Ep 5 Life in Lockdown Series | Anti-racism and Lessons from lockdown

Hello lovely,

It has been a heavy few weeks in the world and when we recorded this on Monday we were really feeling it.
Our plan was to talk about looking to the future and the positive lessons we’ve learnt during lockdown that we want to carry through as we emerge from it step by step, but when it came to recording, all we wanted to talk about was anti-racism and in particular what we are doing as white women to commit to doing anti-racism work, not just something we dip in and out of, but something we remain firmly committed to on a daily basis, for life.
We share what we’re doing right now to be actively anti-racist and what we are committed to doing from now on.
If you are white and wondering what you can do, then the key is to listen to the lived experience of black and brown people and never stop listening. Follow black and brown educators but rather than popping into their DMs to ask them to educate you for free, buy their courses and their books. Do the work to shine a light on your own inner racism. We all have it, particularly if we think we don’t. This is an inside outside job as all great transformations are. Breathe through the shame and discomfort that will inevitably bubble up. Welcome it.
Here are the resources, books and black anti-racism educators we mention.
Nova Reid - an anti-racism campaigner, educator and writer, has been on the podcast to talk to Selina twice about anti racism - those episodes are here and here. But in particular we recommend you follow Nova on Instagram NovaReidOfficial, listen to her own new podcast ‘Conversations with Nova Reid’ and do her anti-racism course.
We also recommend the book ‘Me and White Supremacy’ by Layla Saad and Reni Eddo Lodge’s book ‘Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race’. Here is the Instagram post that we mentioned from Pandora Sykes on book recommendations and Jolyon Rubinstein’s Instagram is another one to check out. Also check out our friends at @housegospelchoir for messages of hope, strength and unity and healing music to lift your spirits.
Second part of the episode: Life in Lockdown - Lessons Learnt
As lockdown starts to ease in many parts of the UK, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the positive lessons that we’ve learnt during this time and some of the new habits and rituals that we’ve been cultivating.
As you listen to this episode, we invite you to have a think of your own lessons from lockdown. Perhaps there are some new ways of living and working that you’d like to bring into your life post-lockdown?
For both of us, we’ve been appreciating the simplicity and slower pace of life and plan to maintain that as we move forward. And if there is one thing that we’re excited about returning to post lockdown, it is most definitely HUGS and spending quality time with loved ones.
Sending you a big hug from both of us 😍
We hope you enjoy the episode.
Love, Vicki and Selina xxx