I was working with a group of 'young people' helping to organise a big party thing in a local arts centre. We were talking about marketing it. We'd designed posters and flyers and we started to talk about the possiblity of flyposting for it. I began about how effective it can be but that it's illegal so...
I looked around at who I was speaking to. I was about to tell them that I have done loads of 'illegal' fly-posting and interventions into billboards, etc for different kinds of art projects. I was about to tell them that if you look like you should be doing it, you tend to get away with it. But I looked at them and remembered that I was talking to black kids. The guys have been stopped on the street just for walking along. I realised that it is not appropriate to encourage them to flypost, just because I can get away with things, doesn't mean that they will.
Instead, half way in what I'd intended to say, I changed tack. I said that the criminal justice system in this country is harder on black people than on white so they must not flypost. They will not get away with things that I will. The girls might, but the boys won't. I said it like that, in the open, admitting to the privilege that I have and the racism I know - and they know - exists in our world. It was kind of shocking - for all of us.