IT’S hard to go anywhere on the left without hearing someone mention how Black Lives Matter should move from a moment to a movement. 

This often from people who have done virtually nothing – never attending a march – never spoken at a rally – never prioritised race equality in bargaining. Yet still they proclaim a long-held commitment to something they have never really done anything about.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against people arriving late to the party. Better late than never I say. But I really wish they wouldn’t treat anti racism or the Black Lives Matter movement – because yes, it’s already a movement and has been for some considerable time – as some sort of fashion accessory. An accessory to be paraded and then, as with all other fashions, to be discarded when a new fashion emerges.

I remember not so long ago how I was hearing constantly from some people on the left that anti-racism was the most important issue facing humankind. It was then decided – by whom I do not know – that in fact anti-racism was not now the most important issue because that was now climate change. In fact it really had been climate change all along. How foolish I was to think that Black lives mattered that much! Then George Floyd was murdered and then, lo and behold, Black lives once again mattered more than anything. I was obviously relieved that my life mattered again.

Its obviously a false comparison to place Black lives either above or below climate change as a campaign. For Black people, in any case, our families in the Global South will be amongst the first to suffer from climate change. My point in raising this is simply to illustrate how some people are using the Black Lives Matter movement for their own ends rather than demonstrating a real commitment to anti-racism. Taking a knee in honour of George Floyd is one thing, but actually making a sustainable and long-term commitment to anti-racism is another thing entirely.

The trade union movement needs to remember this as we meet at Congress to debate our motions. Not only will we debate motions specifically on anti-racism but we also need to make sure that we illustrate how Black lives matter throughout the agenda. On the economy, education and Covid-19 to name but a few. Black lives matter on everything and not just those items that carry a Black or anti-racist label.

We also need to do this beyond Congress itself. We can’t make tackling the institutional racism that still exists in the UK, including the trade union movement, a temporary or fashionable affair. It’s one of the reasons that I fully support the re-establishment of the TUC Stephen Lawrence Task Force. We need to inject some new energy across our movement into tackling institutional racism and, most importantly, to turn it into a key organising and bargaining issue.

We know how to march against racism and the rise of the far right. Many, though not all of us, have experience of actually doing it. However, we need to do much more than march. We need to organise Black workers, promote Black self-organisation and bargain in the workplace. We must continue to march but we must also move beyond the slogans, badges and placards to bringing about real change in the lives of Black workers.

Real change for Black workers includes paying some credence to the struggles that Black workers have to endure to reach any position within the trade union movement as well as in any workplace. I know few Black workers who have not faced a struggle to achieve any position with the trade union movement. To have these struggles ignored are dismissed as either careerism or tokenism, as I have heard, or to have Black workers held to a higher standard is not good enough for our movement.

So Black lives have to matter every day and not just when its convenient or fashionable. The trade union movement can show the way. We can continue that journey at Congress this week.

Roger McKenzie is a candidate to be the next general secretary of Unison.