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Last summer saw Black Lives Matter protests spread through the world - even in the midst of a global pandemic - as people from all backgrounds demanded immediate change to racial inequality.

Protests across the world, including London, grabbed headlines for weeks forcing global companies to pledge allegiance to being more active in fighting racism. Celebrities and influencers also called for racism to be addressed in industries such as music and Hollywood.

MyLondon News and Reach's other south east England titles conducted a survey to see what our readers thought of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement six months on.

Nearly two-thirds of the 1,065 readers who people who responded to the survey believe the BLM movement actually contributed to a rise in hate crime or ill feeling in the community with 72% of people thinking the BLM movement did not contribute to a rise in racial in equality in their area.

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Art curator Bolanle Tajudeen, 32, last year led the creation of a special Black History Month mural in Kensington inspired by BLM and the Republic of Frestonia.

Ms Tajudeen, who also founded Black Blossoms School of Art and Culture, said she felt the BLM movement did increase ill feelings, sharing that she had to block social media friends because of their insensitivity.

" I'd definitely say I've stopped talking to people since BLM because of ill feelings," Ms Tajudeen told MyLondon.

She added: "I saw people's true colours. Reactions were very in line with white fragility. When you talk about race some white people, they don't know how to decentre themselves from the conversation and listen."

Our survey also revealed that of those who responded, 84% said they didn't think there needed to be more demonstrations while almost two thirds felt Black British history did not need to be taught in schools.

Yvette Williams MBE a lead campaigner for Justice4Grenfell told MyLondon that demonstrations are the key to the much-needed changes society needs.

Ms Williams said: "Demonstrations are a legitimate form of protest, and it can be empowering for the participants this is very much the case with BLM.

"Change needs to happen in a range of strata, whether that be academia, education, law, economics, employment, criminal justice how ever grassroots protest are essential to any cause a major example of this if the anti-apartheid movement."

Ms Williams also strongly advocates for Black British history to be taught in schools.

"Black British history should be taught full stop," Ms Williams said.

She added: "It should not have a separate label. The question that should be asked is should British History be told truthfully and inclusive of all factors not just some?"

Many readers also felt that the BLM movement had no impact on racial inequality but in fact made things worse, though some thought it had made others more aware of racial inequality.

Sheraine Williams who newly sits on the board of the Westway Trust, a charity recently found to have been r acist to its beneficiaries, also spoke to MyLondon about the survey.

Ms Williams said:"The BLM movement did an amazing job of raising the awareness of Black trauma and inequalities on many different fronts. It is disappointing that Black people quickly became dis-empowered. They don't seem to understand that the system is not designed to benefit them. We have yet to realise only we can make the changes we need.

"The Westway Trust is working toward dealing with these inequalities in light of the findings of the Tutu report into institutional racism. There is a lot of work to do and it will take time."

We'd love to hear how the Black Lives Matter movement last year changed your life. If you've got a story please get in touch by emailing thomas.kingsley@reachplc.com .

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London activists react to shocking findings from Black Lives Matter six months on survey - My London