Dear Friend
Lion Hearted Love of DiversityDiversity - the art of thinking independently together - Malcolm Forbes Since I last blogged, the world feels a different place. An MP who stood for tolerance and inclusion has been murdered and the UK has voted for Brexit on the basis of false and frightening promises which have unleashed a wave of racist hate crime. A domino wave of separatism has been triggered as France, Scotland and even some Londoners are now considering independence. Politicians are resigning rather than remaining to face the far-reaching socio-economic consequences. Yet despite all of this, many of us remain committed to the daily business of building positive relationships in our families, communities and global family, relationships that honour our independence and our togetherness in vibrant diversity.Loving Diversity
I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows stifled. I want all the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible - GhandiI have always loved diversity and have sought out and been enriched by friends, adventures and artistic experiences of places far-flung from my 'white British' upbringing. I have always felt queasy about waving flags, national anthems and the pomp and paraphernalia of nationalism. So when my father recently traced his DNA and found that our ancestors spanned many continents, I 'came home' again to my feeling that I am not 'British' or any-ish - rather I am a citizen of the world and member of a global family connected by our humanity and shared breath on this diversely beautiful planet. Diversity, Warts n AllOne's own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general. What happens in Darfur becomes an assault on my own community and on me as an individual. That's what the human family is all about. - Wole Soyinka  Being part of the human family involves acknowledging the impact of its members behaviour, for better or worse. For me, the dangerously divisive, racist propaganda of Nigel Farage and far-right parties including Britain First is a violent assault on the diversity I hold dear and I will raise my voice to call for accountability in politics and the media. I will also refuse to allow the machinations of madmen divide me from any friends who voted Brexit because difference of opinion is a healthy part of society. The chasm in which we now find ourselves cannot be bridged by further division, nor can the divisions that have been forged be bridged by the whitewash of identity politics. Whilst some people may still hanker after a national identity manipulated by warring politicians for centuries, those of us living in diverse communities are left dressing the wounds it inflicts. The day of the referendum, I alighted at my usual bus stop to find it covered in paper hearts and this poster which reads'To the people at the bus stop who had racist abuse hurled at them (from a London Highway Van) Big <3 em="" from="" me="" to="" you.="">We are all inevitably impacted by destructive actions but that must not prevent us from responding creatively with a vision of a more loving world.Photos: Left: Jason Simms-Davis, Shaniqua Benjamin & Kyle Hylton on Inside Story Radio Show. Right: Croydon Carers Choir
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