To ask for your practical ANTI-RACIST things to do?

[WhenAllsSaidandDone]

What I've learned recently is that there's a difference between non-racist and anti-racist. Being non-racist is all well and good (and we all claim to be) but the real change happens when one is anti-racist. Non-racism is passive, Anti-racism is active.

I'll like to ask you to join in writing out a list of practical everyday stuff we could all do in our bid to be more anti-racist (if you're not already) and join in this fight against racism. Some are:

1. Shopping for black dolls/books with black characters especially as the lead (Prince/ss, Scientist, Superhero, etc) and not just the token friend to the white character, so your DC gets used to having beautiful dolls of different colours and books with different races working together and seeing them equally.

1. Writing to shop management about the lack of black representation on their website, posters etc and asking for a more diverse range of toys/books to be displayed in the shops, available for all to buy. (Not just for black people to buy black dolls or books with black characters but for white people to do the same. BAME have had to buy white dolls/books with only white characters for ages).

1. Writing to school management/head teacher about something similar for their website, etc.

1. Not only raising children to be decent human beings but also having ongoing active conversations with them regarding how some people in society are treated and letting them know it is unacceptable to [insert different ways they can be unfairly treated] and what they can do if they witness this.

1. Actively searching out films with more than a token black/BAME character to watch, etc and petitioning to have much more than one in a film.

The aim is to ensure that our children grow up seeing and appreciating people of all colours in their daily lives, particularly if we don't live in very diverse areas. We've no excuses now.

Please add to this list, thanks.

After reading the first page of comments, I guess I would add 'explain to people what anti-racism is'

I’m arguing for applications for promotion and internal jobs within my organisation to have all identifying information removed. I successfully argued for a change to graduate recruitment as it was clear to me that the role play exercises clearly favoured privileged white kids with public school confidence and discriminated against those from a lower socioeconomic background (which included a large number of BAME candidates).

Write to your MP and ask them to call for an end to the 'hostile environment'.

www.jcwi.org.uk/Pages/Category/ending-the-hostile-environment

www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/report-a-guide-to-the-hostile-environment/

www.lettingagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2020/4/right-to-rent-stays-after-court-rules-against-campaigners

Most urgently, ask them to call for the 'no recourse to public funds' rule to be scrapped.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/07/coronavirus-lockdown-charities-raise-alarm-as-thousands-face-poverty

ukhumanrightsblog.com/2020/06/03/the-law-of-humanity-home-office-no-recourse-to-public-funds-policy-ruled-unlawful/

There's a drama on BBC tomorrow about the Windrush scandal which will illustrate many of the terrible problems caused to BAME people by the hostile environment.

The Windrush: Lessons Learned review was published on 31 March, one week after we went into lockdown. I see no evidence that the government have learned anything at all.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-lessons-learned-review

The only other place I have seen the phrase 'hostile environment' is in the Equality Act. Part of the definition of unlawful harassment is to create a hostile environment based on a protected characteristic such as race.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/26

Personal History of David Copperfield - a colour blind casting of David Copperfield. Film is way behind theatre in this, the RSC has had black actors playing important characters for a long time, I saw Derek Griffiths playing Feste in Twelfth Night about 25 years ago (he was hilarious) and from Google he'd played the same character at the Manchester Royal Exchange in the 80s.

I don't actually watch any of the shows you've listed. But I've just searched for SCD2019, and according to this www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/strictly-come-dancing-2019-line-up-lineup-contestants-who-dancers-a9033371.html
it appears to me that four out of fifteen contestants were black or mixed race, which is more than 25%.

Of the four judges one was black. So you have a judging panel and a list of contestants which both appear to be 25% black compared to a country that has an approximately 3% black population (and I believe 1.8% mixed race, although of course that is mixed all ethnicities).
So statistically, yes that does seem proportionately high - although again I need to clarify that's not a bad thing!

But of course it's all relative. Someone in tower hamlets could watch that show make up and think that the fact it was still made up of a majority of white contestants and judges and so didn't feel representative, whereas someone in Blaenau Gwent could think the opposite.

Also I agree with you (and Piers Morgan, which worries me!) that of course a show filmed in London should have a far more mixed representation both in front of and behind the camera.

'My wife and kids'. TV show episodes are on youtube.

Old show too btw.

out of interest @MrsSchadenfreude what did you replace the role play exercise with (if anything)? Only because my company are desperately trying to increase the number of our BaME staff but come up with the same issue of people applying and getting through the initial few stages but then not being marked as highly in the final interview stage, one part of which is a role play.

"Also saying "challenge racism" is a broad term. How do you challenge it?

If it is safe to do so, you could say "I don't want you to say that near me" Or, "I have to challenge you on saying that"

You can't combat institutional racism by buying black dolls or demanding more black contestants on strictly. You have to look at the actual institutions and the racist laws and policies that those institutions create and you have to challenge them and change them.

