I get why people topple statues… but I’d prefer solid laws and social progress, says Sir Trevor McDonald
IT was nine minutes and 29 seconds of barbarity that sent shock waves all around the world.
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, by a US police officer, sparked a global protest movement that gripped Britain in the year of a pandemic.
Last year Black Lives Matter marches took place across the nation[/caption] They followed the murder of George Floyd by a US police officer[/caption]There were Black Lives Matter marches across the nation, a statue of slaver Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol and footballers took the knee.
But did George’s murder and the protests that followed make any lasting societal change?
Newscasting legend Sir Trevor McDonald, alongside ITN anchor and Loose Women host Charlene White, have taken the temperature of racial justice in the UK for an ITV special documentary, Has George Floyd Changed Britain?
Sir Trevor blazed a trail for black journalists in Britain and has lived through — and reported on — many world- changing news events.
Yet the 81-year-old admits even he was taken aback at the level of outrage that took place in the UK following George Floyd’s murder and the protest movement it started.
He says: “One of the reasons I chose to come to live in this country is that this society has always been known for its sense of decency and fairness.
“We have come a long, long way but there is still progress to be made.
“I could never have predicted that it would have sparked something so widespread.”
Sir Trevor, 81, blazed a trail for black journalists in Britain[/caption] Trevor (pictured in 1980) became ITN’s first black news reporter[/caption]Sir Trevor moved from Trinidad to London in 1969 to work for the BBC World Service. That was before he became ITN’s first black news reporter four years later.
And he is keen people from all backgrounds should succeed on their merits alone.
We have come a long, long way but there is still progress to be made.
Sir Trevor
He tells of being offered a TV role with the BBC early on in his career, saying: “It turned out that the BBC was being pressured by the Race Relations Board to hire more black and ethnic presenters.
“I turned the job down because I didn’t want to be seen only in that light. I considered myself a reporter, somebody who could present the news.
“But I didn’t want to be seen as somebody who could only do it because I was a black West Indian.
“People who are employed must be able to do the job — and not just be put there because of the colour of their skin. There must be meritocracy.
“People should be given positions because they can do it. And there must be no discrimination on the basis of someone’s colour.
Sir Trevor says more needs to be done to stamp out racism in sport[/caption]“There’s much more progress to be made but it has to be done well and not clumsily.”
Sir Trevor remains unsure on whether toppling statues of historic figures such as Colston is a good idea.
He tells me: “I reserve judgment on that. “I’m not absolutely convinced.
‘IMAGES WERE SO CHILLING’
“I can understand why people would want to. But I would prefer solid, legislative and social progress made in advancing people’s causes.”
A keen sports fan, he is adamant that anti-racism campaign sloganeering should not be a substitute for real change.
He says: “I watch a lot of sport on TV and everything is plastered with Black Lives Matter and Kick It Out and so on. That’s fine but I would prefer to see something that is actually being done about it.
“I don’t think that our football pitches and sports grounds are entirely free — even now — of racist chants and players being insulted about their race.
“Despite all these slogans, it’s still happening and that must be tackled. I’m really surprised there have been so few black Premier League managers.
The newscaster says he couldn’t believe a single event brought about such change to society[/caption]“Slogans are helpful but they can’t be a substitute for real, solid progress.”
Sir Trevor was surprised that there was interest in his signing as a news-reader for ITN, saying: “I knew I was the first black national reporter, that gives you an intensity of focus about yourself and your job and you make sure you don’t muck it up.
“I was quite surprised at the interest it caused. When I got the job I was still working at Bush House at the BBC.
Slogans are helpful but they can’t be a substitute for real, solid progress.
“Someone from one of the papers called up and said they wanted to take my picture.
“I said to colleagues at the BBC, ‘Why the hell do they want to take my picture?’ They said, ‘Don’t be so silly, you don’t understand what’s happened to you’.
“I was surprised at the progress I was able to make. ITN was a wonderful place to work.”
So has George Floyd changed Britain? Sir Trevor says: “Those images were so chilling. It made many people think about how we behave.
Sir Trevor thinks George’s death has brought about many changes in Britain[/caption]Most read in News
“Two years ago, if you’d have asked me, I would have believed no single event like this could bring about changes to society.
“But now I think it is possible. It has to come from both individuals and the Government.
“Societies never stay static for too long. Change is inevitable.”
- Trevor McDonald & Charlene White: Has George Floyd Changed Britain? tomorrow on ITV, 9pm.