| Path: Home > Advocacy > Home Office > Strength in Diversity |
Strength in diversity – Towards a Community cohesion and Race Equality Strategy
A response by NIACE's Black Practitioners and Learners Network (BPLN) to the Home Office Consultation
Published: September 2004
Responding to the questions
How can we ensure that people feel a sense of pride in being British without feeling they have to leave other traditions behind? How can we ensure that pride in bring British is combined with respect for other people’s identities? What role can shared values play in this?
By ensuring that various cultures and traditions in Britain are both valued and facilitated. There is a powerful role for education to play here, both mainstream and adult education. Many people in Britain who are black and from minority groups do not see themselves as being British despite the face that 86% of respondents agreed with the statement that you don’t need to be white to be British (to the CRE survey question 2002) - agreeing with this statement and feeling a sense of British pride, or being British are not the same.
It is an extremely complex question. Whilst it is inevitable that successive generations from minority groups will adapt and change the nature of their traditions, this does not necessarily lead to the development of a sense of British pride. In order to maintain cultural traditions various communities establish after school classes, special study centres, self-help groups and voluntary and community organisations.
Often older, or pervious generations feel that younger generations have lost contact with the cultures and traditions of their countries of origin and express their concern by looking for support in order to provide specific services, or make sure that the voice of their community is heard on a Local Strategic partnership or New Deal for Community boards for example.
There are a number of ways in which ‘minority’ voices can be heard and there are various mechanisms through local and national government and through specific funding opportunities aimed at making this happened (The community empowerment fund for example and support for After schools)
Shared values can play an important part in developing a respect for different cultures and traditions, but developing a collection of shard values is challenging. Again, the school has an important role to play here, as does its curriculum including what is taught, but also who does the teaching. The new citizenship tests will go someway to ensuring that new British citizens are aware of the traditional standards, norms, history and values of British society, but the real test will be around how the next generation feel and think about their Britishness. This will be a good indicator of how successful schools have been, how tolerant a society we have and how powerful the family; religion and culture are in maintaining traditional values and beliefs (as well as how all of these things push and pull against each other)
In what ways can we promote British citizenship for all, particularly among young people?
By creating a sense of pride and belonging. Getting the message out in places
where young people go and putting the message across in a way that has meaning
to young people. This involves dialogue and discussion. A competition could in
itself get people to look at the issue, what does it mean to be British?
Commentator and political activist Darcus Howe in his programme White Tribe
(channel 4 2000) spent almost a year traveling the length and breadth of Britain
trying to find out what it means to be quintessentially British. After talking
to many people, of all ages and social classes Darcus found to his
disappointment that being British was not having a black skin or a Trinidadian
accent (both of which he has). Black people can live in Britain for 60 years and
feel (and think) British but unfortunately many people are unable to see beyond
skin colour. “Britain is currently terrified of the future and obsessed with the
past” (White Tribe 2001). British culture is currently “ a dead English culture
desperately resisting its inevitable demise, raging against its deserved
irrelevance in the new England that is coming”. (27/01/00, Channel 4 White Tribe
-
review by Robin Carmody).
The factors that are currently unifying Britain culturally are not British at all. They are global, specifically American. Young black and white people all over the country are aspiring to and practicing African American street culture from places like south Central Los Angeles and Brooklyn New York (and more recently the southern States of America - Carolina and Texas). This cultural unification, for better or for worse, is expressed most clearly throgh music, clothes, language and aspirations (most nakedly shown through a desire for money, designer labels, jewelry and of course cars).
How can we ensure that all communities see racism, racial and religious harassment and hate crime as unacceptable and are able to act to drive them out?
In poor communities and established council house estates where there has been little change over the last two generations ‘differences’ can often be seen as threatening and can cause a negative and violent reaction. In these situations young people and parents can be terrorized in the community and in school. Local Government and housing departments should be more prepared (in the short term) to use Anti Social Behavior Orders against racist and intolerant neighbours. The school has a particularly important role to play here too!
LSP and NDC boards should have sub-committees that support initiatives that challenge racism, promote cultural diversity and enable accountable bodies to carry out their legal responsibilities in a preventative fashion.
How can we most effectively respond to the threat from political and other forms of extremism, including understanding and tackling its causes?
Apathy and political listlessness are the pre-requisites necessary for the successful recruitment of new members to political extremist parties, both right wing fascist groups such as BNP, NF and Combat 18, as well as religious fundamentalists. Government has a role in making politics more relevant and has to be seen to be more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the electorate and those under 18.
How can we build on the progress that has been made and ensure that the duty on public bodies to promote good race relations makes a real difference in the way that public bodies deliver race equality and community cohesion?
By continuing to clarify the role of accountable bodies in partnerships such as LSPs, Connexions, LLLPs etc and to illustrate, share and promote good practice.
