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#106 Margaret Bending Another darkness descends

Margaret Bending

As we see the lockdown restrictions being relaxed, and start to believe that there really is a lighter time ahead, another darkness descends. Not new, not seen by all, but never far away, and sadly experienced by so many. Let the murder in Minneapolis of George Floyd be the turning point, where we all stand up and say that we will not accept racism any longer; we will not turn a blind eye and deny its existence; we are one people and the future is for all. Black Lives Matter. We need to unite against the injustice, the inequality, the brutality in the world. As such scenes can be recorded, and instantly shared around the globe, it is so much harder for the truths to be hidden, and for the guilty to go free. In fighting the virus we have shown that we can come together against a common enemy, and we will defeat it. Now we need to come together against a greater enemy, that threatens not only the lives of some, but the humanity of all.

Precis

From the beginning of May 2020, the UK government began easing the restrictions around lockdown, and people began cautiously opening their doors and venturing back out onto the streets and into open spaces. There was still much confusion about how safe it was to do this, with wildly differing views from both government spokespeople, the scientists – and the people themselves. In some ways, this was a more stressful time than the previous lockdown. In the following extracts, company members reflect on these changing days, with 31 days recorded, spanning May and June. Edited by Barney Bardsley