Opal Tometi on the Ongoing Fight Against Police Brutality, From Nigeria to the U.S.

, Nigeria’s protests are all too familiar. As one of the cofounders of the Black Lives Matter movement, she’s used to being part of the fight for Black liberation. And the movement against the controversial Nigerian police unit known as SARS is particularly relevant to her as a first-generation Nigerian American.

It’s incredible to see as a cofounder of Black Lives Matter, and there are so many similarities with the Nigeria protests, starting with the fact that women are really some of the leading catalysts for this movement and are doing the incredible work of ensuring people are safe and have food and legal support and services. And that’s been phenomenal and similar and very true to what’s happening within the movement in the U.S.

True to what’s happening in the U.S. and around the world with the pandemic, people have just been pushed until they break. They’re already living paycheck to paycheck, living at the margins of society in terms of the ability to survive, and then you have police who are brutalizing them. It’s like, How much can you take from us? So the fact that our lives are quite literally being taken and snuffed out and we’re being brutalized and beaten, you know.... It’s just, “Enough.

It should be straightforward, but the fact of the matter is we continue to have people who are upset that Black people would speak up for themselves and organize and that we would have allies who are right there alongside us. We have so many people who are courageous and who have a conscience and who also are right alongside with us.

The other thing that’s disconcerting to me right now is that I’m looking particularly at what’s happening in Nigeria, and there are a lot of messages being circulated on WhatsApp that are queer-phobic, transphobic, all of that. They’re calling people witches, which is similar to what they did here in the U.S. because, you know, all of our societies are patriarchal. We see niche media being created to try to peel people off from the movement and play into a lot of people’s fears and prejudices.

opalayo

opalayo We're organizing a social media global day of protest in honor of tonight's fallen heroes & to show the Nigerian government the world is watching! It's tomorrow, Oct 22. For more info & protest materials: IStandWithYoungNigerians Endsars

BokoHaramWatch opalayo Not just police brutality. Also BuhariMustGo ENDBADGOVERNANCE Nepotism CorruptionMustEnd

opalayo Rudest people by far ..

opalayo You guys must be very crazy. We are Nigerians we don't play second place to nobody. Why would you say the protest in the US gave rise to ours? Better take down that ASININE caption. We rule our own world, we don't follow your lead. EndSARS

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