Multiculturalism: a perspective

A perspective on the attacks on race equality and multiculturalism by Lee Jasper.

As we have seen the slow decline of the global economic, military and political influence of Britain we have also seen a growing sense of insecurity and melancholia, particularly from white British people whose confidence about their place and status in a world has become increasingly fragile. The economic rise of India, China, Brazil and Russia alongside the effects of globalisation has produced a crisis of national confidence.

Overlaying a growing sense of insecurity is the impact of huge cuts to public spending that is resulting in a growing sense of economic insecurity. In response to the national malaise there is an attempt by sections of the media lay the blame for the nation’s woes on black communities.

In the last 10 years we have witnessed a sustained backlash and ferocious attack against the principles of race equality.

First we saw a sustained assault on the findings of the McPherson report, which followed an inquiry into the Metropolitan police's investigation of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence.

Then we saw the explosion of Islamophobia that followed the terrorist attacks of both 9/11 & 7/7. The McPherson Report was labelled as “political correctness gone mad”, multiculturalism as being responsible for “breeding separatism and extremism”. Race equality measures are now identified as an assault on “British values and the British way of life”. Ethnic diversity is viewed by many as a weakness and not as strength.

Throughout that time black communities have become more isolated and although sharing a similar political and human rights agenda the struggle against racism has become increasingly fragmented. The consequences of this retreat have been profound.

The prevailing neo liberalism political trend has seen black communities being progressively weakened in their collective struggle against racism.

Black communities and their representative organisations have seen a significant downgrading of their relationships with the Government and this is increasingly reflected at a local, regional level.

As the country mood changed from one of tolerance to intolerance, the fascist BNP have made advances having won local council and European Parliamentary seats. Although we have seen the BNP suffer electoral defeat of late, we also have seen the emergence of the ultra violent and deeply racist English Defence League.

Black public sector workers have endured increasing rates of disciplinaries, dismissals, lower rates of promotion and endured higher rates of racism in the workplace. Black civil service staff associations throughout Government have been politically targeted, undermined, their leadership’s attacked, smeared with unsubstantiated allegations and their funding slashed. This has been a politically conscious and sustained attempt to silence those voices speaking out and challenging state institutional racism.

The criminalisation of black communities has continued apace. The last decade has seen rates of stop and search increase massively. We have seen the harvesting of black men’s DNA on an unprecedented scale resulting in 75% of all adult black males being registered on the national database.

We have seen the introduction of draconian anti terrorist legislation severely curtailing our human rights. In the last 10 years we have also witnessed a huge disproportionate increase in the number of particularly African, and Caribbean people locked up in prison.

Similarly Pakistani and Bangladeshi people have also seen increased numbers detained and jailed during this period.

African, Bangladeshi, Caribbean and Pakistani descent communities already suffer high levels of unemployment , low pay and high rates of child poverty, increased rates of homelessness and crime alongside very high rates of physical and mental illness. Both the incidence of crime and the high rates of crime, mental illness occurs as a direct result of poverty and discrimination faced by black communities.

Educational failure, particularly for Caribbean descent boys and the ongoing process of the continued criminalisation of our communities are about to combine in descending vortex of higher poverty, youth and adult unemployment set against the context of the decimation of huge swathes of essential public services.

In relation to higher education, whilst we have seen the growth in the number of black students taking higher education courses, we have also seen an increase in black graduate unemployment. The role of Universities in monitoring Muslim students has become increasingly oppressive whilst colleges and Universities have singularly failed to adopt and implement race equality policies.

Increased university fees and the vicious abolition of the Education Maintenance Award grants will result thousands of black students being unable to take further or higher education courses. This is one of the most regressive policies ensuring, as it will that the route o greater social mobility is effectively closes to thousands of black youth.

Top universities are failing to admit Black and ethnic minority students at an acceptable level. Oxbridge in particular has been highlighted for its failure to admit Black students and employ Black academic staff, following research by David Lammy MP.

The shortage of social housing has seen increased rates of black overcrowding and homelessness that remains largely hidden as result of people lodging with friends and family.

The black voluntary sector has seen significant reductions in their funding over the last decade with grants being cut at both national and a local level. The result has been an anaemic and emaciated black civic society structures that will be obliterated over the course of the next year.

Youth and employment projects, social care for elders, nursery provision, sport and recreational centres, local mental health services in poor communities have all seen significant reductions in their funding over the last 10 years.

Whatever the popular perception of the decline of racism what we have seen over the last 10 years is an increase in negative structural and economic consequences of racism. This has been combined with a sustained and relentless political attack on the politics of multiculturalism and anti racism.

This is all before we begin to assess and understand the consequences of the forthcoming cuts that spell disaster for our communities. The scale of devastation will be beyond anything we have experienced since our arrival and settlement here in the UK.

Lee Jasper