‘These demonstrations must be more than a mere moment, they must be a catalyst for sustained social reform’

My grandfather was a gentle man who dissented from his Brethren roots to join the establishment of the Anglican Church and work as a vicar and prison chaplain for over six decades.

He had a quiet and pragmatic faith, yet held the powerful conviction that all are equal, injustice ought to be faced head on and that it was the duty of us all to stand alongside the hurting and marginalised.

On the April 8 1968 he hosted a service of remembrance, with the mayor of Gloucester, to honour the life and grieve the death of Dr Martin Luther King Jr who had been murdered four days earlier.

A young white priest from the Cotswolds stood in solidarity with the suffering of African Americans during a time in which socially legitimised racism was the norm and even within his own institution, segregation was often the unspoken expectation.

Samuel Williams remembers his grandfather during the protests. Photo: Samuel Williams

Amidst prejudice he grieved the loss of one of the great social reformers of modern history, knowing that such a loss held implications beyond a man, a city, a movement or ethnicity but upon all humanity, because to stand in indifference to injustice was to legitimise hate, fear and violence within our societies.

It was only weeks later that same year, whilst riots and fire spread across the USA in response to the death of Dr King Jr, that parliament passed the revised Race Relations Bill; addressed in Birmingham by Enoch Powel with his now infamous rivers of blood speech he decried the bill and lamented the in-flow of commonwealth citizens predominantly from the Caribbean’s Windrush generation.

Yet under this banner of tension, hurt and prejudice within our own country my grandfather, along with thousands of others stood in solidarity because they knew that, in the words of that great reformer: “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

And, therefore, when you stand against injustice, irrespective of where it is perpetrated, you are safeguarding the justice, equality of opportunity and liberty in the lives and communities of those near and far.

The Black Lives Matter protest asks people to be actively anti-racist. Photo: Martin Booth

I know that the Black Lives Matter movement is uncomfortable to many of us because it can feel like the pointing finger of accusation or like an outdated stand against an injustice fought by a previous generation, and to continue the discussion is only to labour upon an issue that has been dealt with.

However, the data shows the issue is not dealt with, and the Black Lives Matter movement is not a pointing finger of accusation, but rather an outstretched hand beckoning us all into conversation and greater understanding. It is an invitation for unity.

“Taking the knee” and acknowledging another’s pain is neither an admission of guilt nor a delegitimisation of our own pain and struggle, but rather it is an expression of extraordinary human evolution, that is, the ability to empathise and show compassion to others – even if it comes at a cost to ourselves.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees is among those to have “taken the knee”. Photo: Bristol City Council

The past weeks have been painful for many as we have seen the murder of Ahmaud Arbury, the deep violence against Christian Cooper and then within a matter of days the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police.

As demonstrations continue to spread across the USA and UK, and planned for Bristol this coming Sunday, I wholehearted stand in unity with those suffering at the hands of racial injustice, I honour the lives of those who have been killed because of hate, and I call for reform to the institutions that harbour systematic prejudice.

However, within the current climate of the global Covid-19 pandemic and the fears of a second spike, coupled with the reports showing greater susceptibility and severity of Covid-19 on those of black and Asian heritage, I am significantly concerned that these demonstrations, which cannot uphold social distancing guidelines, will have a catastrophic impact on our collective fight against the virus.

Whilst the fact that this is known and yet thousands are willing to demonstrate, risking health, might reaffirm the strength of feeling associated with these demonstrations, I feel compelled to urge socially distanced solidarity.

Samuel Williams urges the Black Lives Matter movement to practise social distancing. Photo: Martin Booth

Whilst it is right that we act now, these demonstrations must be more than a mere moment; they must be a catalyst for sustained social reform both here and in the USA. Make your voice heard by writing to your councillor, mayor, MP and prime minister, use digital platforms and safe forms of gathering.

Our democracy is formed on the notion of representation, and therefore the importance of all our voices being heard cannot be underestimated. Whether you agree with me or not that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, your voice matters; all I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal of our democracy.

Samuel Williams in the Conservative candidate for mayor of Bristol.

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read more: Black Lives Matter march taking place on Sunday