Current affairs

Black Britain in crisis

Lee Jasper

Black activists, led by Lee Jasper, equalities advisor to the Mayor of London and chair of Operation Black Vote, have launched a campaign "demanding that the next government ensure that Black communities gain basic equality".

The Black Manifesto launched in March 2005 with Simon Wooley, director of OBV, and Karen Chouhan of the think-tank 1990 Trust, is a hard-hitting plan. It seeks to relieve the parlous condition of Black people in Britain, appoint a Minister for Race to implement new strategies, and extract reparations and an apology for transatlantic slavery from the UK.

The manifesto by nonpolitical party campaigners challenges political leaders and Black communities to recognise the potency of the Black vote. In over 70 constituency seats Black voters could decide who wins and who loses, and in a further 50 seats could convincingly impact on the outcome.

At the heart of the manifesto is a catalogue of social, economic and political ills. Since the last General Election in 2001, racial inequalities have increased across key areas of Government social policy and private sector practice. The manifesto's examination of issues affecting Black people in health, education and employment and the dispensation of criminal justice provides compelling evidence that racism in terms of its influence on structural outcomes continues to flourish.

Fact file
In 2005, Black communities in Britain continue to suffer shocking levels of racism, says the Manifesto..

Infant mortality rates in the Pakistani and Caribbean communities are twice that of Whites.

Unemployment in many Black communities is at least three times higher than for White people and in some cases even worse than that e.g.: 70% of Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets are unemployed.

Two thirds of Black people live in the worst housing in the country.

Black people are 6 times more likely to be stopped and searched than their White counterparts (a rise on last year). Stop and search use under anti terrorist levels for Asians has risen by over 300% in the last two years, with under 2% resulting in arrest.

In Britain's democratically elected institutions Black communities are woefully under represented. At Westminster there are thirteen Black MPs out of 659, only two of whom are Black women.

Levels of Black homelessness are rising dramatically, as are the numbers in prison and those registered as suffering from mental illness. Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities are worst affected. Many communities are trapped in a circle of poverty caused and exacerbated by racism.

There is danger ahead if nothing is done, say the manifesto organisers. Failure of Government action will consign at least three or four generations of Black people to second class status and third rate opportunities. The consequences of Black alienation and lack of hope could lead to unrest and spell disaster not just for those communities but for all of society.

Key demands for "Equality in our Lifetime"
The Black Manifesto places the challenge and the responsibility for dramatically reducing the negative and debilitating effects of institutional racism with local, regional and national politicians along with the civil service. It outlines topics and key demands as follows.

Central Government
A Minister for Race. Establish a race equalities unit located in the Cabinet Office and accountable to a new Cabinet/Treasury Equalities Performance and Finance Committee. Civil service Race Equality champions covering education, employment and criminal justice.

Employment
Affirmative action legislation for public and private sectors based on current Fair Employment legislation in Northern Ireland designed to tackle discrimination against the Catholic community. Extend current Race Relations Legislation requiring the duty to promote race equality to the private sector.

Education
High achieving schools, colleges and universities to have legally binding quotas for intakes for low income Black and Minority Ethnic children. An end to disproportionate exclusions for Black pupils. Support for Black led schools/academies and supplementary schools. Introduction of a more globalised curriculum.

Criminal Justice System
Review all anti-terror legislation and repeal where it is shown not to be effective, particularly for example in relation to Section 44 stops and searches. Drive through implementation of Section 95 Criminal Justice Act 1991 requiring comprehensive monitoring of race and all aspects of the Criminal Justice System. Ensure disciplinary action for staff within the Criminal Justice System such as police officers, probation officers, magistrates and judges who consistently return disproportionate racial outcomes.

Political representation
Action against race hatred in politics by amending the Representation of the People Act so that any party, such as the British National Party (BNP), whose aims, statements, policies contravene race or human rights laws are banned. Make parties subject to Race Relations Legislation and introduce all-Black shortlists in wards and constituencies with significant Black communities.

Religious Discrimination and Islamophobia
Implement legislation prohibiting incitement to religious hatred and religious discrimination in employment, goods, services or facilities in both the private and public sector. Introduce monitoring for stops and searches by religion. Cleanse policing and counter-terrorism strategies to ensure they are not biased against particular racial or religious groups particularly against Muslim communities and are in line with the provisions of the Human Rights Act.

Asylum & Immigration
Reaffirm Britain's commitment to 1951 Geneva Convention. End draconian policies against asylum seekers such as forced dispersal and detention. Celebrate the contribution of asylum seekers and migrants to the economy. Challenge the hysteria whipped up by the press and politicians for political gain.

