Remembrance and truth
The real truth of our shared history was a casualty of that war and, like any wound left untended, the results can be catastrophic.
The quote above comes from an article I read the other day about Germany's attempts to examine and come to terms with the atrocities of its past over the past fifty years, contrasted with the gaping absence of any such accountability for past horrors in the United States. The quote refers to the US Civil War. It was the anniversary of Kristallnacht this week and, in commemoration, the synagogues destroyed that night were brought back to life in the form of colourful projections.
I was thinking about all this, during this week of remembrance in the UK. We have our own untended wounds and while we might look across the Atlantic Ocean and finger point at the United States, we must also front up to our own cruel role unleashing centuries of devastating colonialism around the world.
This is why I'm so supportive of the National Trust's work examining the links between properties in its care with that colonial past. This is an interesting-looking course: Colonial Countryside
I loved this article about actors, directors, and producers sharing their top screen moments. Lenny Henry mentions the opening credits of Do the Right Thing. Had me dancing in my chair and took me straight back to going to see the film at the Corner House in Manchester in 1989. Wonderful
#RepresentationMatters
Interesting and useful links 🖇️
I've written before about the dangers of aggregating data into BAME, LGBTQ etc. Here's a thoughtful thread on the subject.
The records of many thousands of Punjabi soldiers from the First World War have been discovered in Lahore and digitised so historians and the descendants can investigate their service records online. Here's a link to the story.
Learning points 🎓
I thought this was a great blog about the ways some large charities talk about overhead damage the whole voluntary sector, especially smaller, grassroots charities.
Day of the Week 📆
I was honoured to represent Florence Eshalomi, MP for Vauxhall, at the Remembrance Day service at St Thomas' Hospital this week. I loved that the ceremony took place at the statue of Mary Seacole, who was a nurse in the Crimean War, and is the first Black woman to be honoured with a named statue in the UK.
What am I reading? 📚
Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria - challenging, but vital, read
What am I listening to? 👂
RIP UB40's Astro. Here's an interview with him from earlier this year.
Joy-giving things 😍
Have a lovely weekend. Go hug a tree.
Lucy
I write this newsletter because I believe in sharing progressive ideas that help us work towards a truly equal world.
Share it with your friends so they can read it too 📣
Thank you!
ChangeOut is created by Lucy Caldicott. You can find more about my work at ChangeOut.org. If you’re looking to have a chat about culture, leadership, purpose, equity, or a facilitated team discussion about any of those things, get in touch. You can also find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and, LinkedIn.
If it’s your first time reading this newsletter, find out more here.