PRESS RELEASE.
30/03/2021 22:43
Says, Gov Race Commission report a 'slap in the face for Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.'
The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Chaired by Dr Tony Sewell publishes its today and what absolutely clear is that he report will read like an apologist charter for systemic racism. The report gave the the UK a clean bill of health and declares there is no evidence of institutional racism.
I have been an equalities adviser to five successive Home Secretaries, a London Mayor and a leading advocate of black communities for some 37 years. This report is an outrage and let me explain why.
The level of denial of the realities of systemic racism in this report is breath taking.
"Britain has become a more open society where children from many ethnic communities do at least as well or substantially better than white pupils in compulsory education, a landmark study concludes."
The Report is so forceful in its denial of racism and so divorced from reality that its reminiscent of the press releases issued by the South African regime during the dark days of apartheid, denying all forms of racism. It has no comment to make on institutional racism in policing, the Windrush scandal. and the Grenfell fire are all simply brushed aside
Described as a 'landmark' publication, the Commissioners assert that the report...
"…challenges the view that Britain has failed to make progress in tackling racial inequality, suggesting the well-meaning "idealism" of many young people who claim the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence."
The report finds that,
Whilst there is no doubt about the realities of some Black and Asian and ethnic children's educational success, this represents an island of excellence surrounded by seas of mediocrity. The toxic effect of systemic racism continues to hugely disadvantages these children in a myriad of different ways.
According to the press release, the report in seeking to portray Britain as a world leader in tackling racism actually exposes its inherent contradictions.
Logic would suggest that any community doing so well in terms of education should see this success reflected in terms of incomes and quality of life outcomes. In the real world, what all the evidence points to is quite the reverse. Despite our educational success, the realities of systemic racism dramatically disadvantage our communities. It's a disadvantage the doesn't impact white working-class boys to the same extent as found in a 2019 report published by Aberdeen University.
The Commissions remit was to review inequality in the UK, focusing on poverty, education, employment, health and the criminal justice system. It appears to have utterly failed even on its own terms.
It's worth remembering that Prime Minister Boris Johnson commissioned this report in response to the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of last year. Exchequer Secretary launched the Commission to the Treasury and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who said,
"This Commission demonstrates this government's mission to level up opportunity for everyone, whatever their background. Our expert Chair and Commissioners will make evidence-based recommendations to change lives for the better. Their work will be crucial in informing and improving the national conversation on race."
The Commissioners who are a party to this disingenuous charade will see their professional and ethical reputations deeply damaged within their own communities and beyond.
Chief among them will be the chair of the Commission, Dr Tony Sewell, whose insistence in promoting Britain as a world leader in tackling racism can only best be described as equalling that of Uncle Remus singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the Disney song from the 1946 film, Song of the South.
The reputational damage to him will be terminal.
Editors notes.
Ten key facts that undermine the report's conclusions.
1. 45% of white British pupils attend university after leaving school, the lowest rate of all ethnicities, excluding Gypsy/Roma. However, they have better rates of entering elite universities. Of those who enrol in university, 24% of white British students attend a Russell Group institution, more than most minority ethnic groups. Black African and Pakistani students show the largest differential between high university attendance and low enrolment in Russell Group. The Sutton Trust 2016
2. A recent investigation by the Guardian newspaper into school exclusions found that black Caribbean students in English schools were up to six times higher than for those of their white peers in some local authorities.
3. Among people aged 16-24, unemployment rates were highest for people from a Black (29%) or Bangladeshi or Pakistani (27%) ethnic background in October 2019-September 2020. This compared to a rate of 11% for people from a White ethnic background.
4. The unemployment rate for people from a minority ethnic background was 9.5% in October-December 2020, up from 5.8% in the same period the year before. The unemployment rate for people from White ethnic backgrounds also rose, from 3.1% to 4.5%. Unemployment rates for people from both White and minority ethnic backgrounds are below the rates seen prior to the economic downturn in 2008.
5. In the 12 months to September 2020, the unemployment rate was highest for people from a Pakistani (9%) or Black (9%) ethnic background. The unemployment rate was lowest for people from a White, Indian (4%), or Chinese (5%) ethnic background. Source 3-6 Unemployment by Ethnic Background. House of Commons library briefing paper number 6385, 4th of March 2021
6. One in three ethnic minority workers say they have been unfairly turned down for a job, compared with just one in five (19%) white workers, according to research published recently by the TUC.
7. Youth justice statistics 2019/20 published by the Ministry of Justice reported that the proportion of Black children cautioned or sentenced has been increasing over the last ten years and is now double what it was in the year ending March 2010 (12% compared to 6%).
An article in the Guardian newspaper in a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons identified that;
· About 51% of boys in young offender institutions (YOIs) – prisons for boys aged 15 to 17 and young adult men aged 18 to 21 – identified as being from a BME background, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found.
· In addition, the inspectorate found 42% of children in secure training centres (STCs) – prisons for children up to the age of 17 – were from a BME background.
