Is Britain fairer? Sadly, not if you’re Black

Like many parents who were able to, I took last week off to be with my son during school half term. So when the news came in - last Thursday - about the once every three years, Equality and Human Rights Commission report; ‘Is Britain Fairer’, I only caught flashes of it on the news, and from quickly scanned newspaper reports.

The most prominent headline covered by many media outlets focused on either youth in general or ‘poor white boys’. The Guardian led with the headline: ‘Britain's youth at risk of being 'lost generation', warns equality report’. Whilst both the BBC and the Daily Mail, both led with the focus on ‘Poor white boys get a worse start in life’.

Reading the summary, which was probably backed up with a similar leaning from the EHRC press release, also seemed to emphasise the focus of ‘poor white’ children educationally falling behind. Therefore, reading both the newspapers and the EHRC summary report, which many politicians would do, given their limited time, the theme of tackling race inequality would seem to be less of a priority.

After all, as the summary of the report and news papers added; Educational results from all BME communities have improved, in particular highlighting two groups, Indian and Chinese, have the best educational results of all ethnic groups.

This skewed equality debate doesn’t even begin to tell half the story about race inequality and why in spite all the odds many BME children are doing better at school.

Actually, and rather annoyingly, there is a lot of good information about persistent and in some areas worsening race inequality in the full body of the report.

One of the the biggest factors of race inequality today, which received little or no coverage in both news reports and the summary itself, is around African, Caribbean unemployment, and BME poverty in general. Despite their academic achievement, often against the odds, these groups are still more likely to be to unemployed, furthermore, when they, like other BME groups are more likely to be paid less. And, as the report states, at board room level there are so few BME individuals and no plan to close those gaps.

So what does that say about our society that sees African and Caribbean boys doing what everyone tells them to do-study hard- and when they do they still have a more difficulty getting to one of the better universities, and, or getting a job, and if they do get a job then it’s probably low pay and a zero hour contract with no benefits most workers receive.

In the main report, there are lots of compelling data about the persistent race penalties that blight many BME individuals’ lives. For example, within the health care, particularly around mental health the data is clear and compelling that work should be done; general poverty too is seen as an indicate that disproportionately effects BME communities. And I’m please the EHRC has sought to highlight the deep cynicism many BME individuals have towards political engagement.

In many ways the presentation of this report says more about the present EHRC commission than it does around tackling race equality. This last decade of economic down turn and demonization of ‘the other’ particularly Muslims, but also BME communities in general has had a profoundly negative effective on both the BME equality of opportunity, and also around those basic areas within health, housing, education, and employment.

Above all, and to which the report barely eludes to is that with both disadvantage, along with minor, and at times major racial hatred, having a shared British belonging that affords people hope and opportunity becomes extremely difficult, and if we not careful could be very dangerous, particularly in the hands of those who would prey on the disillusioned and angry.

I urge readers, researchers and politicians, therefore, not to read the EHRC summary or even all the news paper coverage, because I don’t feel it does justice to the full report. I would suggest that readers go straight into the main report and tease out some of the key findings around race inequality.

I’m always reminded from these and other reports, that unless we care about these issues; what information is collated, how it’s interpreted, and increasingly, how it is presented, then we lead ourselves open to those who want a rather different emphasis.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/our-work/key-projects/britain-fairer/great-britain-report

Simon Woolley