Black Fest 2020, Locks; Prison Systems and Racial Profiling is an event in partnership with Unity Theatre in Liverpool and was live streamed online. This evening’s conversation / event is just one of a series of nights highlighting black issues in the world and giving black and mixed-race people a voice to express their opinions and experiences. 'Locks’ gives real accounts from three different men from different backgrounds and countries. The one things that connects them being the struggles they have experienced and are still experiencing now.
Government research has shown that black and mixed-race people are three more times likely to be arrested than white people. This is a terrifying realisation that black and mixed-raced people are still being victimised, even today. Recently, these issues came to the fore again with the recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been getting more and more support from people of all races, who just want to do their bit to assist them, where they can.
Hosted by Tayo Aluko, a playwright, actor and director, he asked the three writers, Ashleigh Nugent, D. Hunter and Keith LaMar to read two extracts from their books and talk briefly what was going through their minds at the time, when writing these chapters and if their feelings had changed now. The three writers gave accurate accounts of how they have struggled in their lives and the experiences they have endured in and out of prison.
The first person to speak was Ashleigh Nugent, who is a writer, rapper and founder of RiseUpCic. He spoke about his personal experiences of being in the Jamaican criminal justice system, his work with RiseUp and his new book, ‘Locks.’ Nugent mentioned his book was inspired by his tough upbringing and the experiences, part fictional and part real life. Seeing Trevor McDonald on the television as a child proves to have had an extremely positive effect later on in his life.
Second was D. Hunter, the writer of ‘Chav Solidarity’ and new book, ‘Tracksuits, Traumas and Class Traitors.’ He spoke about his experiences of poverty, informal economies and social movements reflecting on class, race, abolition and community care. Additionally, he mentioned he had spent several years of his youth and adult life in prison. He accepts he is a "token white guy".
Last to speak was Keith LaMar, writer of ‘Condemned,’ which is the firsthand account of his experiences of the Lucasville Prison uprising of 1993. He spent almost three decades in solitary confinement on Ohio’s death row, awaiting execution for crimes he allegedly committed during the longest prison riot in US history, inspite of an abundance of suppressed evidence that pointed to his innocence.
The three men in ‘Locks’ did really well explaining their stories and getting their messages across to the audience. They have all suffered at the hands of prison systems and wanted their experiences to be heard by a wider audience. Writing their books is their way of expressing these injustices and the harsh experiences they have endured during their lives. The running themes in tonight’s chat-show were racial tensions, prejudices, confinement, race and class.
Tayo Aluko did a brilliant job hosting tonight’s show and gave all the writers an equal amount of time to tell the audience their stories. All the writers answered Aluko’s questions well with straight-to-the-point answers. Overall, ‘Locks’ gave these writers a voice to talk about their books and speak about the experiences of prejudices and racism they have experienced. I found ‘Locks’ thought-provoking at times hearing all the stories. ‘Locks’ is just one of various shows being live streamed this week for Black Fest. Look at The Unity Theatre's website for all details.
Reviewer - Mark Cooper
on - 21/9/20
No comments:
Post a Comment