Being black in Oxfordshire

[ivegotaquestion]

Does anyone have any experience of what it's like?

Me (black female), my partner (white male) & 2 boys (white passing) are looking to move from London and at the moment are favouring the Wantage area. We don't want our boys to grow up here with all the violence etc. Being from such a diverse area where nobody bats an eye at the fact that I'm black, or black with a white partner or always out on my own with my boys who look completely white has me worried about moving to an area that has very few minorities though. We really do want a better life for our boys though.

Do we need to worry?

I think anywhere that doesn't have a high level of diversity leaves you at risk of being 'othered'. I personally don't have experience of Oxfordshire but just bumping for you.

I don't know Wantage, but (despite the media slant) Oxford itself is obviously a centre of global scholarship and contains a good deal of industry - and most people professionally attached to the city live in the surrounding areas (as the city itself is so expensive). So it's perfectly capable of absorbing whoever arrives. I'm fully aware that non-white English people are given the impression that they might feel unwelcome there - but (and I say this with all possible caveats) public/social media rhetoric is weighted towards negative experiences.

Honestly I'd worry more about moving to somewhere you like, that offers you and your family the best opportunities. I understand your concerns - but your OP suggests you haven't spent much time travelling or staying outside London. (I may be wrong, of course.)

Wouldn't the best thing ((virus dependent) be to spend as much time as you can as a family visiting and getting to know the areas you're considering?

I work in South Oxfordshire and it’s true, and it’s true that there isn’t much race diversity. Having said that it’s a friendly area and also beautiful, and I love working there and living nearby. I appreciate that I have no idea what it would be like to be black and living there, so want to acknowledge that.

Someone else mentioned Oxford, and I know that people who can’t necessarily afford to live in Oxford (including my friend who is married to a lecturer) live in Wantage. With my work hat on, make sure you look out for flood risk when you are househunting!

White person here. Oxford is very diverse, lost of people of all different nationalities and skin tones. but the rest of Oxfordshire is pretty white. I think the closer you go to Oxford itself, the more likely you are to encounter diversity. Have you looked at Abingdon? Lovely town, close to Oxford itself and home to many people who work in Oxford. I think it’s still quite white on the whole but it’s so close to the city it acts more like an extension to it.

Do check flood risk though, as PP says.

Roughly how old are your children?

Yes you do need to worry.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/22/racism-uk-schools-teenager

www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2020/jul/23/the-shocking-truth-of-racism-in-british-schools.

While one of the journalists goes back to his primary school days in the 1980s the spreadsheet has stories from 2010-2020.

If you have incidents like this in London you can move school but in places with less schools it would be near impossible.