What a week it has been.
On Monday the 22nd started like any other Monday in a Pandemic. Wake up, check twitter, drink tea, cycle to work, log on to [Zoom/Teams/Skype] Spend a day in front of the computer and answering questions to my physical team (IRL).
I would like to say I had no inkling of how the vote in the evenings political AGM was going to go, but... Like always, I had done my homework. The role of Deputy leader is a largely un-contentious role in the group, so most had supported my candidacy. I felt confident.
An online AGM on Teams was actually fairly complicated. A new voting system had to be used, people still not understanding, even after months, that unmute to speak and mute so we can't all hear your plates being washed in the background; or that EVERYONE can see your face, so keep your facial expressions in check. Somehow we got through the meeting. I was unopposed, my internet connection was slow so no one could hear me, I didn't even end up giving a speech. A few of the group watsapped me congrats, but it was fairly unceremonious. I decided to post my 'win' to my 300 followers on twitter, made up of friends and colleagues ....A silly photo of me at Labour Conference in 2019, gawping at seeing Jeremy Corbyn, the then leader, surrounded by other councillors and an acknowledgement of the time that had passed since Cllr John Archer was the leader of the council.
30 mins later a friend in Manchester texted to say I was blowing up on the internet (exaggeration). 500 likes and about 100 retweets. And rising by the second (5.7k)
It wasn't until a few days later that I did actually digest the importance. There hasn't been black African Carribbean person in the leadership in 107 years.
How can it be more than a century that has passed since this happened in a borough where in 2011 there were 9 main nationalities and 10 different languages different languages recorded and a wealth of cultures from many developing nations. But then again how can there be only 2 black Councillors in the current intake of 60? Where is the representation across the board? How do we change this?
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