· The proportion of BME boys and men behind bars in YOIs in England and Wales is nearly four times the 14% BME proportion of the wider UK population.
9. Ethnic minority communities face a higher risk of falling ill and dying with coronavirus because of the UK's "colour-blind" vaccine distribution strategy, says the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a committee of leading doctors that advises the government.
10. Black women are just over four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth and up to six weeks postpartum, according to research published by the Nuffield Department of Population Health. University of Oxford.
End.
The level of denial of the realities of systemic racism in this report is breath taking.
In writing this I'm aware of the real function of this report and believe as Toni Morrison said,
“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”
This report is a propaganda piece in the Gov's culture wars. It is a rewriting of history, a denial of contemporary realities and constitutes a literal slap in the face for Britain's Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.
We should expect the right wing and liberal media to be fulsome in its praise of the report as a result of what appears to be the selective briefing of journalists in advance of the reports publication.
Nadine White Britains first Race Correspondent writing for the Independant stated in a tweet,
"Despite my numerous requests for updates over the weeks (months) about when the report will be published, the govt did not send details of the Race Commission's report to me - the only Race Correspondent in the UK. But other journalists received it."
This report fails to arrive at any significant conclusions on a range of critical issue of profound importance to our communities.
Issues such as ethnic health inequalities, the ethnic pay gap, rising black youth unemployment, rising rates of poverty, homelessness and the scandals of systemic racism within criminal justice and the school exclusion to prison pipeline are either superficially covered or ignored.
Issues such as ethnic health inequalities, the ethnic pay gap, rising black youth unemployment, rising rates of poverty, homelessness and the scandals of systemic racism within criminal justice and the school exclusion to prison pipeline are either superficially covered or ignored.
Systemic racism is a literal life and death issue for our communities.
The leading headline says it all,
The leading headline says it all,
"Britain has become a more open society where children from many ethnic communities do at least as well or substantially better than white pupils in compulsory education, a landmark study concludes."
The Report is so forceful in its denial of racism and so divorced from reality that its reminiscent of the press releases issued by the South African regime during the dark days of apartheid, denying all forms of racism. It has no comment to make on institutional racism in policing, the Windrush scandal. and the Grenfell fire are all simply brushed aside
Described as a 'landmark' publication, the Commissioners assert that the report...
"…challenges the view that Britain has failed to make progress in tackling racial inequality, suggesting the well-meaning "idealism" of many young people who claim the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence."
The report finds that,
"…. issues around race and racism were becoming less important and, in some cases, were not a significant factor in explaining disparities."
And states:
" We found that most of the disparities we examined, which some attribute to racial discrimination, often do not have their origins in racism, and continues, that some communities continue to be "haunted" by "historic cases" of racism, creating "deep mistrust" in the system which could prove a barrier to success."
The reality is of course as this You Gov survey show 84% of BAME Brits people believe the UK is racist.
And states:
" We found that most of the disparities we examined, which some attribute to racial discrimination, often do not have their origins in racism, and continues, that some communities continue to be "haunted" by "historic cases" of racism, creating "deep mistrust" in the system which could prove a barrier to success."
The reality is of course as this You Gov survey show 84% of BAME Brits people believe the UK is racist.
The report continues.
“The report highlights the significance of education as the single most powerful tool in reducing ethnic disparities. The effect of education is transformative on individuals but also their families and their communities, sometimes within a generation."
“The report highlights the significance of education as the single most powerful tool in reducing ethnic disparities. The effect of education is transformative on individuals but also their families and their communities, sometimes within a generation."
Warming to its blame the victim narrative it sallies forth...
"However, there is also an increasingly strident form of anti-racism thinking that seeks to explain all minority disadvantage through the prism of White discrimination. This diverts attention from the other reasons for minority success and failure, including those embedded in the cultures and attitudes of those minority communities themselves."
Whilst there is no doubt about the realities of some Black and Asian and ethnic children's educational success, this represents an island of excellence surrounded by seas of mediocrity. The toxic effect of systemic racism continues to hugely disadvantages these children in a myriad of different ways.
According to the press release, the report in seeking to portray Britain as a world leader in tackling racism actually exposes its inherent contradictions.
Logic would suggest that any community doing so well in terms of education should see this success reflected in terms of incomes and quality of life outcomes. In the real world, what all the evidence points to is quite the reverse. Despite our educational success, the realities of systemic racism dramatically disadvantage our communities. It's a disadvantage the doesn't impact white working-class boys to the same extent as found in a 2019 report published by Aberdeen University.
The Commissions remit was to review inequality in the UK, focusing on poverty, education, employment, health and the criminal justice system. It appears to have utterly failed even on its own terms.