Race Equality Legislation and citizenship
A Single Equalities Act which recognises that different forms of discrimination need distinct approaches. Full incorporation of the International Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). A Bill of Rights to guarantee social rights such as equal access to justice. Abandon citizenship tests and instead enshrine equal citizenship for all in a US-style Citizenship Act.

Health & Housing
Bring forward comprehensive strategic plans to eliminate racial disparities in health rates. Race equality targets should be a prerequisite before any (specia) 'star rating' is given to Health Trusts. Support for Black housing associations and an expanded role for credit unions in securing mortgages for Black first time buyers.

International
An apology for transatlantic slavery and establishment of a UK reparation tribunal. Debt, trade investment strategies for the African continent and the establishment of a UK Educational Foundation for the descendants of slaves, must be the main focus of UK reparations. We welcome the high profile campaigns highlighting the devastating effect of debt on Black nations. The calls to alleviate the effects of these disastrous policies must now be met with Government action.

To initiate a national forum to discuss, build consensus and alliances with organisations, communities, groups that share a common agenda for change.

What the Manifesto says about potential of Black electoral power
Lee Jasper and his colleagues believe there is no more important event in politics than a General Election. It is the one time we, as an electorate, can truly have our say on what we think of our elected leaders. Our vote determines the future of individual MPs' political parties and the present Government.

Although, officially, the electioneering is only a few weeks long, it really covers several months, with promises from each of the political parties to all. Now is the time that MPs and candidates want to know each and every one of their electorate and convince them that they are still the right person for the job.

However, when it comes to coveting the Black vote there has been little past evidence to show how influential they can be. Therefore, Black communities can become very much marginalised and feel that there vote means nothing.

A report on potential Black electoral power contained in the Manifesto reveals that to the contrary that the Black vote will be critical in over 70 constituencies across the country.

It demonstrates how the potential of the Black electorate could decide who wins and who loses in 2005. In areas where the Black population is growing such as Birmingham or the London Borough of Newham the Black vote and the power it wields becomes abundantly clear. So it is critical that politicians start taking notice of where Black communities are living, their issues and demands.

Backing up these views, Operation Black Vote has conducted extensive research into where the Black vote can be decisive in determining the outcome at the next General Election. By means of individual constituency profiles this research shows where Black communities are strong in numbers and how influential they could be to any future election.

The report is the first of its kind to show the significant impact an educated and mobilised Black community or communities can have. It is the first to show the individual communities strength as well. It illustrates where Asian, African & Caribbean people are numerous and therefore important in an electoral sense.

It goes further still to show how faith groups can also have a critical impact on many constituencies around the country. There are areas in the country where the Muslim electorate, for example, is far greater than the MP's majority, and for many MPs, in the current climate this could prove to be very critical.

The Manifesto's basic aims
Lee Jasper and his colleagues argue that with political will, combined with the collaboration of Black communities, racism and the inequalities it causes can be effectively addressed.

Campaigners say that at its core this manifesto is an agenda for social justice, and the delivery of race equality. It is an agenda that allows the UK to move toward a British society that utilises all of the talents its' diverse communities have to offer. In a global economy diversity is increasingly seen as making a real difference for access to world markets.

Three basic aims define the manifesto's purpose:

• To challenge the political establishment to recognise that the Black electorate, with a political agenda, will play a significant role in this forthcoming election and therefore cannot be ignored.
• To inspire a Black generation as never before to become strategically empowered to achieve long term political, social and economic change.
• To initiate a national forum to discuss, build consensus and alliances with organisations, communities, groups that share a common agenda for change.

Karen Chouhan of the 1990 Trust believes this is a manifesto for positive change. "The old methods of dealing with racism and inequality clearly haven't worked. We cannot leave generation after generation without hope of the possibility of positive change. A comprehensive rethink that puts tackling racism at a Cabinet level along with the other measures will be a quantum leap forward."

Simon Woolley Director of Operation Black Vote, says: Never before in British politics has the Black vote been so strong. Although we are a minority vote in a tightly run race, we hold the balance of power. To many, the Black vote becomes a moral majority vision based on justice and equality of opportunity."

Lee Jasper Chair of OBV challenges Black voters, saying: Black communities don't have the luxury not to vote. With racism and in particular Islamaphobia alarmingly on the increase it is the duty of every Black person to tell their political candidates that we demand that they sign up to an agenda for justice. Failure to do so will be punished at the ballot box."