In her second column for The Press, the chair of York-based Inclusive Equal Rights UK (IERUK), Haddy Njie, tells how a Star Wars quote helped get her through a nerve-wracking situation.

If you are fan of Star Wars, you’ve heard of the famous quote “do or do not, there is no try”. It was coined by Yoda, the legendary jedi master. We can debate on the “trying” bit but how I interpret this motivational wisdom is that we cannot afford to second guess ourselves or pre-empt whether the mission or the goal we are working towards will work or not. We either do it or we don’t do it. Certainly, we must put in place the prerequisites, things like creating the execution strategy, planning, and weighting the risks. Not forgetting, embracing the possibility of failing which can be gift and an opportunity if we think about it wisely.

A great opportunity knocked on my door last month to be part of TEDx Holgate Women with the theme titled as “Compassion”. Of course, the application was competitive, however, the “doing” part as Yoda said was nerve-wracking. The nerves and unhelpful thoughts were trying to discourage me, but I went for it. I delivered the talk with bravery, with power and authenticity. I talked about an horrific racist incident I experienced in March 2016 when I moved from London to York. I took the audience on my taxi ride in a breezy spring day, and I shared how I believed the racist experience would break my soul. Thankfully, it turned out to be the beginning of my anti-racist campaigning journey. I was able to transform the painful experience into collective action and solve the racial problems we have in our city. I also shared the four steps on how we did it and encouraged the audience to adopt the steps and get on to solving the problems we are facing. We must not waste the pain that we endure, but to use it as our power for good.

York Press: Yoda's phrase rang true with Haddy.Yoda's phrase rang true with Haddy.

It is easier said than done, I agree. I also agree that there are some societal problems that is the responsibility of our governing bodies. However, we must not wait for them. We must not rely on our elected politicians to solve every problem our communities are suffering from. I have come to realise the power we hold as individuals and as a collective if we have the courage, and unreservedly committing to solve societal problems for this generation, the next and for those not yet born.

Experiencing the horrific and painful racist experience was the beginning of doing something real about it in the city and beyond. We are doing the work, and for us there is no try. We are doing it.

There are so many societal problems we as a city, country and the world are facing. Here in York, we have the issue of homelessness. We also have poverty and climate change which will disastrously affect the next generation if we do not radically and collectively rally behind the courageous leaders in these spaces, or we do something about it at the local level. We should not wait for our local government to do it for us.

To be anti-racist means you take a stance and have the courage to call out racism when you see it or hear it. It also means you do something about it and don't stay silent.  It sends out a message that it is acceptable for people of colour to be treated as less humane. It sends out a message that anyone can treat black people and people of colour as inferior.

Yoda said: “Do or do not, but there is no try”. If you decide to do something, why not join us, Inclusive Equal Rights UK and support the anti-racism work we are doing to make sure the playing ground is levelled. If you decide not to do anything, it is a shame that you are not using your power and I encourage you to reconsider.

Thought of the month – did you know that you can put forward a motion for your village, town, or city to solve a societal problem? You have immense power and if you can inspire collective action, imagine what you can do for your town or city.