Advocacy

A Covenant with Black Britain
Prof Thomas L Blair
Editor & Publisher

The truth is that Black Britons, despite their contributions to the nation's post-war development, are among the most deprived segments of society - low in esteem, political clout and economic power.

Uniquely, among all people of colour, they are prey to negrophobia in western nations based on the fabrication of racism and exploitation -- first as slaves and then as low-paid menial workers.

Over the years, Black Britons have lived close to and worked alongside whites. Some are national superstars, knights and dames of the realm; and many have won medals for their worthiness and bravery. (Tolerated, after a fashion, they know their place, and stay well within it.)

There is even a glimmer of a new strata of petty entrepreneurs and salaried public service workers in town councils, hospitals and transport.

But, there is also increasing evidence that Black progress as a whole is precarious, and many fear a Black underclass is in formation with growing disparities in jobs, schooling, health care, housing, and social justice.

INFO POINT For example, Africans and Afro-Caribbeans are the people most over-represented in the job market; and Black male job seekers are the least favoured choices of employers, reports the Voice, Black newspaper, May 22-28 2006


As their condition worsens, in an epoch when the battle for a place in the information society deepens and resistance to social equity is fierce, it is time to move on from chronicling the pain of the Black experience to resisting racism and planning how to enhance the prospects of Black Britain.

Historical perspective
The spirit of resistance goes back three centuries. With few exceptions, Blacks were maligned in the 1700s and 1800s. Then, Black self-awareness and self-organisation took shape in every arena: on the streets and in the docklands, in political protest, literature and essays against domestic and colonial slavery, as Peter Fryer points out in his book Staying Power: The History of Black People in Britain (Pluto Press 1984).

In actions previously hidden from history, Blacks profoundly influenced and shaped events in Britain and the colonies. Jamaican-born, Robert Wedderburn, the freedom pamphleteer imprisoned for his opinions, and fellow radical, Cuffay, the African, led associations to redress the grievances of the Black and the poor. Black men, radicals and abolitionists fought for working class movements with their white comrades.

Now, as the national mood darkens once again, there is a need for a new cadre of Black Advocates who can produce a plan of action, a road map, or a blueprint for Black Reconstruction.

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds,"
says Bob Marley in Redemption Song.


The new Black Advocates sense that Black Britain is ready for solutions. And in this course, they may take heart from African American scholars and activists and their extraordinary analysis of public issues affecting Black people. Their Covenant with Black America has ignited the imagination of thousands of readers and topped the New York Times best seller list.

Likewise, a Covenant with Black Britain could unleash the latest thrust of Black people toward democracy in Britain. It would address primary grievances and concerns: from jobs, schooling and health care to housing and the environment, and from education to economic parity to the law and social justice.

 

These themes are given sharp focus in a range of voices.

  • Black Advocate, Prof Gus John, calls for schools that open the minds of youth and parents to the brighter possibilities of the future.
  • Black Advocate, Dr Vince Hines, with the intuitive rigour that characterises his community work, says: "Racism is bad; equal opportunity is good".
  • Diane Abbott MP, who began her political career with Liberty, the pressure group for human rights, has slammed the government for abolishing the lifeline agency, the Commission for Racial Equality.
  • Simon Wooley, founder of Operation Black Vote, has transformed the project into a nationally acclaimed organisation which actively fights against the "Black democratic deficit in the UK".
INFO POINT Black populations
In England and Wales, 1.1 per cent of people are Black Caribbean, 0.9 per cent are Black African and a further 0.2 per cent are from Other Black groups.

Black Caribbeans form more than ten per cent of the population of the London boroughs of Lewisham, Lambeth, Brent and Hackney. Over ten per cent of Southwark, Newham, Lambeth and Hackney are Black African. More than two per cent of people describe themselves as Other Black in Hackney, Lambeth and Lewisham.

Chinese people form more than two per cent of the population in Westminster, Cambridge, City of London and Barnet.

The largest proportions of people of Mixed origin are in London, with the exception of Nottingham, where two per cent of people are Mixed White and Black Caribbean. According to the 2001 National Census http://www.statistics.gov.uk

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Advocacy for Parents and Student Power
Prof Gus John

Prof Gus John, veteran of radical politics, calls for "Taking a Stand" to combat failures in the educational system after forty-years of struggle for Black rights. Here, he introduces his timely book and outlines his strategies for reform.

I have lived and worked in Britain since 1964 and have always been involved in radical politics. "Radical" as in getting to the root of things, understanding the connection between things and not settling for easy or consensual explanations for why things are as they are.

Why "Taking A Stand"? Because I do not believe in political neutrality. We are active agents even when we are politically inactive or indifferent. Our indifference gives licence to others to act in accordance with their ideology and then claim to be acting in our name.