London & city schools teach black/Asian history & a lot of different religions, rural areas don’t teach much if any black/Asian history. I grew up in a rural area we were taught nothing about BAME history, just white history. This needs to be changed. Unless it already has, it’s been a while since I’ve been at school.

Tbh, nothing changes for me. I’ve always spoken out against racism. If I ever see it I’ll always point this out. On a personal level, my children are mixed race. I need to prepare them for the world we live in, br proud of who they are, stand up for themselves & others

@namesnamesnamesnames

If anyone has any ideas...I have a preteen child and tonight, myself watched The 13th on Netflix. It's too adult for my child, are there suggestions that are child suitable but not too young?

“The Help” amazing movie, true reflection of how lack people were treated. It’s very Emotional though I cried several times watching it

Op, your intention is good but this is Mumsnet so unfortunately you will get many ignorant responses from white posters who don't see it as a problem because it doesn't impact them. That's the sad truth but I think it's great that you are trying.

I agree.
So glad those ignorant, racist first few posts were deleted. I was quite shocked at them.

Read. Read everything by activist black writers. James Baldwin, Toni Morrison etc. TBH I'm shocked that you haven't already.

I'm shocked you have to ask .

We are combating all racism, not just institutional. Both the heavy ones and the casual ones. Both overt and covert racism. Such lists combat everyday blindness to people of different races (even if in small ways..every little helps) and brings the awareness into homes where it was never thought of because there's none around. This helps to stop the 'othering' of people.

When a child lives its life only seeing beautiful dolls and princesses (for example) as light skin, blonde and blue eyed (or white in general), it's not farfetched to think there'll be a form of prejudice towards dark skin, curly haired ones. It starts from omission in childhood.

Non-racism is not being racist. One is not racist just because they never bought black dolls unless they actively refuse to do so out of racism. Some just never thought of it.

Anti-racism is actively making sure this doesn't happen by doing these seemingly little things (and the big ones too) - Bringing people of other races into your homes as normally as you would white people, in the form of toys, books, films, etc.

Every anti-racist is non-racist but not every non-racist is anti-racist.

Again, this list is for anyone to add to. The OP is far from exhaustive, it's just a starter. Add yours, we'll all learn from it.

Donate money to anti racism charities:
metro.co.uk/2020/06/05/anti-racism-charities-can-donate-money-12811363/
That is actually practically doing something.

I feel uncomfortable with your suggestions of writing to shops/headteachers. It feels like you'd be passing the buck to someone else.

We are combating all racism, not just institutional.

What are you doing to combat institutional racism?

When it comes to stocking up on diverse range of items such as toys, books, etc and changing school websites images, posters etc to reflect more diversity of races. Situations like these, only management can do something about it and writing to them or complaining to them is a start.

You can't combat institutional racism by buying black dolls or demanding more black contestants on strictly.

I meant of course you can't but this isn't supposed to. Every thing we can do to combat all types of racism can be written so do add what you'd like us to know.

@newyearnoeu we replaced it with a presentation. Candidates were given a list of three or four subjects and had to tell us which they were choosing in advance, so that we could ensure that a specialist in that subject was on the panel. They would present for 15 minutes, we would then spend 20 minutes asking questions about the presentation, and then we would move onto the formal interview. It was a vastly better process (shorter and cheaper for us, gave the candidates the chance to sell themselves and show interest in a subject), and improved the diversity of our intake. From the recruiter’s point of view, also much more interesting for us to have a discussion on an area of interest with a bright and sparky young person than watch hundreds of role play of the same scenario over and over again.

I am someone who you would describe as a 'passive non racist'OP,

Really @JRUIN? Because that's not the vibe I'm getting from you at all.

There were a lot of links in my first post above. If you read none of the others, read this one:

ukhumanrightsblog.com/2020/06/03/the-law-of-humanity-home-office-no-recourse-to-public-funds-policy-ruled-unlawful/

An 8 year old black British child took our government to court for the right not to live in destitution because of our racist immigration laws. His mother is a frontline care worker. He and his mother have suffered periods of street homelessness and he has had to change schools 5 times before he was 8 years old as a direct result of our racist immigration laws.

The Children's Society estimate that there are over 100,000 children in the UK who are affected by this racist law.

I would add “don’t use the term BAME”. Black, Asian and people of other ethnicities have very very different experiences and there are often intersections of racism between them. Your firm might be brilliant at hiring Asian candidates but rubbish at successfully recruiting Black candidates - and yet If you count them within a catch all “BAME” - ostensibly meaning “non white” you’d never know and be able to fix it.

Interesting point. Noted. Been wondering if BAME is the new correct term but I see what you mean.