Listening, Learning, Doing The Work
We’ve been quiet on the blog for a while, with the incredible uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement we’ve been taking some time to get up to speed and see where we can do better. Behind the scenes we’ve been paying close attention what’s happening in the world, while particularly tuning in to Irish voices in this space and hearing what they have to say. We’re learning so much, unlearning lots too and listening intently to those who haven’t had the space to speak up before now.
We also know that this is not enough. We understand that we need to do better. Across Hunter and our sister agency The Collaborations Agency we have lots of opportunities to include more BIPOC voices and faces in the work we do, and we’re committed to making that happen.
Along with the numerous recommended sources for books/podcasts/people to follow we’ve been making our way through (this is a good place to start if you’re lost), we’d like to share some other things we’ve found helpful in the space we work in.
The Instagram account @black_andirish is amazing page, highlighting the struggles and successes of the Black Irish community. It’s a privilege to hear of the many experiences of Black people growing up and living in Ireland and what that has meant to them and @black_andirish have created a hugely important space for this we can all learn from.
Another fantastic initiative, organised by Jen Stevens was the #sharethemicnow campaign on Instagram. 18 incredible Irish women shared their Instagram platforms - with well known content creators giving over their platforms to incredible Black Irish women, introducing them to an audience that may not have come across them before.
We’ve also been following Irish-Nigerian writer Emma Dabiri. Her posts on the construct of race and the Irish Black shared history have been eye opening and we’re currently reading her book Don’t Touch My Hair. She also has a Patreon you can subscribe to here.
Lastly, we’ve found Masi.ie a great resource for information on the Direct Provision system in Ireland. The Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland is an independent platform for asylum seekers to join together in unity and purpose. MASI seeks justice, freedom and dignity for all asylum seekers. You can follow them on Instagram here and donate here.
This is just scratching the surface of what we need to do and how we take these lessons on as we move forward. We’re grateful to all of those taking time to create resources that we have been able to use to educate ourselves over the last number of weeks and will continue to do. This is just the very beginning and we’re committed to doing the work and holding ourselves accountable as we move forward. We have lots of plans in the pipeline to support Black creatives through Hunter and The Collaborations Agency and are excited to get started on this new chapter.