That is why I am always wary of people who invoke "the silent majority". If you don't stand for something, you fall for any damned thing. So, it is important to know where you stand, what you stand for and why. I stand for racial and social justice and for the right of every individual to have their human rights respected and safeguarded.

Why Now?
I believe that we as Black people have become too comfortable and have joined the "cult of individualism" that was so rampant during the [Margaret] Thatcher years 1979-1990 and that expanded into all areas of civil society under Prime Minister Tony Blair's leadership 1997-present.

WATCH POINT We seem to have lost the capacity to work collectively, to cultivate a sense of group identity and act together, forming alliances with others, in order to confront the oppression we face, as a group.

Ironically, the more we advance, the more signs there are of us "breaking through" and being included at all levels of the society, the weaker we seem to become as a community. We have become too integrated; so integrated in fact that we forget that for every 10 of us who are inside the gates, there are thousands more who are being refused entry and are having endless hurdles put in their path. What is more, young people are the most excluded and have the least understanding of the struggles we waged over the last 40 years so that some of us could get inside the gates.

Time for Collective Action
I say it is now time for collective action. We hardly need more evidence of the bankruptcy of electoral politics when it comes to eradicating racism and guaranteeing human rights and racial equality to Black people.

This is not a plea for us all to stay at home and boycott the local and national government elections. Too many people in earlier generations sacrificed their all to win the right to exercise the franchise for us to nonchalantly pass up that right.

My argument is that electoral politics has never been enough to confront racism, deliver equal opportunity and safeguard the life chances of Black people in this society, and we delude ourselves if we believe that it could or will.

We need collective action to hold those whom we elect to account, whatever their colour. Sentimental and sycophantic celebration of the fact that we now have Black barons and baronesses of the realm gets us absolutely nowhere.

When their presence begins to make a difference to the education of our children, to the race equality content of Government reports and legislation; to the mental health of our youth and of our communities; and to the extent to which our communities are imploding upon themselves, then I would happily concede that their being Black in those circles actually makes a difference.

Path to liberation
History tells me that we must be our own liberators in the struggle for education rights, for quality educational outcomes for our children, and access to higher education and courses. Equitable treatment within the criminal justice system, and respect and dignity in the workplace are also top priorities.

We must own and organise ourselves to lead the battle against gun crime, against gang culture, against domestic violence and against the self destructive activities of young people in our communities.

We have been talking about what the schooling system does to our children since we formed the Caribbean Education Association, followed by the Caribbean Education and Community Workers Association in the late 1960s.

INFO POINT We benefited from reading Bernard Coard's seminal study in 1971 of How the West Indian Child is Made Educationally Subnormal by the British Schooling System.[Coard's book sparked a furious row. It stressed the importance of self-organisation and Saturday schools. But it also challenged white teachers to listen to what Black parents were saying and to work for institutional changes as well. See Tell it Like it Is: How our schools fail Black children, edited by Brian Richardson, Trentham Books, 2005; also Google "Bernard Coard" and choose Education Guardian.co.uk/Special Report/Opportunity Locked

Surely, it is about time that we, collectively and from all around the country, did something about it, and empowered our children to do something about it..., for their own sake and for the sake of their children.

So, let us build an independent mass organisation of Black parents and of Black school students. Let us nurture our children to understand the meaning and purpose of struggle. Let us provide them with the historical evidence of the power of struggle and the role it has played in our very survival as a people. Above all, let us, by our own example, give them cause to be bold and fearless about fighting for change.

Professor Gus John is author of Taking a Stand published 2006, Visiting Faculty Professor, University of Strathclyde Faculty of Education, and Interim Chair of Parents and Students Empowerment (PaSE). Contact details: Tel: 0161 881 5404; Mobile 07976 001971; For book enquiries: see http://www.gusjohnpartnership.com

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Advocacy for the Black Voluntary Sector
Dr Vince Hines

Dr Vince Hines, representative of the Black European Community Development Federation (BECDF), was moved to respond to a Government official report by saying:

"Government social policy managers have failed to resource the Black community voluntary sector. Hence, the Federation is determined to create well resourced and effective organisations in order to play pivotal roles in reversing the social and economic rot in our modern Society," he says.

Dr Hines is adamant that the way forward must include three essential elements:

  1. Strategies should be based on the successes and good practices of surviving black and ethnic minority self-help groups. There are existing groups in the community with over thirty years of experiences working at the grassroots. They survived and are still producing good work. This calls for encouragement and celebrations.
  2. Black and ethnic minority national, regional and local umbrella organisations need to be encouraged and strengthened. They are essential for the co-ordination and development of voluntary and community initiatives. A national perspective helps strategic planning and capacity building, based on cultural sensitivities.
  3. There needs to be an independent 'Black Think Tank' to supply authentic information of current needs at the grassroots and how these needs are impacting on members of the community.

