving the reminders of history, we help ourselves to understand and hopefully make sure that these things never happen again. We can explain events and make sure that education gives the story of a world where people have had to fight for their rights. We can be thankful that we have moved on as a civilisation and show that we give equal opportunities to all people.

Lives have improved but it is important to make sure that we continue to fight against injustice and inequality wherever it exists. People should be confident that whatever their colour, creed or gender, they can live with dignity and equal rights. Sadly, the only time we received abuse on our New Romney History Society Facebook page was when I gave a talk on Nelson Mandela in 2018. I find it hard to think that anyone would wish the return of apartheid in the world.

I am pleased to think that society today will not accept some of the behaviour taken for granted in the past. Perhaps we have really moved on because so many people stand up for a better way of life.

Certainly all lives matter but we must make sure that everyone has equal opportunities within society. Racism should not exist and yet we cannot say that it does not.

Gaynor Cobb

I am organising a small demonstration to support Black Lives Matter in New Romney Kent on Saturday morning meeting at 10 am outside the Methodist Church.

I hope to have a small display about Black Lives in Kent.

I understand that there are people and events in history that have caused misery and distress in the past. The slavery of so many people taken from their homes and countries overseas in terrible conditions is one of the things that shames humanity.

However, we must learn from the past and remember that it happened. As the years pass, it is sometimes difficult to accept that such things even happened. By leaving the reminders of history we help ourselves to understand and hopefully to make sure that these things never happen again. We can be thankful that we have moved on as a civilisation and show that we give equal opportunities to all people.

Lives have improved but it is important to make sure that we continue to fight against injustice and inequality wherever it exists. People should be confident that whatever their colour, creed or gender, they can live with dignity and equal rights. The past must be preserved but we can explain events and the people involved. We can also make sure that education gives the story of a world where people have had to fight for their rights.

The pandemic has made us aware once again that many people live in poverty and cannot manage if their work is reduced. The opportunity to work for a living is something we have taken for granted to a large extent in the UK because unemployment is low. However, many people are on zero hours contracts and others work in casual jobs or part time. Once again we are thinking about inequality in society. While some people have enjoyed time with their families at home, others have struggled with money and will continue to do so. Much of this is linked with race. In US the problems have also been severe and this has added to the crisis.

Certainly all lives matter but we must make sure that everyone has equal opportunities within society. Racism should not exist and yet we cannot say that it does not.

Four officers have been charged with the death of George Floyd in America. Defunding the police would not help this cause. Police must be held accountable for their actions when dealing with the public in any country and training is vital to ensure that this is guaranteed.

Gaynor Cobb

At the moment with the pandemic, Mymoena and Where Rainbows Meet are feeding more than 1700 families a day. She tells me that the lines are longer and the frustrations higher all the time.

This is important caring work and I know that it is also happening in many other places at this time of great worry and need. People are not just worried about the virus, but also about their loss of earnings. Food and basic necessities are harder to come by.

If you are able to visit the website Where Rainbows Meet, you have the opportunity to give to support this work. The website is http://www.whererainbowsmeet.org We find rainbow pictures decorating windows at this time. Certainly this organisation really take the meaning to the people in need.

Teaching in South Africa
Before the lockdown, I managed to visit South Africa to volunteer with Projects Abroad as a teacher in Cape Town.

I worked at Fairview Primary School, teaching English Literacy and concentrating on developing creative learning.

Fairview is a well organised and well resourced school with children who behave politely. They have good basic skills in English and learn Afrikaans as a second language. In addition, they are starting to learn Xhosa.

I am a retired teacher and it was certainly useful to be able to fit in with the school curriculum. Some of the younger children were doing tests and they also prepared talks about their own religion. These were presented to the class.

I took small groups out of the class to work on sentence structure, aiming to create complex sentences and also worked on story planning and other creative ideas.

I presented performance poetry in a number of different whole class sessions, using a drum and simple African percussion instruments. This was very enjoyable and well received by the children. I think it was good to bring something different to the classes.

I also worked with some of the older children developing creative language and reading about the life of Nelson Mandela. I asked 12 year olds why the vote was important but they did not seem to know. I explained that people were not important if they did not have the vote. Of course we all take it for granted that we can vote and yet it is only 26 years ago that many people in South Africa voted for the first time.

Although they live near to Robben Island, they had not visited the World Heritage Site.

Is twelve years too young to make such a visit? It was pointed out that the crossing can be quite rough. When I went to Robben Island a few years ago, the sea was a bit rough but this time, I visited again and it was a beautiful calm sea on a sunny day.

I think that it was useful being an experienced teacher, because I was able to fit in with the school. I prepared my own work and brought materials from the UK. Certainly, in the school I was in, it would be possible to prepare work because they had a good library but this would take time out of lessons and this would be a shame. I did use some additional poetry books from the school library to add to my own poetry collection for performance.

Projects Abroad had not had any teacher volunteers for some time and I feel that retired teachers would help the children here and would enjoy the experience. I think that being flexible in your attitude and approach is the most important attribute a volunteer can have.

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Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.

In the Sculpture Garden.