The Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bristol recently amplified the message from the Black community that systemic racial discrimination and inequality must end, and end now.  Many people from Black and Asian communities in Bristol have been fighting this cause for decades and it is right that the entire city and its citizens now come together to embed lasting change and improved outcomes for our Black citizens politically, socially and economically.

Bristol, its institutions, companies and communities are now called upon to accept responsibility, take ownership and be accountable, not only for enabling past and current systemic racial discrimination but also for taking immediate actions to change the status quo.  We must to put an end to the huge disparity in social, economic and health outcomes for our Black and Asian citizens, a situation that has negatively impacted individuals and families through generations.  We believe that achieving this is vital to all our futures.

Voscur as an organisation has before and is again publicly declaring its support for all those working as part of the movement to eradicate systemic discrimination and racism here in our city, nationally and globally.  We stand with those who are determined to do the work that will ensure that Bristol becomes a beacon of equality and a city of hope and aspiration, where everyone can share in its success.

The events over the past week show that our people and communities do not share an understanding of our past.  The only way we can work together is by learning the truth, embracing the facts, and taking action. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "We must learn to live together as brothers (and sisters) or perish together as fools.”

Voscur, June 2020.