Black Professionals Call For 24-Hour BBC Boycott Over N-Word Use
Over one hundred Black British professionals have penned an open letter calling for a 24-hour boycott of the BBC over its use of the N-word.
The InfluencHers, a group of professional British women of African and Caribbean origin, stated that the corporation had much more work to do in making amends after using the racial slur in a news bulletin and a history programme from last year.
The collective is calling for the public here and abroad to join them on Wednesday August 19 for BBC Black Out Wednesday, starting at 9am BST for 24 hours.
“We are asking all allies to join the boycott. We are asking everyone in the UK and around the world to not access any BBC content i.e. TV, radio, online and social media platforms,” the letter reads.
The group also wants to see the removal of David Jordan, director of editorial policy and standards, and Fran Unsworth, director of news, “for repeatedly bringing the BBC into disrepute and causing trauma, alarm, distress and humiliation to the public, and violating the dignity of Black staff by creating an offensive, degrading and humiliating working environment”.
They also urge the BBC to consult an independent organisation with a proven track record on race matters on all issues regarding race at the corporation.
On Sunday, the BBC apologised after using the N-word in a report about a racist attack in Bristol.
It came after the broadcaster received almost 19,000 complaints about the incident, as well as numerous complaints from staff and the resignation of BBC 1Xtra’s broadcaster Sideman aka David Whitely.
The letter states: “Dear BBC, on reflection, the eventual apology made by the outgoing BBC director-general Tony Hall on 9th August 2020, is just the beginning and not the end of this N-word controversy. Sadly, it does not go far enough.
“It only addresses the use of the word, not the subsequent defence of its use. This is unacceptable when you consider the damage that it has caused.”
