Clean air for the ends
Communities of colour are disproportionately affected by the failure of successive governments to address the climate emergency – and air pollution in particular – with an equitable and inclusive approach. Poetic Unity, a Brixton-based charity that supports thousands of young Black and marginalised people through poetry and spoken word, has been raising awareness about the issue for the past two years. Jayda David provides an insight into the organisation’s work.
When I say to people that the air is racist, there’s often a short laugh, as it seems illogical. In fairness, it’s not the air itself but those who are responsible for ensuring the quality of it, our health and our lives.
As many as 43,000 people die every year due to the effects of air pollution in the UK and Black people are being exposed to greater levels of illegal air pollution than any other ethnic group.
Let’s look at a practical example: Edmonton, north London. The borough is one of the poorest areas of the country and a majority of the population are from minority ethnic communities. It is also home to an incinerator that has been burning waste from several London boroughs for over half a century and is planning to expand.
The people of Edmonton and the surrounding boroughs have relentlessly campaigned against the expansion of the incinerator due to fears over its health impacts, but, currently, to no avail. When we compare with Cambridgeshire, a leafy county with a white population of 88.6 per cent that was able to successfully (and rightfully) have plans for a new waste incinerator site scrapped, the contrast is stark.
The voices of Black, minority ethnic and working class people have long been dismissed as unimportant by those in authority in the UK. This is why young people at Poetic Unity are using their voices to encourage the voiceless and hold the government and local authorities to account.
‘We bring the power of creativity to raise awareness’
Poetic Unity has been been working alongside Live+Breathe, which brings together communities across Lambeth and Southwark to demand change from councils on air pollution, for the past two years. We bring the power of creativity to raise awareness and we do it our way.
Too often, governments and corporations rely on people being excluded from conversations about their own lives. They do this purposefully through secrecy, using numbers that average people can’t decode or language that we may not understand.
Knowing the needs and difficulties that marginalised people face in our day to day lives, Poetic Unity is bringing you the facts, the figures and the fight in a way that everyone can comprehend and get passionately behind.
Earlier this summer, Poetic Unity launched its Clean Air for the Ends campaign, which aims to highlight the inequality in the air. With regular meetings with local changemakers, panel discussions, free events and performances, Poetic Unity and Live+Breathe have been doing a lot of community-focused work to improve the situation. As the wheels get going on the campaign, we want as many of you out there as possible to get involved.
We recently organised a community bike ride: over 50 of us with free bikes from Forest Bikes cycled through Brixton and Peckham protesting for cleaner air and painting a clear picture of Black people existing in this space, letting you know we are aware of the pollution disproportionately stacked against us and that we care enough to fight for it. If you want an authentic and genuine outlook on our mission and what young people feel about racial inequalities in the air, watch our film with words from MyselfBlaize, representing our community.
For most of us who can’t choose where we live, air inequality is another segment of life in which we are unduly affected by the weight of systemic racism and classism. This tends to look like a lack of access to green spaces, and living and going to school near busy, congested roads and harmful waste incinerators. How far do you have to walk to find a green space big enough for you to not hear any cars or traffic?
‘Nobody deserves to die due to illegal air pollution’
With the Clean Air for the Ends campaign, Poetic Unity aims to have its end goals met of an annual free community bike ride, an annual free public transport day and significantly cheaper public/alternative transport. Ultimately, we’re aiming for every Londoner’s dream – free public transport for all residents. I know this last goal may seem like a stretch, but it is already a reality in whole countries such as Luxembourg and Malta. So, for a city that contributes about a quarter of the UK’s GDP, it’s a doable feat.
Enough said. Nobody deserves to die due to illegal air pollution and Black people do not deserve to die at higher rates because of nothing other than racism. If you feel the same, get involved with our workshops and activations; make your commitment alongside Poetic Unity to fight for Clean Air for the Ends.
Find out more about Poetic Unity and get involved in its Clean Air for the Ends campaign at www.poeticunity.org.uk. Instagram: @PoeticUnity
Jayda David is a London-based spoken word artist, workshop facilitator and youth worker.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Runnymede Trust.
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Photo © Jayda David
