I’m sure you haven’t failed to notice the (latest) comments by the US president towards four women of colour.

Normally I’d press ignore. Don’t know why but for some reason with this I can’t. Well, actually that’s a lie. I know the reason. I grew up consistently being asked ‘where are you from?’ I still do. In some situations I’ve even been told to go home. Luckily, Southall was only a couple of miles away…

Joking aside – and to be clear – I’m from England. Born? No. I came here when I was around a year old. My first language is English. I support an English team in Liverpool. My partner is English. My son is English. Bar that first year of my life, I have lived, worked and breathed England’s green and pleasant land. It feels strange to write these things down for you to read but scrutiny is never far away (and don’t get me started on prejudices against disabled people). However there’s always hope. Look no further than England winning the Cricket World Cup on Sunday with a team that reflects its national make up. No less than Jofra Archer bowling the Super Over. His team mates running round gloriously in Adil Rasheed, Moeen Ali and the Irish born captain Eoin Morgan. But the beauty is that there’s also Ben Stokes, Jos Butler, Liam Plunkett.

Being in a city that’s the most diverse in Britain, I want to no longer feel disempowered. This is our planet. This is our lifetime. This is now. So – what can we do?

Well, on Wednesday 24 July at 6pm I’d like to hold an Open Mic responding to the words ‘this is where I’m from’ – it can be music, songs, poetry, a speech or any performance that lasts no longer than 5 minutes. Details are below of how to get involved.

It’s incredibly low-fi but let’s stand up to this racist platforming together.

We shall overcome,

Amit