By Iain Stewart
Commemorating International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the 21st March
I wanted to tell you about a small project I have coming up for UN Day for the Elimination on Racism. Many of you will know my work in on human rights and equality, but will not know that I also am a semi-professional musician and the proud father of two mixed-race daughters with my wife being from Rwanda, which is where I have recorded most of my music.
Although deeply aware of the inequalities faced by my wife and daughter, the killing of George Floyd, in May 2020 made me think that it was time to act on the deeply ingrained racism and abuse faced by people of colour in our society. As a father of a mixed-raced child then, I began to fear for her future (I now have two daughters).
I anguished how I felt in a poem which I wrote for my daughter, in the summer of 2020, about my fears over the hate and discrimination she will endure while growing up and my advice to my daughter to stand up against racism and challenge it as she grows up.
This poem became a song which is dedicated to the parents of black or mixed-race children like me who worry about the prejudice our children will suffer as they grow older and our hopes that together we can change the world to eliminate hate and prejudice brought on by racism.
The video for the new song will be released on Monday 15 March 2020 in the build up to International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2021 which is on 21 March 2021 to garner support of anti-racist activists to build a better future for our children, free of hate and prejudice caused by racism. I have attached the link for the video below which will go live on Monday 15 March 2021. I urge you to take action to fight the blight of racism by sharing my song on your social media channels.
Click here to watch the music video of Dear Daughter.
You will also be able to find links to the song on my YouTube and Facebook page.
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