AIBU being worried about being in black in Oxford

[poloevi]

It’s looking likely that my family will need to move to Oxford soon because of my husband’s work. We have two young kids (7, 4) and I just wondered what it’s really like being black in Oxford. I have lived all over the UK so am not naive about how different places can be when it comes to diversity. I know Oxford seems to be multicultural but I’d be interested to know what its really like for black people living in Oxfordshire eg how are schools dealing with issues of racism, have you experienced racism on the street etc. I have family members that wear headscarves that have sometimes faced unpleasantness in some of the places we’ve lived, is that the sort of thing you expect to experience in Oxford or not?

You’re massively overthinking it & I’m sorry you feel like this.

I’m not far from Oxford and it really is as multicultural as you can get. We have primary aged friends in the area who are in the minority.

Your OP says being in black. I wondered why one couldn't wear black in Oxford

Very multicultural OP you have nothing to worry about. Everyones welcome here. Schools are full of different nationalities so the children grow knowing this as normal (as it is) I love it. I was seriously shocked when I visited some other places and put a headscarf on (I'm not actually Muslim it was cold and raining and i just like wearing headscarfs in winter with my big scarfs, its warm and lovely) anyway I wrapped my scarf around my head and had such a bad experience I took it off. Felt like I was a zoo animal on display. That's not what growing up in oxford is like atall.

I went to oxford uni and that is sadly not very multicultural, or at least very few black students. Maybe that's what you are thinking of. The town itself is very different (and in my experience the students at the uni, who you will likely come into contact with in some capacity, are also decent and tolerant, the under representation of BAME students is due to different issues).

@WINHBB

You’re massively overthinking it & I’m sorry you feel like this.

I’m not far from Oxford and it really is as multicultural as you can get. We have primary aged friends in the area who are in the minority.

Not really overthinking to be concerned about whether an area is more likely to expose my children to difficult people/environments. I've lived all over the UK and different areas have different levels of tolerance so it's pretty standard (as a minority) to consider the realities of a place that you are moving to

@HermioneGranger20

Very multicultural OP you have nothing to worry about. Everyones welcome here. Schools are full of different nationalities so the children grow knowing this as normal (as it is) I love it. I was seriously shocked when I visited some other places and put a headscarf on (I'm not actually Muslim it was cold and raining and i just like wearing headscarfs in winter with my big scarfs, its warm and lovely) anyway I wrapped my scarf around my head and had such a bad experience I took it off. Felt like I was a zoo animal on display. That's not what growing up in oxford is like atall.

Really useful, thanks

OP sorry you're having to think like this

I disagree, there is a lot of elitism and it's multicultural for Asians, not Blacks.

However, it should be okay but I would never ever say multicultural from a black perspective.

@saveforthat

Your OP says being in black. I wondered why one couldn't wear black in Oxford

Ah! Good point! No idea how to change it though

I live a 10 minute journey from Oxford town centre it's very multicultural. My childrens school is so diverse there are no more white children to black children to asian children. It's a complete rainbow. A daughter or mum in a head scarf will not stand out or be looked at strangely. Which area will you be moving to?

Lived there for quite some time and it's a fabulous multicultural slightly left wing vibe. I brought my son up there whose father was black, I'm white, and it was a positive experience with lots of different cultural festivals, food, music etc. And don't miss out on Cowley Road, great places to eat and drink.

Are you likely to be living in/going to school in Oxford itself or a village on the outside? And any ideas where in Oxford? It is a small city but there are still different demographics in different areas.

People tend to think of Oxford in terms of the university but that is not the same as the city (for example the city has areas where 30% of children living below the poverty line which isn't what most people think of when you say Oxford!). As a pp has said, the university still has very low numbers of black students (especially at undergraduate level) but that is not the same as the town population. I can't speak to the experience of racism as I am white but do look for experiences of residents not students (as reporting on the experience of students often focuses on racism encountered with the university and colleges not necessarily experiences around the town).

@diannetol

OP sorry you're having to think like this

I disagree, there is a lot of elitism and it's multicultural for Asians, not Blacks.

However, it should be okay but I would never ever say multicultural from a black perspective.

That is actually exactly the thing I wanted to know as its what I suspected (based on friends' experiences). Useful to hear

@terrywynne

Are you likely to be living in/going to school in Oxford itself or a village on the outside? And any ideas where in Oxford? It is a small city but there are still different demographics in different areas.

People tend to think of Oxford in terms of the university but that is not the same as the city (for example the city has areas where 30% of children living below the poverty line which isn't what most people think of when you say Oxford!). As a pp has said, the university still has very low numbers of black students (especially at undergraduate level) but that is not the same as the town population. I can't speak to the experience of racism as I am white but do look for experiences of residents not students (as reporting on the experience of students often focuses on racism encountered with the university and colleges not necessarily experiences around the town).

Still in discussion but which areas would you recommend? We're only interested in oxford as we're a bit village'd out so we have been looking at Headington/Marsden based on high school catchment.

I don’t think you’re overthinking this; some of my black friends wouldn’t step foot in certain countries (let alone cities!) due to potential racism, whether it’s indirect or not.

