You clap for me now – but give it a few months and it’ll be racism as usual

For Kuba Shand-Baptiste, rounds of applause from a nation that voted in the very government that has made people of colour’s lives harder rings hollow

A doctor reads a poem for the ‘You Clap for Me Now’ video (Instagram/@sachini_creates)

When I first heard about clap for our carers, I was – like many more than would have admitted at the time – deeply cynical. “What on earth is applause going to do to alleviate the escalating strain on already overwhelmed services?” I scoffed, before I saw how uplifting that sign of solidarity was for so many, including those it was supposed to serve.

But as the weeks drag on, and the issues we keep thanking NHS staff for weathering continue to worsen, clapping feels increasingly uncomfortable. I keep wondering what operating under a system that has actively restricted or ignored their rights, while being expected to work themselves to death for that system, must feel like – and for BAME and immigrant workers in particular, who are not only more likely to suffer due to structural inequalities exacerbated by coronavirus, but also make up the majority of doctors and nurses who have died because of the disease.

I began to wonder whether the rounds of applause from a nation that, just months ago, voted in the very government that has spearheaded the policies that make their lives harder, rang hollow. After watching #YouClapForMeNow, a video doing the rounds on social media, it appears that for many, it did.