Let's Talk about Racism

Race and equality are back in the news. The most recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has sparked new debates into racial injustices in the UK, causing many young people to head to the streets across the country in solidarity against racism.

At LiC, our message to our young people is simple: your race does not determine who you are. But how do we give this statement the weight it deserves, when in 2020 amidst a global pandemic, so many took to the streets to protest the racist actions of police brutality. Those of us who took to the physical (streets) and virtual platforms (social media), took the opportunity to address the injustices that are also apparent here in the UK and in particular for LiC, based in the east end of London. All our past experiences of racism, so profound to the point that we are willing to risk our safety during a pandemic, speak volumes of what is at stake.

This got us thinking about the disadvantages our young people face due to race discrimination. We asked our young people whether they felt racism impacted their lives today. 

• "There was an instance where I was in the park after dark with some friends. There was a mugging down the road, and out of nowhere, we were surrounded by about 10 police officers shouting and pointing tasers at us. We asked for their reasoning, and they said we fit the description of the muggers, of “a large Asian male with dark clothing.” I was wearing a multi-coloured bright hoodie and my darker-skinned friends were wearing bright blue cardigans or white hoodies, with the lighter-skinned friends wearing dark clothing. That description could match half of Tower Hamlets and yet we were searched, detained for over an hour, cuffed and taken to the main road where we were humiliated for 15 minutes waiting for a drive-by identification to be done. We were kept on the main road, lined-up in handcuffs for over 30 minutes before they let us go. I still believe that was completely unnecessary, given that we were completely compliant and non-threatening the entire time." — Young person, 24
• "A couple of days into my first year of university I could sense the stares as a brown Hijabi woman, as this is not a sight they are used to seeing. Students automatically saw the Hijab and brown skin and automatically made assumptions about me and never invited me to things. I was always seen as the Other. I felt isolated many times, so much that I’d rush home and never really wanted to stay long inside the premises, outside of my lectures and seminars. I had realised that the uni that I had chosen does not attract students from BAME minority groups due to the creative sector being a precarious future, and this feeling was shared by the one other BAME student in my course—but we just stuck it out together." — Young person, 22
• “Despite being one brown kid among many, throughout my time from primary to secondary school I was constantly met with racist remarks because I was a different type of brown. Being the only Moroccan in a school that was predominantly Bangladeshi, I would be called things like 'Dirty Moroccan' by Bangladeshi students and teachers alike; my brothers also experienced the same thing. I was expected to just go with it and accept it. I understand kids will be kids and teasing is normal, but when teachers started using the term I started seeing it differently and realised that I’m not sure where the funny part ends and the racism begins. It wasn’t everyone but there were crowds and circles of people that would always single me out. Whether this was completely due to my race or because of other factors, I can’t say for sure. I also felt like some of the Bangladeshi teachers in secondary school would give preference to other kids over me, eventually leading me to give up on believing that I’d ever get any real support at school and forced myself to just figure things out myself. That decision wasn’t entirely based on these feelings of racial discrimination, but also due to how schooling is structured in general, I never felt supported during that time.” – Young person, 24

At LiC HQ, we are pleased to celebrate our diverse staff and volunteers, who are of the ages of 18 to over-30, from different ethnic backgrounds. We use this to our advantage to further support the young people we work with. We want our young people to see role models that look like them and come from a similar socio-economic background—to help further our mission. 

We never want one’s racial background to be a factor that hinders our young people. As our CEO reflects on growing up in an East End housing estate in the 1990s, she recalls the times when they would fear walking the streets alone or take the longer route home to avoid racists shouting names or, worse, becoming violent. They would spend most summers being cooped up at home because being outside was not a safe option—that constant reminder of being the Other, because of your colour, your dress or even another language, all of which made you ‘unwelcome.’ A lot has changed since but we are still not seeing people of colour in positions of leadership or decision-making they are too few and far between. How much more diversity inclusion policies, networks, training and groups do we need until we do not need it anymore?

Attitudes may have changed over generations, but the younger generations still face discrimination with negative consequences. Now our young people say they fear prejudices fuelled by the likes of Nigel Farage and Katie Hopkins, can be compared to that of pre-war times. The 2016 leave campaign EU referendum played heavily on racialised anxieties and racist sentiment. Particularly the white British fear of an immigration invasion was portrayed on a poster featuring a long crowded line of immigrants, bearing similarities to a poster in the 1930s Nazi regime in Germany. This consequently resulted in success as the slim majority 52% vote leaned towards Leave, and gave racism a legitimacy by the media that fanned these embers of hatred.

Whilst things have changed, so has the expectations of our black and ethnic minority young people to be treated as equals with their white counterparts in education, jobs and housing. However, their expectations are shattered as our young people are met with suspicious looks, rejected CVs, and targeted stop-and-search, which are signs of today’s discrimination. So whilst these cannot be proven, they hold a deep unforgettable hurt that only people made to feel lesser for the skin colour they were born in, have experienced. Fortunately, we live in a society where these young people no longer have to stand for it.

We have yet to deal with the impact of colonialism

“I have lived in the East End all my life. I love belonging to this part of London primarily due to the long friendships and kinship to the people in the area and my work. I love the rich cultures and history. So much so I co-founded a small charity to address the inequalities that young people in Tower Hamlets face. The history of the East End says a lot about how the area came to be, and for generations, it has been a hub for migrant communities and with each community bringing new cultures, tastes, fashion and identity; all of which leaves its mark for the next generation. As a second-gen migrant myself, I see the history of my parents’ generation that helped enrich the area. I wouldn’t want to erase that. But with the recent debates regarding the removal of statues that memorialised and glorified the slave trade, and the impact of imperialism which was built on the hurt and pain of others, I do question that history. Like anything else, we should question it. I don’t feel I need to see the statue of slave trader Robert Mulligan to understand history.

We lived off East India Dock Road. The street name was dedicated to the company that brought spices from the East, and I question their morality in the treatment of black slaves, which is how they became so rich and influential. The changes to the East End as a result of their wealth is something to be recognised. I do not wish to purport we get rid of the name nor its history, but I do want us to appreciate and understand that it came on the back of pain and suffering of millions. If we see a statue, we need to understand that part of history. But if it serves to glorify the success of imperialist power that came from the suffering of others, then I’d rather it removed." — CEO, Leaders in Community

So where are we now?

‘… this is a predominantly white nation’ was a recent tweet. So how can we challenge racism in a structurally racist country? This is the question posed by our young people now. With recent events sparking debates and reviews, we are taking a hard look at ourselves as services providers, employers and as members of the community. But that isn’t enough. 

We can agree that we have an unjust system — but what we need to do to move forward is unify our approach to equality and diversity, not just update the current flawed capitalist social contract, which is what the latest government review will seek to do. As Tower Hamlets is a proudly diverse borough, it is not enough to say that this prevents everyday racism in our community. A pre-determined examination of character based on a different skin colour from the rest is still very much present in our modern society and community. Racism is very much present and can be tackled by educating ourselves, by avoiding stereotypical views and preventing the continuous cycle of modern-day myths.

If young people are to inherit the future they deserve, we need our leaders to take action towards a progressive society, not just organise another review of institutional racism when they have yet to take on board or implement previous recommendations. Young people are at the heart of the next generation, and our role is to help them in any way we can, upholding their voices to push for real change.