Sorry I have nothing further to add as I’m not that familiar with the area, I’m more familiar with the student side/university.

It depends which areas of Oxford you are talking about. Cowley/Blackbird Leys are very multicultural but also had a reputation for being rough (no idea whether that was deserved). The Banbury and Woodstock areas were more middle class white but other ethnicities weren't unusual like they would be in some rural parts of Oxfordshire. The area towards Abingdon is more mixed. The suburbs of Oxford are very different to each other!

Been in Oxfordshire for almost three years and am content. Work in Summertown Oxford and I love it. Nice and leafy, multicultural, different ethnicities, independent cafes and shops. The centre of Oxford is lovely and easy to navigate. We live in Bicester and my sons’ school and nursery have a mix of races and religions. I’m from the States originally so know where you’re coming from. It was something I worried about and was looking out for when we were looking at homes in Oxfordshire. Don’t regret moving here one bit.🙂

Oxford is very diverse OP. I’m white so can’t offer any personal experience but there’s all types of people all over the city. Summertown is pretty white but it’s really expensive, so unless you’re loaded you’ll probably not live there.

I’d pay attention to the local schools for your DC. Try to avoid Blackbird Leys, Littlemore or Cowley because the local catchment secondaries are awful, plus BBL in particular isn’t a very nice place to live.

How old are your DC OP?

Those areas are good OP, the catchment secondaries are good. Wheatley Park is a lovely secondary school in particular. Mathew Arnold and Cherwell are also brilliant schools. Steer clear of The Oxford Academy and St Gregs, they are awful. Spires is a good school but I don’t know much about Cheyney, it’s ok I think.

Still in discussion but which areas would you recommend? We're only interested in oxford as we're a bit village'd out so we have been looking at Headington/Marsden based on high school catchment.

I would live in Headington if I could afford to! It has a little high street feel and small market at the weekend (I think). Not sure what schools are like though (except it has the private girls school) or how multicultural it is.

Cowley Road is generally held up as a multicultural area and has a lot of small restaurants (if they survive Covid) and the carnival. It is a bit of a weird area though - lots of student accomodation, and some streets that are all university academics and street community associations, but then other streets are areas of high deprivation and they have problems with drug addicts in the churchyard. So you would need to choose carefully.

I know people who live in Botley (west side of town) and I think the schools are ok but don't know much about the area

Personally I would avoid Barton, Blackbird Leys and Rose Hill. There is a huge new housing estate going in on the ring road near Barton - no idea what that is going to be like community wise or in terms of schools.

Be warned though, living inside the Oxford ring road is very very expensive especially in the more desirable areas (Summertown for example). The traffic is also terrible so you need to think carefully about how you will get to work. Personally I would not live on the east side and work on the west (or vice versa) and would look at bus routes if working in the city centre.

Some of the 'villages' around Oxford are still quite large (Kidlington in the north for example) so don't rule them out necessarily. But see above about travel.

Not very multicultural in the west of the county. If you drew a county line north to south, through the centre of Oxford, I would discount everywhere to the left of the line. Summertown / Headington have a good vibe and I also like Cowley though haven’t lived there - very dependent on the road you live on in that area.

Cowley road is great but I don’t think I would like to live there TBH. Abingdon Road is alright but avoid the Donnington Bridge area. Also you need to be mindful of flooding, as do you in Osney and Botley Road.

Like PP says, there are some lovely villages on the outskirts. Wheatley and Garsington are lovely and have great catchment schools. Kennington Radley and out towards Abingdon is nice as well. Also Bicester is a decent bet but I don’t know much about it.

There is a group on Facebook called Oxford Community. Join that and ask on there.

@Drowninginwashing

I went to oxford uni and that is sadly not very multicultural, or at least very few black students. Maybe that's what you are thinking of. The town itself is very different (and in my experience the students at the uni, who you will likely come into contact with in some capacity, are also decent and tolerant, the under representation of BAME students is due to different issues).

Decent and tolerant! I would not consider being tolerated something decent, or did I read this wrongly?

I'm a teacher in Oxford. I've taught at schools in various places around the North and East of the city. All schools have been mixed but yes, more families of Asian heritage than African/Caribbean.

Headington is fairly nice, near Bury Knowle Park which is a lovely park, and it's got a nice feel. Marston is okay but the traffic is a nightmare (it is in many places if you're travelling into Oxford in the mornings but Marsh Lane is particularly awful!). If you can afford Summertown it has some good shops. Jericho you would pay silly money for a small house, probably with no parking, but it's great round there. I don't know about other areas really.

Ignore the bit above about discounting the "left of the line". Both sides of the imaginary line have nice places and not so nice places!

I am white so I can't speak about racism with any personal experience, but I have lived in Oxford for 20+ years and I would say it is pretty multicultural and diverse for a city of its size. It is true that there is a much bigger South and East Asian community than a black community. However, because there is a big Muslim community there are lots of people here who wear headscarves and I wouldn't expect that to be a problem. I live in Headington and like it here- feel free to PM me if you want to know more about the area.