Race
- The facts
- What does racism mean?
- Who are racists?
- Where does racism come from?
- Racism around us
- What can you do?
- Hema's story
The facts
If only that were true. The reality is that racism runs very deep in our society, and although big efforts have been made to raise people's awareness of it, there are still a lot of unenlightened people out there.
What does racism mean?
Racism means treating someone differently or unfairly because they are from a different race or culture, or have a different nationality or religion. It's a kind of bullying where the issue the bully picks on is the colour of the person's skin or their religious or cultural values. Like all bullying, it's cowardly and morally wrong.
Who are racists?
Racists tend to be people who feel threatened easily. Often, they're people who grew up in families or areas where racism was part and parcel of ordinary life. Being racist is what they learned because the people around them were racist, too.
What fuels racism is stereotypes and prejudice - ways we think other people will behave based on where they come from and who they are, and having a closed mind about what individuals are like or will be like without knowing anything about them at all.
Where does racism come from?
To understand racism it helps to understand its history. Much of the racism around us in Britain is a legacy of how white Britons encountered other cultures in centuries gone by. White Europeans, from countries such as Spain and Portugal as well as from Britain, went to countries in Africa, South America and India as conquerors: they moved in on countries and imposed their way of life and rule on them. This was part of what's called colonialism and imperialism (ruling countries in other parts of the world from Britain). Some people were also used as slaves in many parts of the world.
Slavery was abolished in the 19th century, but it wasn't until the last century that there were anti-colonial struggles to free countries from foreign rule. The US civil rights movement to give black Americans the same rights as whites took place only in the second half of the 20th century and the last laws of South African apartheid were repealed only in 1991.
In the UK, the most important piece of legislation outlawing racism, the Race Relations Act, was passed by Parliament in 1976. This act made it illegal to discriminate against anyone on grounds of race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), or ethnic or national origin. It was strengthened by an amendment in 2000 to impose general duties on many public authorities to promote racial equality.
People who have been racially abused or unfairly treated can take their complaint to court or a tribunal. That's how serious racism is - it's against the law and there are serious consequences for those who are convicted of racist behaviour.
Racism around us
Sometimes people tell you they 'aren't racists', but their behaviour suggests otherwise. Here's the sort of behaviour that is considered racist and which you shouldn't engage in or allow to happen.
- Young people are bullied or injured by other youngsters because of their racial origin.
- Youngsters are called names because of their racial origin or skin colour or ethnic background.
- The customs, values, dress and accents of people from different cultures are ridiculed.
- People refuse to work with other people because they're different.
Sometimes racist behaviour is very obvious: at other times, it's not clear whether someone is being excluded because of their race or just by chance. But racism is the concern of everyone in a community: it's not enough merely to make sure you don't call people names or injure them yourself. Racism will only be stamped out when everyone plays a part in making clear that all racist behaviour is unacceptable.
What can you do?
- Tell a teacher or head of year if you think you're being picked on because of your racial origin. Racism has been a problem for a long time and there's no reason why you should have to fight it alone. Your school will take it seriously - under the Race Relations Act they have a duty to ensure racism is tackled.
- Alert your teacher if you think someone else is being picked on because of their race, ethnic background or culture at school. It might be very difficult for the person to talk to an adult on their own.
- Make sure you are as inclusive as possible, including all those around you in what's going on in and out of class. Don't restrict yourself to a small group and assume everyone outside it is 'weird' or 'different'. Be open to talking each day to people outside your immediate group of friends and be willing to open your group to others.
Hema's story
Hema moved with a close-knit group of friends from her primary school to secondary school. After a while it became clear that there were two distinct groups in her form - a 'white' group of girls and a 'Asian' group. Her tutor used a PSHE lesson to talk about and role-play issues of including and sharing. From the discussion, it was clear that no-one wanted to seem exclusive - people were just finding it easier to stick with the friends they knew. At a form outing the following week, the tutor got girls to partner someone they hadn't spoken to much before. Hema got on well with the girl she partnered whom she'd hardly ever talked to before, and the class is now more integrated.