Yahoo News One Show hosts address Black Lives Matter protests as "landmark" moment
The One Show has delved into the impact of the Black Lives Matters protests.
Alex Jones and Gethin Jones opened and closed Tuesday's (June 2) edition of the BBC One chat show by speaking about the protests in the US and globally — as well as acknowledging that The One Show would not be posting social media clips from the night's show to recognise Blackout Tuesday.
The One Show presenters had a wide-ranging discussion with BBC historian David Olusoga about why the protests could prove to be a "landmark" moment in race relations in the US and beyond.
Olusoga explained that he found it too traumatic to watch the video footage of the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody when a white police officer kneeled on his neck.
Related: This Morning's Alison Hammond gives powerful Black Lives Matter speech following George Floyd death
"This is an African-American man dying. You can watch it. It's a profoundly upsetting experience," Olusoga told Alex and Gethin. "People of all races are deeply shocked. I think one of the great positives of this is that this is not a black and white situation.
"Those riots are very much people of all backgrounds deciding that they want to protest. That this is too much. That this is not acceptable."
As Alex and Gethin closed Tuesday's edition of The One Show, Alex acknowledged that white privilege means that she will never truly understand what racial discrimination feels like.
"It is hard to know what to say, isn't it?" Alex admitted. "Everything really feels inadequate in this conversation. As a white woman, I don't know what it's like to be discriminated against due to my skin colour. It's difficult to say the right thing."
Related: Marvel stars Chris Evans, Michael B Jordan, Don Cheadle and more rally behind Black Lives Matter
"It felt like it started as an American story, but this is a global problem," Gethin added. "Watching footage over the last few days, it's just desperately sad, it's frustrating. It's wrong. We need to change. We all need to change. We all need to do that now."
Alex summed up the show by saying: "I think the key is, as individuals and as families, to read the wealth of articles that are online, to listen to the podcasts, all the stuff that's been on the radio today to help each other to become better humans. That's it, in a nutshell, isn't it?"
The One Show continues Mondays through Fridays at 7pm on BBC One.
For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
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