in conversation with Amanda Adé

On Monday 1 June, Amanda Adé addressed crowds of demonstrators gathered at the US Embassy to mark the death of George Floyd and protest inequality. Here she speaks to ALHAUS magazine about the importance of calling out racism, educating ourselves and listening without invalidating.

I was born in South Africa and moved to Ireland when I was two — I've lived here ever since. I’ve always been interested in working with people (I've worked with youth since I was 13) and over the last couple of months I started up my podcast, Box’d Out. In whatever way I can, I want to push out a positive message and help change things.

For a lot of people, what has gone on in the US has really been an eye-opener in terms of understanding the reality of so many other people around the world. As tragic as the circumstances were, for a lot of people of colour it’s nothing new – it’s pretty much what they are used to. I’ve been met with a lot of criticism for saying this, but while what’s going on here and what’s going in the US is on completely different levels, racism is also very, very real here in Ireland. It’s just expressed in different ways.

Obviously the laws in America around guns are a lot more lax so there’s a different element when that gets involved. But the intent and motivation behind racism is still there – it’s in every country in the world. The emotional damage that can come from being on the receiving end of racism cuts just as deep – that’s our reality here and that’s what we know. Someone’s molehill is another person’s mountain. Each person’s experience is relevant to them and is what resonates with them.

This is a really good opportunity to raise awareness around the issue. There is a shift in the conversation – I can see it happening in our culture, people are waking up, people are standing up now, in larger numbers than I have ever seen in the past. I’m really hopeful for the future and what can come of this.

Everyone needs to take some time right now to educate themselves. There are so many great resources out there – find out more information, listen to the experiences of others, hear what they have to say. Listen to understand, don’t listen to respond. If someone is sharing their own experience, there’s no need to invalidate that just because it’s not your reality. Let people feel their feelings. Let people be angry. Let people be hurt and upset. They need to go through those emotions to get to the healing process.

First, educate and then, take all of that and bring it into your everyday life. Wherever you are, wherever your sphere of influence is – whether that’s your home, your workplace, your school – bring that to wherever you are and call out injustice when you see it, call out racism when you see it. Call out family members and friends who are being racist and be that difference. We can’t all tackle racism on a global or national scale but if each person individually takes that responsibility to change their own sphere of influence, there will be a domino effect that will keep on going from the ground up.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. For so many of my friends, it’s been a touchy subject recently but I’m so open to people asking questions – as long as it’s coming from a place of genuine curiosity and a genuine need to understand, I don’t think it will be met with resistance. If people are genuinely trying to seek knowledge, don’t be afraid to speak up.

If you literally type “what I need to know about privilege” into Google, there are links upon links to so many different resources. Personally, I definitely recommend books like The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin) and White Fragility (Robin DiAngelo); they break everything down so simply and help people understand why there is such passion around these subjects.

Our demonstration at the US Embassy was a big step forward. For the moment, because of the pandemic, our focus will stay online – keeping people up to date with what’s going on, posting up more resources for people who want to keep learning. I’m obviously not the only one speaking up about this: Erica Cody and Loah Music, amongst others, are really vocal on this subject.

Until we’re allowed to gather together, we’ll be looking at tackling issues here in Ireland on a political level. At the moment, there is no legislation against racially motivated hate crimes here – nothing to protect people of colour. We’re looking at the educational system too; primary school teachers have very limited resources in terms of teaching kids about racism and it’s crucial to tackle it from that age, when they’re so young and receptive.

About Amanda Adé: Amanda is an Irish activist, youth worker and presenter of Box’d Out, a podcast dedicated to breaking boundaries and starting awkward conversations. Follow her on Instagram at @the_amanda_ade.