“I would like to see education, conversation, and mobilisation within the black community in Ireland and dialogue between the white and black community on racial issues to enable true allyship,” he says. “In the deaf community, especially with older deaf people, there’s a lot of ignorance that facilitates micro-aggression and stereotypes.”Lydia Gratis served as president of the Irish Deaf Youth Association. Independently, Gratis runs awareness and anti-racism workshops where she delves into topics relating to the black community in Ireland. Photograph: Tom HonanIn June 2020, Okpara wrote a poem entitled “Black is a made-up country (to which you are a national)” and shared it at an Irish Black Lives Matter virtual rally, drawing praise from across the black community. The event featured a line-up of Irish drag performers, raising funds for non-profit LGBT organisations, Black Pride Ireland and Origins Eile.

Source: The Irish Times July 05, 2020 05:00 UTC