It's worth remembering that Prime Minister Boris Johnson commissioned this report in response to the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of last year. Exchequer Secretary launched the Commission to the Treasury and Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch, who said,
"This Commission demonstrates this government's mission to level up opportunity for everyone, whatever their background. Our expert Chair and Commissioners will make evidence-based recommendations to change lives for the better. Their work will be crucial in informing and improving the national conversation on race."
This Commission has failed its remit, is intellectually confused and demonstrated a degree pf politically illiteracy on this issue that beggars belief. It is astonishing that the Commissioners would agree to have their names attached to this report.
The report also flies in the face of the UN's 2018 findings on racism in Britain who said.
"The UK Government’s policies exacerbate discrimination, stoke xenophobic sentiment and further entrench racial inequality, the UN’s expert on racism and human rights said in a report.
In the report to be presented to the Human Rights Council on 8 July, E. Tendayi Achiume cited persistent racial disparities in, among others, education, employment, housing, health, surveillance, interactions with police, prosecutions, and incarceration.
"The structural socio-economic exclusion of racial and ethnic minority communities in the United Kingdom is striking," the Special Rapporteur said in her report, based on a fact-finding visit to the country in April and May 2018" .
It is critically important for BAME Civil Society and NGO's organisations like Operation Black Vote, Runnymede Trust, and the Coalition of Race Equality (CORE) speak out and condemn this report.
The entirety of British Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities and all credible representative organisations must jointly condemn this report in order to assert our fundamental rights to justice and equality. I would suggest a collective statement be prepared. Where you stand on this report will now be a litmus test of credibility in our communities. The dividing lines have been drawn.
This report will certainly inform the national conversation on race. It will inflame both the anxiety and anger that gave rise to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year and will undoubtedly lead to increased protest during this summer.
I note the recommendation to stop using the term BAME a welcome but in reality, this is little more than a performative gesture. Its importance is akin to changing the curtains in a burning house.
I note the recommendation to stop using the term BAME a welcome but in reality, this is little more than a performative gesture. Its importance is akin to changing the curtains in a burning house.
The Commissioners who are a party to this disingenuous charade will see their professional and ethical reputations deeply damaged within their own communities and beyond.
Chief among them will be the chair of the Commission, Dr Tony Sewell, whose insistence in promoting Britain as a world leader in tackling racism can only best be described as equalling that of Uncle Remus singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the Disney song from the 1946 film, Song of the South.
The reputational damage to him will be terminal.
Editors notes.
Ten key facts that undermine the report's conclusions.
1. 45% of white British pupils attend university after leaving school, the lowest rate of all ethnicities, excluding Gypsy/Roma. However, they have better rates of entering elite universities. Of those who enrol in university, 24% of white British students attend a Russell Group institution, more than most minority ethnic groups. Black African and Pakistani students show the largest differential between high university attendance and low enrolment in Russell Group. The Sutton Trust 2016
2. A recent investigation by the Guardian newspaper into school exclusions found that black Caribbean students in English schools were up to six times higher than for those of their white peers in some local authorities.
3. Among people aged 16-24, unemployment rates were highest for people from a Black (29%) or Bangladeshi or Pakistani (27%) ethnic background in October 2019-September 2020. This compared to a rate of 11% for people from a White ethnic background.
4. The unemployment rate for people from a minority ethnic background was 9.5% in October-December 2020, up from 5.8% in the same period the year before. The unemployment rate for people from White ethnic backgrounds also rose, from 3.1% to 4.5%. Unemployment rates for people from both White and minority ethnic backgrounds are below the rates seen prior to the economic downturn in 2008.
5. In the 12 months to September 2020, the unemployment rate was highest for people from a Pakistani (9%) or Black (9%) ethnic background. The unemployment rate was lowest for people from a White, Indian (4%), or Chinese (5%) ethnic background. Source 3-6 Unemployment by Ethnic Background. House of Commons library briefing paper number 6385, 4th of March 2021
6. One in three ethnic minority workers say they have been unfairly turned down for a job, compared with just one in five (19%) white workers, according to research published recently by the TUC.
7. Youth justice statistics 2019/20 published by the Ministry of Justice reported that the proportion of Black children cautioned or sentenced has been increasing over the last ten years and is now double what it was in the year ending March 2010 (12% compared to 6%).
An article in the Guardian newspaper in a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons identified that;
· About 51% of boys in young offender institutions (YOIs) – prisons for boys aged 15 to 17 and young adult men aged 18 to 21 – identified as being from a BME background, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) found.
· In addition, the inspectorate found 42% of children in secure training centres (STCs) – prisons for children up to the age of 17 – were from a BME background.
· The proportion of BME boys and men behind bars in YOIs in England and Wales is nearly four times the 14% BME proportion of the wider UK population.
9. Ethnic minority communities face a higher risk of falling ill and dying with coronavirus because of the UK's "colour-blind" vaccine distribution strategy, says the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), a committee of leading doctors that advises the government.
10. Black women are just over four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth and up to six weeks postpartum, according to research published by the Nuffield Department of Population Health. University of Oxford.
End.
