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He is right, nothing changes no matter what you do. Explaining the same shit to the same types of people as I was doing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40 years ago
Before anyone mentions my role in #GoHome Vans, a battle we should not have had to fight if we didn& #39;t have racism
Enough https://twitter.com/AntonioFrench/status/1266960975124717568">https://twitter.com/AntonioFr...
Before anyone mentions my role in #GoHome Vans, a battle we should not have had to fight if we didn& #39;t have racism
Enough https://twitter.com/AntonioFrench/status/1266960975124717568">https://twitter.com/AntonioFr...
I was born in East London to Indian parents. At the age of 5, despite being encouraged to speak only English at home I was put into & #39;remedial classes& #39; by teachers because well that is what you did with ethnic kids those days
At the age of 8 or 9, I was on a school trip and ended up in a row and trouble with a kid in my class who said his parents had proudly voted and supported the NF. I was made to sit next to him for the rest of the year to educate him!
At the age of 10 or 11, we went on a family trip to India. My parents were keen for me to understand & educate me about my heritage. I enjoyed the trip, was made to share my reflections at school. The school was trying to help. I got bullied for the remainder of my primary years
I moved to secondary school, got bullied when 13 by some older girls so badly I wanted to leave that school.
At the same time my father tried to join the local Labour party - he was told it was full
At the same time my father tried to join the local Labour party - he was told it was full
At 18 years I saw my mum have to fight racism and race discrimination at work. She was a trade union member, they dismissed the racism as cultural biases, she didn& #39;t get the help she needed, she resigned from her job and never got her confidence back before she died
Throughout my 20s I can& #39;t remember much happening personally, but I did school myself in equalities legislation and thinking and worked training others. I worked for race based equality groups on health issues. And all the time it was explaining to authorities about inequality
Throughout my 30s, jeez I started working in migration and BAME.
It wasn& #39;t just the hostile government we were fighting, there was/are huge issues of power and privilege within the sector. The sector was at a crossroads. A group of funders had invested in orgs to change
It wasn& #39;t just the hostile government we were fighting, there was/are huge issues of power and privilege within the sector. The sector was at a crossroads. A group of funders had invested in orgs to change
The public perception on immigration, but it was to be done not by campaigning but by appeasement. We were told that we needed to understand the white racists. Migrants and BAME communities were the problem, our rights had to be balanced against the & #39;fragile& #39; working class
I was in constant conflict. No one wanted to listen to me as an Asian woman of a small organisation. This was the perverse of white men discussions and a return to the voeyueristic fascination with the other through & #39;lived experience& #39;.
Public policy said don& #39;t fund single identity groups, (and address inequality) talk about diversity, cohesion and integration, because you are the problem, & #39;you lot don& #39;t mix enough& #39;.
#GoHome vans happened.I stepped into leading the national campaign because no one else would
#GoHome vans happened.I stepped into leading the national campaign because no one else would
For those who don& #39;t know, this clip sums it up https://www.channel4.com/news/how-should-the-uk-tackle-illegal-immigration-video">https://www.channel4.com/news/how-...
What it doesn& #39;t show is how fearful of fighting racism a lot of people and organisations are
It was me the org I worked for, and @dpg_law
Others came on after the case was won. White privilege came out when it was safe. During the time I received threats from gov & public
It was me the org I worked for, and @dpg_law
Others came on after the case was won. White privilege came out when it was safe. During the time I received threats from gov & public
The battle for migrant rights continues. I bowed out in 2017. When I did the white male who took over from me running a small organisation got £5k more for doing a 4 day week. I had to evoke my rights by threatening to go to an employment tribunal.
I then took some time working on tempo contracts for mainstream & equality based organisations. In one organisation I was the CEO in a white staff & board. There was a daily barrage of we need to be inclusive on race & expectation I could draw in more ethnics because I was one!
And now I work for a mainstream organisation. I have found myself again having to speak about equality during the lockdown because it is still an issue. I don& #39;t align myself personally or professionally with those that seek to campaign using dubious smoke and mirror techniques
This week I colleague said to me, & #39;I am so glad you are there at the top table able to talk about these issues for us& #39;
I mention equality in virtually every conversation I have about the sector at the moment with colleagues, funders and government.
I mention equality in virtually every conversation I have about the sector at the moment with colleagues, funders and government.
What I hear back is, yes we know, we agree but tell us what to do to make things better. I make suggestions, I offer advice, I make connections between my position of privilege and those groups that need to be heard, and yet where is the change?
There are some genuinely good people out there trying really hard to make funding more equitable. But how do you undo decades of marginalisation and under investment. We will see no change, no improvement until the Equality Duty is compulsory for civil society.