Key Issues
Afro-Brits face challenging year
A good year in politics Black Britons will be better off in 2006 if politicians bring a welcome humanity to politics. This will require a more social liberal commitment from all political parties. People want serious actions and sound ideas —not gesture politics — in the run-up to the May 4th council elections. Black voters will be pressing for better public services and a renewed attack on urban poverty. Parents will be sending campaigning e-mails to highlight the problems of failing schools. People will vote for candidates who, like them, want schools that give youth a future in the urban economy. The impact of these views may be greatest in more than 70 key seats where Black voters can have decisive impact.
Judging justice
Against this backdrop, there will be groundbreaking news on the judicial front, says Simon Wooley of Operation Black Vote. "We're tired of coping with the "democratic deficit" of unequal participation in the Criminal Justice System," says Wooley. His activist group has launched a Magistrate's Scheme to counter this deficit. It aims to add more than 70 new Black and minority ethnic magistrates to local courts and race equality councils by the end of the year. Boosting efforts for social justice is the goal. "It's a new initiative to reflect the society we are in, enhance the quality of public service and create greater understanding of Britain’s diverse communities ," say Nicholas Boachie JP and Georgia Ramsay JP, OBV Scheme members.
Workers' rights
This year offers an opportunity to plant the banner of equality at work more firmly on the public agenda. Black working class hero, Sir Bill Morris, former head of the Transport and General Workers, showed the way in directing the inquiry of the Metropolitan Police Service. "Better workplace relationships are the key to good policing in London’s varied and diverse community," he said. Following on from this, 2006 will see the first effects of a new employment equality scheme to eliminate racism at work. Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission for Racial Equality that launched the scheme, says: "For many people, work is the only place where they interact with those from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds - and whether we like it or not, this is set to increase over the next two generations". Bosses and workers must face the challenge to eliminate discrimination, encourage equality of opportunity and practise good race relations, says Phillips.
Gospel justice
This year you can expect that the Rt Rev John Sentamu, the Church of England's first Black Archbishop, will continue his brave opposition to racism and the Iraq war. But as the Church declines in influence, the year will see Black faith flowering in desolate inner cities. Our own brand of "Gospel social justice" will gain pace, say religionists. Black Christians will be founding and moving closer to Pentecostal and Evangelical Black-led churches — the fastest growing faith group in British Christendom. By the year's end,too, in a show of pride in their roots, tens of thousands of Afro-Britons in London, Birmingham. Wolverhampton, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham are expected to celebrate Kwanzaa, the African inspired harvest festival. Get ready to commemorate Abolition of slavery
David Lammy, minister for culture, and a host of other Black personalities are believed to be preparing celebrations of a momentous event. Next year marks the bicentenary of Parliament's decision to abolish slavery. Afro-Britons will be dusting off the cobwebs of their own chapter of British history. They'll be offering praises to their forebears who spoke out against slavery and gave voice to the 20,000 strong Black community of that era. Pride of place will be given to readings from the Letters of Ignatius Sancho, who wrote of England in the 1780s: "I must observe your country's conduct has been uniformly wicked in the East - West Indies - and even on the coast of Guinea - The grand object of English navigators - indeed of all christian navigators - is money - money - money ".
Europe's
racism examined
The report comes at a time of rising concerns about racist attacks against Blacks across Europe. Attacks are common from Russia and Scandinavia to Greece and Italy. In London, Black teenager, Anthony Walker, died with an axe embedded in his skull during an unprovoked attack. Moscow newspaper headlines shout: "Students die in racist attack" and there are almost daily complaints from the Kenyan, South African, Indian and South Korean embassies. Building on recent research from the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia, the IRR publication by Liz Fekete, will prove to be a hard-hitting critique of official responses to racist crimes.
A good year for sportsman
Leroy Rosenior is tipped to be the first Black to break through the race barrier in English premiership football. His will be a major victory in a sport which has 30 per cent Black footballers. Rosenior is one of only four Black managers in the top four English divisions. The others are Chester's Keith Curle, Lincoln's Keith Alexander and the Swindon caretaker manager, Iffy Onoura. It won't be easy to break the barrier, however, says Les Ferdinand, MBE. He played for England's national team and is one of the game's great Black players and sports ambassadors. "Black managers face the same problems Black players did 30 years ago. A lot of Caucasian coaches don't have the same qualifications as Black coaches and they still get the jobs."
"Read all about it"
Izundu, a specialist in geopolitical journalism, says: "The scheme is needed because the costs of training as a fully qualified journalist can be incredibly expensive. As a result, very talented individuals are put off pursuing this exciting career". Aspire will work to overcome this problem with partners, the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), the UK’s leading journalism training organization, and the newly established Journalism Diversity Fund.
African and Caribbean policymakers will make a surprising sight in major British cities in 2006. "Come back home", they'll tell Black Britons; help our distressed people and economies. Key targets will be experts to integrate tourism and environmental conservation, teachers, nurses and doctors to improve schools and hospitals, and lawmen to tackle drug dealing and crime. Tax free offers to entrepreneurs to invest in economic enterprises may also be on the cards. And scouts for African football clubs and the West Indies cricket team will need all the help they can get from visiting sports personalities and team-building coaches. Your comments are welcome on ways to address these vital issues. E-mail: editor@thechronicle.demon.co.uk
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