To ask what should the top 3 priorities be in terms of addressing race based inequality in the UK?

[lemonsandlimes123]

I am interested to hear what people would consider to be the top priorities to be tackled in the UK in terms of improving race equality.

I am not sure myself and am aware that many areas intersect and there are many more than 3 things that need to be tackled but this is hopefully a way to start a conversation.

I think that the impact of structural racism in the NHS and particularly in maternity care is a big concern

Representation within the judiciary and legal profession

Social exclusion and over representation of poc in detention.

I think that's where I would start but open to all and any ideas

I agree with both of yours but have to say that as a white woman I was treated terribly in my maternity care because of my weight. I feel maternity care is lacking in many respects for anyone who doesn't fit a slim, young white woman if that makes sense.
I feel that education needs to do more to include Poc

I've not thought about this in this way before, but here's my attempt. There may be bigger priorities that I'm unaware of.

• The wider adoption of schemes that develop tolerance and communication across minority and majority groups within a local area. This includes schemes that develop tolerance and stamp out racism shown by police officers.
• Positive discrimination encouraging a better representation of BAME people in positions of power across the board, including in judiciary and legal professions, but also in the house of parliament, house of commons, and in the management levels of all professions. My concern on this one is that positive discrimination has can't put people out of their depth, because that would be counterproductive. Which is why I think the third is key.
• Addressing issues of education and class which lead to the oppression of certain ethnic groups

I think that the impact of structural racism in the NHS and particularly in maternity care is a big concern
Would you mind explaining what you mean by this one? It's not something I'm aware of.

@dobbyssoc

I think you raise a good point. Improving things for BAME improves things for all.

To nick someone else's slogan: Education, education, education:

1. Invest heavily in schools in deprived areas to make sure that all children, but especially those with historically challenging circumstances, are given opportunities to succeed. I think it is pretty uncontroversial to say that those who have more positive educational experiences go on to have better outcomes in virtually every measurable quantity. A good education is often the key that opens the gate to many other positions (be it in health, law or government) where we need to see a broader representation.
2. Broaden the history curriculum to ensure critical debate about the reasons many groups over history (women, jews, slaves) have been oppressed and how change occurs.
3. Educate those in positions of power. It can't be assumed that police, teachers, social workers etc necessarily understand the life experiences of those who suffer from racism every day. There needs to be good quality training to keep this at the front of their minds.

@qweryuiop I feel that the maternity system is horrific for anyone who doesn't fit the young, slim white description and don't forget no mental health issues or health issues at all for that matter!
I feel that it needs to be overhauled to provide a good service for every single pregnant woman no matter what her colour, health or history!
I feel that the only way to do this is through education. Once this is addressed people can learn and move forward

Thank you for taking the time to start this thread, @lemonsandlimes123. This is the information I need to try to help lobby to address the inequalities.

Others have said to go and educate ourselves, but it's really helpful to have a lived experience to know how best to tailor my lobbying. Thank you again.

Thank you all

qweryuiop - I will see if I can find an article or study to link but in short woc are more likely to suffer maternal deaths and poor outcomes than white women. They are also more likely to not receive pain relief. A high profile example of this was Serena Williams experience (it was in the US but speaks to the same issues). Proportional to the population there are more slightly more midwives who are POC than in the general population so I don't know that it is a problem of representation, which begs the question what is behind the poor outcomes.

mathdoc- interesting point about the history curriculum, if anything under Gove it became even more reductive.

I think visibility in general is so important in terms of role models - could mentorship schemes help?

1. Positive discrimination to get black people into positions of power. Company bosses, MPs, headteachers. We need representation and role models or nothing will change.

1. In the meantime white people in positions of power to give black people a leg up. Give them a platform. Listen to lobby groups. Invite them to contribute

1. Education. Start em young. Start challenging racist attitudes from the very start.

Really interesting thread, thank you for starting.

Agree with PP that education would be the number one priority in my opinion, and from more than one angle. Interrogating exactly how educational inequality comes about and tackling it with real focus. I'm a teacher and have seen this done brilliantly on an individual school level but it should be happening in every setting. Changing the curriculum to increase pupil's understanding of the historical contexts of racism, for example. And I agree, making sure that educators are themselves educated in how to identify and challenge racism and prejudice.

Also agree that healthcare is a major area to look at, especially concerning maternity care.

As a third, looking at how to make the police and judicial system fair.

wokeup - in terms of positive discrimination what would that look like? off the top of my head i can think of all women shortlists and guaranteed interviews for people with disabilities as possible models? Is that the type of approach or would it be maybe a quota for board membership etc?

@lemonsandlimes123

I agree about Gove - in an effort to add what is perceived as rigour, I think some sight was lost about the importance of empathy in history.

