Here's an easy template to use if you want to contact your MP about racism

From Red Online

The death of George Floyd, a Black African American man, at the hands of white police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25th in Minneapolis sparked protests across the world.

People turned out in their thousands in the UK yesterday ( June 3rd) to voice their anger, upset and, most importantly, put pressure on changemakers to act now to end racial bias and discrimination.

If you're wondering how you can utilise your own outrage to affect long-term change, one thing the majority of us can do in the UK is write to our MP.

Exercising your right to hold your political representative to account is one of the quickest and most influential ways to make your voice heard and ignite meaningful change.

Furthermore, your email will give your MP proof of public opinion in parliament which will, crucially, be used to put pressure on the government. And change cannot happen without pressure.

However, if you've never written to your MP before then it can be difficult to know how to do so.

Start by visiting Write To Them, which helps you identify your council representatives and MP if you don't already know who they are. If you want to use your MP's direct email address, use the 'Find My MP' tool on the UK Government website.

If you know what you want to say then you can send what feels right, if you are unsure then many people have shared links to useful templates and draft letters via Twitter.

The below template contains a three letters, one highlighting the racism in the UK, and two about the death of Belly Mujinga — a 47-year-old black woman who fell ill with the virus days after a man who said he had Covid-19 spat and coughed at her and a colleague at Victoria station — drafted by Beth Cloughton.

The below template, by writer Monica Heisey, is also particularly useful in articulating why MPs should address the newly-released – and hugely delayed – report into BAME COVID-19-related deaths.

Make sure to also include your address so that your MP knows you're a constituent; a constituent who can and will vote them out based on their action on these issues.

Importantly, don't let up the pressure on our political representatives, keep reminding them to make sure they use their position of power to bring justice and change.

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