Doing the work is a reader-supported newsletter for anyone who is serious about doing the work of anti-racism. It's a space for learning, accountability, and honest and open reflections on anti-racism, anti-oppression and what it means for brands and communications. It’s brought to you by Collette Philip, a multi-award-winning founder, writer, coach and facilitator.
Last Sunday was the 5 year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. And I wasn't going to write anything. But I found myself on LinkedIn and after seeing a few posts, I felt the urge to write a call to action.
Because some people were talking about 5 years since the Black Lives Matter movement. Others were saying it has been 5 years since the murder of George Floyd inspired a movement. And both of these takes are just not true.
The Black Lives Matter Movement existed way before 2020. The organisers used the brief resurgence of interest in their work as a moment to galvanise people and apply pressure - but that did not represent the fullness of the movement, what inspired it or it’s achievements. Anti-racism work did not start in 2020 (at least not for many of us). So I wanted to be clear on this.
I wrote my LinkedIn post (you can read the full post here) with the following call to action
“The work of anti-racism continues. Let’s not get distracted”
But, honestly I still felt some way about what I was seeing and the overwhelming silence from companies and institutions who had previously been very vocal.
So I wrote a poem to try and express how I feel. And a couple of nights ago, I performed it at my first ever poetry open mic performance. You can watch it in the video, or if you prefer to read, here it is.
The noose
By Collette Philip
Its violence is evident.
Visible in its construction,
Once a punishment for law breakers and criminals,
it became the sanction for those of us who overstepped their station.
The station given by a system invented to categorise, differentiate and elevate, based on what?
Our hue.
The gift bestowed on us by God
To protect and nourish us in the land he created,
The home of our creation.
Our motherland. Our mother's land.
We were stolen and trafficked and beaten and broken
Yet not defeated.
The noose was their control.
To punish us for the crime of existing in the lands they brought us to.
A word, a look, a lie was all it took.
No trial, no mercy. The noose.
They want it to be their shameful past, they want us to forget.
But how can I forget if you don't let me live?
You're still using the noose, you just don't want us to see.
You don't want us to be free.
The noose is your guns, your boot, your laws, your violence, your silence
Your knee on our necks, as we beg for our lives.
We are still begging for our lives.
Our lives don't matter to you.
Your pretence was fleeting.
You said George helped you see.
All you saw was your own guilt.
Which, of course, you couldn't face.
Because your face is not my hue.
Your face is etched with the sins of your kin.
Your skin gives you access and puts you out of reach of the noose.
So why would you care?
I dared, for a minute to hope that this was a reckoning.
A movement beckoning
A future that is better for all of us.
But you?
No. N-O…O-SE.
The noose is what you know.
So no. No change.
Just the platitudes, and gestures and empty words and retaliation of someone Who knows their back is against the wall.
Because this system of empire will fall
Our lives do matter.
And your noose hangs loose.
Because you can't control us anymore.
Copyright: Collette Philip, 2025. All rights reserved.
Reflection questions
How did you feel on reading the poem?
Where do you need to sit with discomfort?
How were you feeling 5 years ago about this work?
Where are you now?
Why do you still care about this work?
What do you need to let go of, to continue doing this work?
Where do you need to recommit?
Do comment below with your reflections.
This week, for me Doing The Work looked like:
Running a workshop at a conference with my co-conspirator, teammate and Substack legend
Attendees talked about how they were a bit scared to come into the session, for fear of being confronted with unwelcome truths but ended up loving the depth of the reflection and left energised to drive change!
And that journey is really typical for the spaces I curate and hold - including this one! Paid subscribers will get the session handout as a free PDF in our subscriber chat.
Time to take action
This post is a freebie. However “Doing the Work” is about taking sustained, committed action. Providing resources that can be consumed passively, without commitment or follow up is not in keeping with how we do things or what I know works. Also expecting free labour from Black people is… not in keeping with anti-racist and anti-oppressive work (and if I am enabling this, then I am complicit). I know that you, as part of our community will agree with this.
Thank you for being here.
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