Meet the organisers of Worthing Black Lives Matter

The movement is also hosting a virtual call on Facebook and Zoom at 6.30pm on Friday (July 31) to speak with residents and make an equality action plan.

Founding member Anthony Onwuzurike said the group’s goal was ‘to unite the community against one common enemy: racism’.

“We are not making it a white versus black thing; it is an us versus racism thing,” the 26-year-old explained.

As a black teenager in East London, Anthony said being stopped and searched by police for crimes in different boroughs was normal for him and his friends.

He moved to Worthing 18 months ago, adding: “For me personally, I haven’t had any tensions from living in Worthing. I have enjoyed my time here thus far.”

But he said a black colleague of his had been stopped by police for ‘driving a nice car’: “He got in, went to drive off and suddenly he’s being pulled up by police.

“I’m not surprised any more,” Anthony said.

This comes as Sussex Police data showed black people were 12 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.

The Worthing group was formed in the wake of George Floyd’s death in the US at the hands of a white police officer, which reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Anthony said they were not linked to religious or political groups, but worked closely with other coastal BLM groups such as Brighton, Portsmouth and Bournemouth. He spoke at the BLM rally in Brighton on July 11, and the group held a peaceful protest on Worthing seafront on Friday, June 12.

“The expression I live by is ‘the only thing necessary for the perpetuation of evil is for good people to do nothing’,” Anthony said.

For more details about the group and how to get involved, email [email protected].