‘Clean Air For The Ends’ campaign breathes life across South London

A Brixton-based charity which supports thousands of black and marginalised people each year has launched a new campaign to tackle pollution inequality.

For the past two years Poetic Unity, based in Windrush Square, Brixton, has worked alongside the campaign group Live + Breathe to raise awareness around air pollution in South London.

Black residents are exposed to more levels of illegal air pollution than any other ethnic group in London, according to research from the Runnymede Trust UK and Greenpeace UK.

In Lambeth, which has majority black residents, “dangerously high” levels of nitrogen dioxide, almost double that of the World Health Organisation’s recommended standard, were recorded by the 2022 study.

Poetic Unity’s new campaign ‘Clean Air For The Ends’ promotes alternative travel such as riding bikes and roller skating for young black people. 

The charity filmed a video of a poem written by Blaize Alexis-Anglin, in Brixton, to raise awareness around the issue. The video featured 100 bikes which had been donated by Forest Bikes in support of the campaign.

Ryan J. Matthews-Robinson, founder of Poetic Unity, said: “Air pollution is a problem that is affecting us all everyday but because it’s not something we can physically see it tends to not be taken as seriously as other issues. 

“We know the racial injustice attached to air quality and we want to ensure our young people have a fairer and cleaner quality of air for the future.

“Clean Air For The Ends brings the community together not only to highlight this important issue but to share joy, give purpose and tangible steps to find solutions together long term.”

The Clean Air For The Ends poetry video will be premiered at Theatre Peckham June 20, which is National Clean Air Day, during an event which will include live performances and conversations about air quality. 

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.theatrepeckham.co.uk/show/clean-air-for-the-ends

Pictured top: Poetic Unity’s video shoot for Blaize Alexis-Anglin’s poem (Picture: Ruma Film)