If we see a Black man lying in the road, what is being asked of us? What is our instinctive response? Ṣode’s words and Akytom’s images are a call for radical empathy.Radical empathy, a concept developed by Terri Givens, Professor of Political Science at McGill University, is more active than sympathy. It involves working to understand not just the experiences and views of others, but the origins of our own biases, in order to turn understanding into practical action for change to promote social and racial justice.
“For me, radical empathy challenges the behaviour of people. It asks the individual to look beyond themselves and care in ways that sit outside of their comfort zones. Whether that is the one person in a group of friends, or the colleague in workplace. Empathy shouldn’t be handed out in doses. A universal approach to empathy first, requires reframing.” Yomi Ṣode
Manorism, a collection of Ṣode’s poetry, is published this autumn by Penguin and will be available from the Museum shop.
