Her frustration isn’t just about racism, she explains, but rather how racism manifests itself in the very fabric of our society. We live in a place that is still grappling with the realities of a fallen empire, a place built on a colonial foundation and centuries of white supremacist indoctrination, she tells me. Mos-Shogbamimu adds: “I am not surprised that they are talking about protecting certain statues without any sensitivity or understanding about the representation of these statues in the legacy of slavery and the legacy that continues systemic racism in our country today. I am not surprised. What is there to expect?” It’s not just about using the N-word or, you know, carrying burning crosses. The reality is that every single language or rhetoric we hear today existed 50 years ago, 500 years ago, so what we have to do is not shy away from fighting the good fight.”

Mos-Shogbamimu: who is the This Is Why I Resist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu: who is the This Is Why I Resist

Yep – this definitely describes Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, a lawyer, public speaker and activist, and the author of This is Why I Resist, which is what we’ll be reviewing today. But firstly, more on Dr Shola. Unfortunately for Remainers, the negative impact that’s going to come from Brexit – this is not going to be like, you know, the plagues that hit Biblical Egypt,” says the 45-year-old. The six weeks writing it were, she says, “emotionally exhausting and exhilarating at the same time”.Inclusive, exciting and focused, This Is Why I Resist is a fantastic point of reference for intersectional anti-racism work, no matter who you are.’ Munroe Bergdorf She also uses quotes from other public figures to support her arguments. For example, this one from Bishop T.D. Jakes still rings in my mind today: “If you know who you are, then you know you’re not. if you don’t know who you are, somebody can ascribe to you any identity onto you, and you will morphe into what they want you to be.”

This is Why I Resist by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu - Waterstones This is Why I Resist by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu - Waterstones

Look, the conversation around white supremacy and the way white supremacists’ rhetoric is cloaked with an aura of respectability – it wears suits today, it wears nice dresses today, it’s on TV today. It’s incredibly exhausting and almost like a vicious cycle that we have to keep explaining, trying to educate and trying to respond.”

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This Is Why I Resist is notable for its striking honesty. It is both refreshing and brutal. Incredibly uncomfortable but undeniably needed. A racial gatekeeper is one who uses their influence, their position, their power, their voice, to pull up the ladder behind them. What they do is legitimise the divisive rhetoric, the oppression, the system of oppression used against people from their own ethnicity. And they do this for self-preservation. They do this for the benefits they get from their proximity to white supremacy. I think it’s important on the issue of race inclusion that we use every medium possible because every medium is already being used against race inclusion. So why not use the same medium to educate, to break down nuances, to make these subjects much more approachable by being yourself and saying ‘look, this is what this means’? What I’m doing there is deconstructing some very nuanced points in 60 seconds.” At last year’s virtual Conservative Party conference, home secretary Priti Patel condemned the tactics of BLM and Extinction Rebellion protesters, as she criticised the “hooliganism and thuggery” seen on the country’s streets. My book is speaking to those who are ready to be challenged, who are ready to have thought-provoking solutions to an ongoing structural issue. If people want to feel comfortable, I can tell you this book will disabuse you of that.”

This is Why I Resist’ by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu ‘This is Why I Resist’ by Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu

This book will challenge you. It will make you think. Bust most importantly, it will inspire you take action. Her message is not confined to her book. With a little help from her 11-year-old she has, as they say, taken to TikTok to help spread her messages to an audience used to a more transient medium. I’m not saying ‘don’t get promoted’. By all means, you know, fly. I have no issue with that. But you have to fly at the expense of denying people who are from your ethnicity the opportunity to fly like you. Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is a lawyer, political commentator and activist for women’s rights, diversity and inclusion, law and politics. If you are not already aware of who Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu is go onto YouTube and search ‘Piers Morgan’. A wealth of heated Good Morning Britain debates will appear and amongst those, you will see Mos-Shogbamimu frequently feature. Mos-Shogbamimu is notoriously known for these debates, especially over the fact that she called Britain institutionally racist and Morgan disregarded it as nonsensical. In the first chapter, ‘Does White Privilege Whitewash Racism’, Mos-Shogbamimu looks closely at what allows people like Piers Morgan, to ignore such statements as falsity.

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We know everyone’s going to be affected by the negative impact. What we have to do is not be silent, not fold our arms. We still have to bring our expertise to the table, we still have to hold the government accountable. We have to do better in voting in the right kind of politicians who have the political will to really bring this country together.”

This is Why I Resist Shola Mos-Shogbamimu: This is Why I Resist

Since then, Dr Shola has made several TV appearances, speaking out on several issues pertaining to racism in Britain – in particular, Good Morning Britain, where it has been a pleasure to see her shut down Piers Morgan on several occasions. 🙂 We talk about last year, one in which, had it not also been combined by the worst pandemic in a century – although this has also highlighted extreme racial inequalities – would be remembered primarily for protests over race, the tumbling of statues, footballers taking the knee. In 2020, says Mos-Shogbamimu, “what people saw was that the lid was blown off the repressed and internalised suppression of speaking out”. British racism, as we all know, also carries its own special brand of subtlety. Dr Shola’s book, in contrast is anything but subtle. This Is Why I Resist for me came out at a significant time in British History – in the same year that images of George Floyd’s murder ricocheted around the world, and led to protests around the globe. Being that Dr Shola’s voice is one of the loudest in Britain’s race relations, this gave her ample opportunity to display her book on her now instantly recognisable mantelpiece, whilst conducting television interviews via Zoom. The pandemic also found most of us grounded indoors, with plenty of time to do some extra reading.

All of these incidents touched social media and our headlines, and they are reflected in Dr. Shola’s unapologetic prose. This is not about people pointing fingers and going ‘all white people are racist’, ‘cause that’s not true. All white people are not racist and I point out in the book that we have white allies who for the longest time, you know, over centuries, who have fought the good fight to end racial inequality and racial injustice, and some of them even lost their life and liberty in this good fight. She opens her book with a quote from The Telegraph: ” Arguably one of the most toxic voices in Britain’s race relations debate.”