By continuing to provide training to accountable bodies which supports them in their delivery of their statutory responsibilities. NB recent research by Schnieder-Ross (2003) commissioned by the CRE reveled that one year one since the RRAA2000 that there are few examples from accountable bodies of extemporary practice and some may be operating outside of the law.
Accountable bodies need to continuously seek advice form those groups at the sharp end, being likely to experience both racism and discrimination. There needs to be better support for community-based organisations through Community Empowerment Networks (their role needs to be meaningful too) to act in a promotional and advisory capacity.
How can we more effectively target policies to tackle the specific disadvantages experienced by different sections of the population, within a strategy that delivers equality for all?
Recognising the effects of ‘multiple deprivation’ is a start! As well as Recognising that there are communities in the most deprived districts that have not experienced any form of social mobility over as many as five generations (and more in some instances) - Revisit the Swann Report -Education For All and the Gifford Inquiry - Loosen the Shackles.
There needs to be a greater level of fairness in how programmes and policies aimed at tackling inequalities are developed and administered at national, regional and local level. This is especially important at local level where administration is often seen as subjective, lacking in transparency. Local public servants need support and training in their roles.
What more should be done to embed race equality in the delivery of public services?
There should be better use of the levers that are available to accountable bodies, particularly Local Government, local LSCs and schools. Positive Action allowed under the RRAA2000 is a case in point where more use could be made of the permissive aspects of race equality legislation. In almost all parts of the country there are too few black colleagues providing services both on the ground and at strategic levels. There is still much misunderstanding about areas such as Positive Action when staff in human resources sections of businesses all over the country should be well aware of what is possible, supported by their Directors, managers and chief executives.
What further actions can we take that will ensure public sector workforces are representative of the communities they serve?
Public image is important and speaks volumes about any organisations. Whilst the Home Office and the police are aware of the power and importance of advertising and promoting services to niche markets and communities, local services don’t do as well as they might. This means that they also fail to engage with communities.
The basic principles of ‘creative outreach’ (or in-reach) still apply, as does shadowing (given that many black and minority individuals in the country do not realize their potential in school or through training). Mentors, role models and champions are still important.
How should we work with the private sector to promote race equality?
Within a European context teachers and educationists are using terms such as; Inter-cultural competencies’. Given that we are all unique, have specific values, different cultures and religions and languages etc. The question is, what competencies should managers, teachers and public servants have in order to better meet the interests of their colleagues and those that they serve?
Local LSCs can use their considerable leverage with businesses through modern apprenticeships, work-based learning etc to promote, support and disseminated models of best practice.
What more can we do to build relationships and understanding between people from different backgrounds?
People live parallel lives for a range of different reasons. People in this country certainly have parallel realities. These can be positive to do with individual race, religion, culture, tradition, language and history as well as negative to do with racism, discrimination and powerlessness. Simply bringing people together does not solve problems without a proper understanding of the context. Why did people come to Britain from East Africa, for example, what has been their experience since they have been here? How does this affect they way they live and their level of interaction with others? Understanding another history, religion etc does not automatically command respect and fairness (as history shows well)
However, schools, youth clubs and community-based initiatives clearly have the potential to make a difference through challenging stereotypes and helping us to foster a better understanding of our neighbours.
How can we ensure that we have an open debate around how to properly manage migration and prevent abuse of asylum, which doesn’t fuel prejudice against black and minority ethnic communities?
Have tighter control of the media, particularly newspapers which tend to be one-sided in their reporting stirring up fears and pandering to (as well as helping to create) misinformation with regard to issues around asylum and race.
The RRAA2000 could be extended to include a specific duty on the media around positive promotion and to check that newspapers, for example, do not break the law in relation to inciting racial hatred.
Since 9/11 and the threat of terrorism there has been a backlash against more established communities. This takes us full circle to the question “what does it mean to be British?” In 21st century Britain it often seems to be not having black or brown skin and/or a ‘foreign’ accent.
What more should we be doing to support integration of new arrivals - and to involve existing citizens in this area as a two-way process.
Make it clear why people from a variety of countries are coming to Britain. The history of migrating and immigration to Britain has been tainted with misinformation and half-truths. More established communities often feel threatened by new arrivals, particularly those in low paid jobs and in the service industries, because traditionally those new to the country start in the service industries and make their way, through successive generations, up the employment ladder (theoretically).
All should benefit from citizenship education, there should be a greater focus and more support at school and basic skills at NVQ level 1 and 2 could be embedded to relate to, at least in part, citizenship and the history of the movement of people historically.
How can we ensure that, in the true spirit of civil renewal, public service reforms consistently build cohesion and foster understanding between people from different cultures?
Through supporting more initiatives that look to develop ‘community spirit’, community spirit that is both secular and religions. By encouraging people to value their communities and the various and increasingly varied elements that comprise them.
Talk to people and assume nothing! This requires genuine dialogue, including listening. Ensure that the right people are doing the right jobs; this requires close attention to recruitment and selection procedures and the drawing up of job descriptions and person specifications. Seek advice on this!