I'm actually involved in some mentorship schemes and although the numbers involved are small, the impact on some individuals has been huge. I think it is vitally important that positive role models are held up much more. Too many of the people I speak to anticipate failure, and that is often a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I agree with all the pp about education but it is how we do it on a systemic level. Children are in school for a lot less time than they are at home if the home environment is racist then it is very difficult for school to mitigate this. Not to say we shouldn't try.

mathdoc - Agreed about role models, I am still taken aback when I am on a plane and i hear the pilot over the tannoy and she is a woman and I have been told my whole life women can do anything. If we can't see it it is so much harder to imagine it for ourselves.

No to positive discrimination!

Positive discrimination is very important here. Hire for merit- bonus points for being a part of BAME- this is short term but essential. At the school I work in, most kids are BAME- all white teachers and staff.
Diversity/ inclusivity in the media and the arts.
Education- I'd love for us to move away from Tudor History and Nazi Germany and include a broader history of global politics- it may stop the othering of people. Same goes for literature.
Re education too- especially to those in power and management jobs. I can't tell you how many times I've been put in positions to do jobs because to quote one manager "I just assumed you were", or "you know what I mean"
Better representation and better protection. Workers need to feel protected if they out their managers for racist practices. This is especially important in the police where BAME fear saying anything because there is always someone above them who could pull the rug from underneath them.
Women (BAME) issues here are important as they are usually the primary caregivers and in areas that are deprived, more support has to be provided for them- to be able to work in jobs they don't have to travel ages to get to, in dire conditions, for low pay-- which fuels the cycle of low achievement for their children and traps them in areas that may have few opportunities. This then drives investors and jobs away, and the cycle continues.
It's a massive mess but really needs change on every scale

We need to strive for equity before equality.

For any of this to happen we need to get the schools open!. A bit tounge in cheek but not really, minority groups will be among then hardest hit by the current situation, both in terms of the loss of actual education and the economic impact of having no childcare.

I've only just learnt that positive discrimination is actually illegal. Although the rules around positive action (which is legal) seem suitably vague that it a lot would be possible within the law if an employer really did want to seek equality in their workplace.

It is lawful under s.158 of the Equality Act 2010 for an employer to take action to compensate for disadvantages that it reasonably believes are faced by people who share a particular protected characteristic (ie age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation). Separate provisions allowing positive action in relation to recruitment and promotion in limited circumstances are contained in s.159 of the Act.

Sorry had to correct something- all teachers and staff (aside from me) are white.

Maybe I mean positive action then

OK so here is a question about schools? Do we go zero tolerance on any type of racist abuse i.e. immediate permanent exclusion and if so how do we square that with the fact that it is not unlikely that the perpetrator of the racist abuse may well be a white working class boy who is already underachieving and in excluding him we may well reinforce his feelings of exclusion and racist views?

Properly funded Violence Reduction Schemes as used in Glasgow. When Glasgow became the murder capital of Europe due to gang based knife crime they decided to treat it as a public health issue rather than just a criminal justice issue. This released extra funds to set up various schemes for prevention and rehabilitation of those involved, there was an emphasis on peer education for example. This more than halfed knife crime.
Young black people will remain over represented in the criminal justice system until gang culture is rooted out. Deaths in custody have been falling for years due to improved training, still major room for improvement of course.
One problem is that the first tool in Violence Reduction is stop and search looking for weapons, obviously not popular and i think it only worked in Glasgow because the level of funding was such that there was actual meaningful effective intervention instead of punishment. Recent efforts in London seem to be all stick and no carrot, austerity has put paid to decent funding to help young people. I'd like to see BLM campaining against gang based violence, it kills a hell of a lot more black young people than the police, its a public health disaster and has haunted me ever since Damilola Taylors death. People need to stop buying drugs too.
The police need to do more to restore trust for this to work.
Generally improving social mobility for everyone in deprived areas would do a lot.

lace - sadly I think race discrimination is going to outlive the pandemic!

wbeezer - the Glasgow model is soooooo frustrating, we have really clear evidence of something that worked brilliantly yet seem unable/unwilling to replicate it elsewhere.

Hmmm... in many reports prepared in local authorities and government there is a requirement to consider eg environmental impacts etc. when planning/proposing projects. Is there also a requirement to consider the Impact on/special considerations for ethnic minorities? If not there should be. For all government bodies including NHS. Sorry if this is a bit vague I’m not sure how this applies currently.

I like the UK approach to policing with consent, which seems much better than the US, but more police needed in communities where knife crime is an issue. Stop and search causes so much resentment, but police and communities working together would be the best way out of this. Properly resourced police that is.

And huge government attention needed into why communities continue to live in deprivation. What can be done to improve this. Then DO IT!

Racism can’t be switched off overnight though.