Statement from JAW on Black Lives Matter

Here at JAW we have been watching the situation that is growing around the world and taking some time to fully understand and learn about the complexities of what is going on. We wanted to make sure we had learned enough information before making any kind of statement.

We have witnessed the tragic events in the US where we have many friends and loved ones with a sense of horror, frustration and a feeling of utter hopelessness as again people die needlessly and again the protest, the indignation and the revulsion of millions of people get ignored because it doesn’t fit with the vision of an ever shrinking group of people. People who were in positions where they were once regarded as our leaders. That is a role that has to be earned, has to be deserved and has to be carried out in a manner where all people, no matter what their race, creed, religion or location are helped to raise themselves and build a society where we can all thrive, not just the few. They are no longer our leaders, they are just businessmen and politicians out to protect their own interests, not the interests of everybody.

The system is broken.

Stories like the tragic killing of George Floyd are not new. And that’s the problem. But this one is different. This one is making people stop and think. This time people are looking at a much bigger picture. Not the businessmen and politicians obviously, but the wider populations. People are looking at the historical causes of such injustices that lead to events like those of the past weeks. People are starting to examine the history of characters over the last three or four hundred years to look closely at their role in history. Wealth built on slave trade, mis-treatment and indeed mass murder of people back then will no longer be buried in the annals of history but will become public and have to be addressed. Those whose wealth and privileged lifestyles are built on the pain and suffering of others will fight to keep it. They will see any examination of their family history to be more unjust than someone murdered by a group who serve under the banner “To Protect and Serve”.

To protect and serve. There’s a phrase that is fast losing the comforting meaning it was no doubt established for. Maybe it is phrase that certain groups in the US and indeed all over the world are no longer fit to live up to. Instead, maybe it is a phrase that now all of us need to live up to. Protect each other, serve each other, help each other. It really is the only way that we will learn, that we will educate the coming generations that discrimination of any kind does not need to happen and cannot be tolerated any longer. People aren’t born racist. It’s taught. Change the lesson. Let’s make this fear that is at the heart of all discrimination, and make no mistake, these people who discriminate by race, gender, religion or any other reason fear those that they discriminate against. Let’s take this fear and educate it out of society.

We at JAW are so proud of the responses of our team. Every one of them has had a chance to express their views in an equal and balanced environment. They have been listened to and their concerns discussed. We don’t have all the answers, we can’t change the world, but we can make it better for those around us, and we will.

We stand and support the protest worldwide. Black lives matter. Your life matters. Let’s make a difference.

Thank you for reading

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