Festival President's speech: Seren Jones

Gŵyl AmGen's Festival President on Saturday is Seren Jones - reporter, presenter and producer with the BBC's News Podcast Unit in London.

Gŵyl AmGen will celebrate the best of Welsh culture on Radio Cymru and Cymru Fyw between 30 July and 2 August. The digital festival is in partnership with the National Eisteddfod, which has been postponed this year due to the coronavirus crisis.

May was the most difficult month of my career so far. It's the month when George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a member of the Minneapolis Police Department in America.

Another black man who lost his life to the hands of those in authority - a situation that isn't new or uncommon, especially in the United States. What is new about this particular case is the fact that the whole incident was recorded and put online. The entire eight minutes and 46 seconds, during which George Floyd said 'I can't breathe' more than 20 times. It became a video that went viral for all of the wrong reasons.

The death of George Floyd re-energised the Black Lives Matter movement, which led to protests across the world and led to lengthy and uncomfortable discussions between friends and family about racism, inequality and identity.

Over the past two months, I've had endless conversations about the subject - too many even, which is inevitable in a way. For some reason, there's a misconception that it's the black community's responsibility to explain why the events surrounding George Floyd's murder were so dreadful and so wrong. So like many people in the community - and as someone who works in the media - I've found this period psychologically draining and extremely emotional.

But despite this, I have found myself writing a speech and facilitating a conversation for Gŵyl AmGen on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Cymru Fyw; the first BBC festival of its kind, discussing race in Wales through the medium of Welsh. And that's the main reason I decided to get involved.

We don't talk about inequality and racism within the Welsh-speaking community, despite both factors being very much alive and well. The murder of George Floyd wasn't just about a man being killed because of the colour of his skin, it symbolised a voice that is ignored, and a life that is less important - something too many of us in Wales can unfortunately relate to.

Wales is not only my home, but it is home to thousands of other people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.