Rushden woman's appeal for 99 stories from people who've encountered racism

Susan came up with the book idea after friends became openly offended when she expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement
Susan Bailey-Antoniou's parentsSusan Bailey-Antoniou's parents
Susan Bailey-Antoniou's parents

A Rushden woman is hoping a collection of stories from people who've encountered racism will go some way towards tackling the problem.

Susan Bailey-Antoniou is looking to gather 99 stories from people who have experienced or witnessed a racist situation and the impact it has had on their life.

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Susan, who has already had interest from a publisher, said: "The response I have had so far is amazing and everyone involved has said this is something they have never dealt with so among the tears they have all agreed that this is very cathartic for them, wishing they had found an outlet sooner."

The project will consist of 99 stories of memorable experiences of racism which could have been as a child or adult.

It may not necessarily have been directed at those submitting the stories, but it could be a situation they were exposed to that has left a memory with them and had an impact on their life.

Speaking about the idea behind it, Susan said: "The reason behind this came about when people I called friends, some of them from childhood, became openly offended when I expressed my support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

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"Many of them tried to justify some of the very distasteful 'jokes' they found funny enough to post on their social media accounts and I often found myself embroiled in very heated arguments as to why they were showing signs of racism.

"After questioning how I even knew these people, let alone had classed them as friends without realising their ignorance, I became emotionally exhausted as some old wounds resurfaced that I hadn't realised had affected me so deeply.

"I decided to share with them a couple of incidents that had impacted my life and in doing so it made it more real for them, actually knowing the level of torment someone they knew personally had been through appeared to make it more relatable to them.

"The interesting thing is that some of those people were clearly upset and took the time to self-reflect about their own actions and admitting they were guilty without even realising, promising to become more aware.

"Hence, the start of 99 Stories."

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Susan hopes that if more people get to hear the individual stories showing that even some of the comments they give little thought to can have a negative impact on others, they may do some soul searching and make some conscious changes to the way they view racism.

And she added: "It is baby steps that could help in moving towards an equal future for our children."

If you would like to submit a story for consideration in 99 Stories, email [email protected]

A percentage of the proceeds from 99 Stories will be donated to Black Minds Matter or a relevant charity.

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