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“The idea for the Black and Irish page came up during a lockdown Zoom quiz session between two of my friends and I. We talked about all sorts of topics every week, but after the George Floyd case, the need for a page for black people in Ireland really stuck with us. We wanted to create something that helped facilitate real conversations about the black and Irish experience. At first, it wasn’t even meant to be an Instagram page. We were more thinking about a website, but we knew that we wanted to feature personal experiences, as we believe they have the most power. It had to be on social media. Soon after setting it up, the page snowballed and became so much more than what we initially created it for. Without even taking a gasp, we had created a community centre for black people where everyone can have a voice. A place where you are encouraged to share your experiences – be it about your struggles, challenges, successes or proud achievements. I feel like there’s never been a platform or a place where we could unite the way they did on this page.
Coming from African immigrant parents and growing up in Ireland, when I heard someone is black and Irish, I automatically thought about people who came from similar backgrounds – first or second-generation immigrants from Africa. I never knew that there’s this massive Afro-Caribbean community who have lived here for centuries. Seeing their stories unfold on the page was so educating and eye-opening. It inspired us once again to start the Black and Irish History Series, which will educate people about the things we would not necessarily find in the school history books. We are hoping, going forward, that this page will continue to give black people confidence to be proud of their heritage and to be loud about their achievements.”
This post was highlighted by the National Transport Authority, TFI – Transport for Ireland and the Immigrant Council of Ireland to promote the discussion about diversity and inclusivity in Ireland and to bring awareness to their opposition of racism and discrimination of any kind on public transport. Find out more: https://www.transportforireland.ie/united-against-racism NTA