Our own work demonstrates the kinds of projects that merit serious funding.

  • "Partnership On The Street" - an innovative outreach programme, targeting children and young people between the ages of 13-18 years;
  • "Resource for Life" - a dynamic and innovative programme, supporting young people between the ages of 13-19 years, in order to access formal education, training and jobs;
  • "Family Support Programme" -giving support to parents' self-help initiatives, organised around children and adult needs, in response to the education and criminal justice system, in so far as their qualities of life are affected or likely to be affected; and
  • "Media for Community Development Programme" --an initiative, which seeks to utilise community media to promote social balance and harmony at the grassroots, within a multi-cultural society.

I believe that successful community development in Britain is in the nation's interest. Better trained and well-motivated citizens, whatever their ethnicities, ward off damaging world competitions in trade and commerce, and contribute to the wealth of the nation. It is a simple equation: 'Racism is bad for the Nation. Equal Opportunity is good'.

Excerpts from a Report on Developing the Infrastructure of the Black-led Voluntary and Community Sector: A Response to Government Reforms of the Public Sector and Public Services by Dr Vince Hines, October 2004.

INFO POINT Hines is spokesperson for the Black European Community development Federation (BECDF). He is author of: "Britain, the Blackman and the Future"; "Black Youth and the Survival Game in Britain"; "Movement for Change"; "Pan Europeanism and Racism" and "How Black People Overcame Fifty Years of Repression in Britain 1945-1975 (Part One)". He is the co-founder of the National Federation of Self-Help Organisations and served as Chairperson of the Confederation of Africa Nationals and Descendants, and the Standing Conference of African and Asian Peoples in Europe See http://www.ubol.com

 

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Advocacy for Black representation in new equal rights commission
Diane Abbott, MP

Black MPs Diane Abbott and Keith Vaz have slammed the Government's plans for race equality during a commons debate on the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights, according to a report from Simon Wooley, director of the campaigning organisation Operation Black Vote.

The two MPs gave impassioned speeches that both inspired Black people up and down the country and discredited the government for not taking seriously the communities concerns that the new body has no guarantee of Black representation and no race focus.

It was the last chance to debate the issue before the CRE is abolished and replaced with this new body that merges all the equality strands.

During a heated debate Keith Vaz MP lambasted his own Government stating: Britain's Black communities felt let down by the government. I think that we have failed in terms of the equality agenda after eight years. I expected more from our Government than we have given. We need to do more. We need more than good speeches about more black people here and more Asian people there. We must have bodies that will be able to allow the communities to be able to represent themselves. I am sorry that that is not happening. That is lamentable.

Presenting the case for Black representation and a race committee Diane Abbott MP argued: 'He (Keith Vaz) and I were first selected as prospective parliamentary candidates, together with Bernie Grant and Paul Boateng.

INFO POINT Abbott, Vaz, Grant and Boateng became the first Black MPs in 1987.

We were not selected because of our good looks and charisma, at random or as an act of patronage by our leadership. We were selected on the back of a feeling in society that had arisen because of the riots in London, Bristol and Liverpool in the early 1980s that it was high time that, towards the end of the 20th century, this House of Commons started to look like the people of Britain. If the case for representation was important 20 years ago, it is, if anything, more important today'.

WATCH POINT A wooden response from the Minister Meg Munn kept to the Government's script with an air of acute embarrassment.

Simon Woolly Director of OBV stated: If you want to become a Black politician, read and be inspired by how Vaz and Abbott defend the interest of the Black community. You will also see the scant regard the Government and opposition MP's have for effectively delivering on race equality issues. The call now for a crisis race summit to serve notice on the Government is right.

Tanuka Loha: The 1990 Trust Director stated: We believe that the government has yet again failed to listen to the unprecedented concern of Black communities and Black MPs on this issue. The refusal for a statutory race committee is utterly unacceptable to us, and speaks volumes about their desire to bump race equality to the bottom of the agenda.

Excerpts from a press release by Operation Black Vote, a non-party political campaign. Tel: 0208-983-5430; http://www.obv.org.uk

INFO POINT About the CRE


The Race Relations Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against anyone on grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins. The Commission for Racial Equality was established under the Act to work for the elimination of discrimination, the promotion of equality of opportunity and good race relations generally.

The Commission can advise or assist people with cases before courts and employment tribunals and can conduct its own investigations when it has grounds to believe discrimination may be taking place.

Public bodies have a duty to eliminate discrimination in the way they work and to promote equality of opportunity and good race relations. The Commission is working to help them deliver this duty.

Your comments are welcome on these vital issues.
E-mail: editor@thechronicle.demon.co.uk