There is an overwhelming amount of information to go through so I’m going to start from the beginning of time.
The introduction of the black community into the UK started as early as the 16th Century (maybe even before) when Catherine of Aragon brought servants from all over Africa to England. Having a black servant at the time was deemed as fashionable and seen as a product of wealth. Queen Elizabeth I, discouraged the settlement of the Black community. This is what is recorded in history. But what does racism in the UK look like 5 centuries later?
Institutional/Systemic racism - where social and political institutions express discrimination through their wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, education and many other factors. Where the ignorance of an organisation negatively affects people of colour, different cultures and ethinic origin.
Article 1: Institutional Racism is more harmful than individual racism (https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/05/institutional-racism-harmful-12176557/)
Article 2: Elderly ethnic minorities are being seriously neglected in healthcare is ‘institutionally racism’
Article 3: Institutional racism in the NHS intensifies in times of crisis
Key points:
- ‘Anyone that is not white may miss out on the perks’ - a white man is 25% more likely to receive a raise when he asks for one.
- Ethnic minorities need to send 60% more CVs to get the same number of call backs.
- Higher Education is a reflection of society today - students are subjected to unfair treatment and there are hidden issues that need to be addressed.
- Lower socioeconomic resources and lifetime experiences of racism and discrimination leads to ethnic inequalities in the health sector.
- 50% of the NHS is made up of BME staff however the new management team for the Nightingale Hospital is made up of only white members.
Interpersonal racism - a single persons’ racist assumptions, beliefs or behaviours, whether conscious or unconscious. Examples:
- Feeling scared and uncomfortable around black people.
- Underestimating a black person’s intelligence and capabilities
- Refusing to date black people due to implicit biases.
- Using racial slurs, even if you’re just singing the lyrics of a song.
- Remaining silent when seeing anti-blackness take place.
Further reading: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gfpO_mW1nS4oGRCCVWBXxx1-CS5zKJqZNQBFMzoKajI/edit
POINTS TO NOTE:
Differences between an anti-racist and someone that is not racist
- Not Racist: a passive person who is not prejudiced but believes they have no control and thus will not step up and confront the prejudice.
- Anti-Racist: an active person who is not prejudiced but will do their best to prevent racism.
Here’s a link to all the lives lost to racism in the UK: https://mobile.twitter.com/korrinesky/status/1267085008210210816
I’ve only talked about two types of racism, there are four kinds as you can see in the picture below. Take an initiative and start learning.
Thank you for reading.
No comments
Post a Comment