I do apologize because that certainly wasn't my point at all and I can see how that would come across as I didn't qualify whom I was talking about (and I was a bit ranty/bitchy). I just assumed because in the thread we were discussing Kelechi and CB, that people would know who I was speaking about. I do often find that Kelechi specifically makes it hard to have a conversation about how we can change systemic racism because she is throwing insults at white people, claiming they are dirty, don't season their food, should suck their mum with a straw, etc. etc. etc. I know she does go out into the world and fights against racism and I admire her for her advocacy, so I don't mean that aspect. It's this let's encourage violence against a woman who gossiped on a website thing that is unacceptable, report Clemmie to the midwifery board, but don't tell your tens of thousands of followers that she deserves to have her teeth punched out because she called someone aggressive. She constantly crosses the line in that way when she goes off on these tangents. I have come across this sort of white people are evil mentality on instagram and twitter where it's like how can we move forward if that is where we are starting? You smell, so duck off, you can't have a seat at the table. If white people are perpetuating racism, which obvs they are, how do you get them to stop? By insulting them from the jump? This is a massively complex issue so it's tough to sit on tattle and be like, yooo let's fix racism, yeah? Fighting racism and stereotypes is something that is really important to me and this faux concern for Black Women and their healthcare has grinded my gears something fierce. No one gave a tit about these stats when they came out, save a handful of people. There's a concerted effort to change how healthcare is provided to POC and it's not by posting stats on insta, it's getting into hospitals and providing the necessary training and oversight to those providing healthcare to POC. It's bringing more POC into the healthcare professions and hospital admin positions. It's not shouting about white people being dirty and claiming one midwife is destroying the whole of civilization and wants to kill Black Women and their babies. This is a situation in which it is a teachable moment. Clemmie made a remark that has racist undertones, I don't think it's because she is racist (but hey maybe she is, I don't know her), I think it's because she is incredibly ignorant. This happens A LOT with white people. There are a lot of white people who are NOT racist but say things that are unbelievably ignorant. Because racism is so ingrained in our society, there is a lot of ignorance that occurs from people who truly are not racist but make statements that have undertones of racism because that is what they grow up hearing, seeing, and learning in their sheltered white world. It's easier to just call someone a racist and be done with it than to examine the nuance with which racism is allowed to continue because of ignorant statements based on racist stereotypes than to have a conversation about how to stop this tit and change people's way of communicating (i.e. getting them to stop using racist language that they may not always realize is racist). If you're a white person living in the UK or USA, there is a good chance that you have very limited interaction with POC, especially if you do not live in or near to a city. There is also a really good chance that you have been bombarded with tiny bits of racism your whole life therefore you will likely step in tit and say the wrong things many times throughout your life, not because you are deeply racist but because of what I stated above, you live in a society where racism is part of the fabric of the nation and it's tough not to step in it now and again. This is why it is so important to have proper conversations about racism and the nuance of language. I do worry that we're taking a good midwife out of the system because she made an ignorant remark in a time of stress and unhappiness, I'm not defending her per se, but I don't think she deserves to be completely destroyed. I think she could have learned from this and then be brought into the conversation in way that could help combat racism. Just destroying people's lives instead of taking these instances and using them to improve quality of care seems awfully foolish. I don't know. It's hard, maybe Clemmie deserves to have her pin taken away, but maybe, just maybe, she's a good midwife who has made a terrible mistake. She could still be someone who turns it around and has a positive impact of women's quality of care, but who knows. Prob not. It's just sad because in this car crash there is a lot to be learned and a lot that could be done to help POC and to change the stats around mother and infant mortality. Can you imagine if someone like Clemmie, who has a massive reach on social media, sat down with Kelechi and Candice (who also have massive social media influence) and they had a proper conversation about what happened and why and what could be done to change the world in which Black Women are almost never listened to when they are unwell and therefore receive inadequate care. I mean, that is world I want to live in, a world in which we stop shouting at each other and sit down and say tit, I fucked up, help me to understand your world, your perspective, your experience, and let's see what we can do together to change things, to make the healthcare professionals more likely to listen to POC. When all you do is yell and work to destroy people who have made mistakes, you're never going to get where you want to go. It makes the divide wider and wider. I'm probably being utterly silly to think these three woman could in fact band together and create positive change.
but in all seriousness you can say what you want, but just don’t be surprised if people might take it the wrong way.
she said that CB was aggressive and brought it back to race when she was called on it, in my opinion she didnt say she did it because of her race, she did it because of her personality. How is it racist of it's true? Like I said before, are we supposed to be afraid to call out rude, obnoxious, aggressive behaviour because someone has a different skin colour to us, in fear of being called racist. You can dislike someone for their personality and not what they look like.