The student population in Basingstoke has exponentially surged as an effect of Covid-19 related university, secondary school, and college closures.

This statistic certainly made itself known as a powerful body for change, on June 5th at Eastrop Park.

A group of approximately 100 gathered by the large pond in the middle of the park to take part in a peaceful protest.

Protesters were not only dedicated to paying homage to the victims of atrocious tragedies of police-brutality seen in America recently; but also, to the years of injustice embedded in racist institutions.

The names of victims, George Floyd, Belly Mujinga, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, were chanted into the humid June air with a sense of purposeful anger, not an empty sadness.

When I spoke to protesters, they highlighted the importance of shouting these names.

“When people hear a human name associated with a murder, I hope that people can understand the black community’s anguish. It makes it real in some way”, one protester told me.

Although it was a peaceful protest, it was anything but quiet. The park benches were stages – for speeches, chants, and passionate spoken word performances.

In the era of social media activism, there is a clear danger of committing ‘virtue signalling’ – performative action without a continued sentiment or supportive actions taken offline. A protest allows for a display of physical solidarity; a confirmation that the thousands of black squares posted on Instagram for #BlackoutTuesday can extend beyond just digital solidarity, to real life compassionate allyship.

Different speakers lead the crowd and spoke urgent messages of action.

“This is not enough”, one protester urged the crowd, “- it is not enough to show up here with our signs without fighting for real change back at home.”

The sentiment that ‘change starts from home’ was echoed, with the presence of the families, students, parents, and young people who attended.

I spoke to Chanelle Smith (36), who had brought her kids to the protests, about the importance of physical solidarity.

Basingstoke Gazette:

“I brought my children today to show them this.” She spoke passionately: “I want them to see that this is something close to their mother’s heart. This is also going to inevitably affect them as they grow up to be young black men. I want them to see that there’s more to our culture than what’s showed in the media: violence and injustice. There is so much culture and diversity that should be celebrated.”

There is an inextricable relationship between today’s youth and a passion for activism, because understandably, this is a fight their future.

Everyone’s future; which must be protected, nurtured, and fought for by all members of our community.

Soham Patel (19) was inspired to see such a diverse crowd of protesters, “Basingstoke is so diverse and houses many different communities.

It truly is a melting pot of different cultures, so it is so important to see that represented in situations that call for everyone’s support”, like the protest. It should be emphasised that change stems from not only young people, but all people in a community.

There is a certain tendency, especially displayed by university students, to depart from the mindset and social environment of their hometown, in favour of perhaps a bigger student city with a greater grasp of the current Zeitgeist.

However, everyone I spoke to emphasised the idea of ‘hometown change’.

Basingstoke is home for so many young people, therefore it must be the most significant setting to advocate real change. People’s connections are at home, so there arises a need to call out our own community, in order to uplift all members of said community. Blaize Daley (30) confirmed, “Places like this, are the most important places to start a chain of change”.

There was an extraordinary amount of passionate urgency displayed by every protestor that gathered in Eastrop Park.

As they were unable to march without a permit, other protestors including the organiser Isobelle Fellows have promised to organise another one soon, with the same energy and perhaps a bigger crowd.

Basingstoke is home to many of these students who so passionately protested against the perpetual cycle of injustices committed towards BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour).

The protest was not only a promise for action, it was proof that young people have more agency than perceived, through starting protests, networking, finding resources, and raising awareness. The idea that the process of change ignites from the hands of young people was fully realised.