Welcome to our second newsletter. We thought a lot about whether now is an appropriate time reach out, not wanting to distract or detract from the vital Black Lives Matter protests and movement. However, given calls for South Asian communities to self-reflect and dismantle the anti-blackness and other discriminatory practices that are pervasive in our culture, we thought at least some of what we share here may aid you in this process of reflection.
We understand there are many competing priorities on members of our community right now and urge you all to continue the necessary work in supporting and fighting for black lives, whether you have been doing the work for a long time or are new to the fight. It needs us right now and going forward. If that allows you the space and time to also share your thoughts on experiences within the South Asian community, we would like to offer the option of a safe space for that in Ansuni Stories, a new storytelling and research project looking at collectivist culture.
Alternatively, if you are looking for a community online right now, you are most welcome to join one of our digital events as part of the Ikhatta series.
In Solidarity
The Rights Collective
We’re excited to announce the launch of our new storytelling and research project - Ansuni Stories. We invite you to share your experiences as members of the South Asian Diaspora, exploring the positives and negatives that result from a collectivist culture.
A collectivist culture is one where the needs and expectations of the community are placed above those of the individual. Within South Asian communities, this is seen through the emphasis on family, social circles and community relationships. This has both good and bad impacts and we'd like to hear about your experiences with it.
We welcome responses from anyone in the U.K. South Asian diaspora community who wants to share their experiences but particularly encourage you to respond if you identify as a womxn, including non-binary, gender-queer, trans womxn.
Ikhatta; a digital gathering
Ikhatta is a digital gathering of arts, poetry, teach-ins, solidarity sessions, workshops and more for our communities under lockdown. We've got a number of exciting new events lined up!
If you're looking for a relaxing live musical session, our Instagram live with musician Bhrigu Sahni is the one for you, or if you prefer detoxing and learning new techniques to cope with stress, our interactive session with story-teller and actress Natasha Jain might help. Sign up by clicking on the event below.
Black Lives Matter
Black lives matter, now and always.
We have chosen not to provide an extensive resource list about anti-racism or black lives here as we feel there are amazing resources being shared online by so many others. However, please feel free to check out our BLM highlight on Instagram or, if you would like to be guided to anything in particular, reach out to us at therightscollective@gmail.com.
If you don't know where to start, try this and be sure show your support by following up with meaningful action.