All political parties have failed Black youths

Figures reported by the Labour party claim that since the coalition came to power in 2010, there has been a 50% increase amongst young people from minority ethnic backgrounds that have been unemployed for more than a year. According to the party’s figures, there was a 1% drop in overall long-term youth unemployment and 2% drop in unemployment rates among young white people. Yet, in stark contrast, an overall 49% increase in long-term unemployment rates for young people from minority ethnic backgrounds was reported.

While the Conservative party is not disputing the figures, they are pointing to Labour’s record on BME employment rates. According to ONS figures cited by Conservatives, between 2001 and 2010, the number of BME people who were unemployed skyrocketed from 192,000 to 405,000. Tories contrasted Labour’s figures by pointing to an increase of 129,000 people from BME backgrounds currently working as compared to this time last year.

OBV director, Simon Woolley, said the long-term unemployment figures underlined the “race penalty” facing young people from BAME communities:

It is absolutely critical that political parties have a plan to address this shocking statistic because at the moment it seems as though a generation of young black men – and it is often men and sometimes women – are being cast aside and it is to the detriment of us all.”

Labour released the figures on long-term youth unemployment on Tuesday in anticipation of the release of their “BAME manifesto”, released on Wednesday. That same Wednesday during an interview with Trevor Phillips, Nigel Farage, current Ukip party leader, stated he believed anti-discrimination legislation should be abolished, indicating anti-discrimination legislation is irrelevant.

When asked which discrimination laws he would get rid of, Farage answered:

“Much of it. I think the employer should be much freer to make decisions on who he or she employs.” The absence of anti-discrimination laws would mean the acceptance of openly practiced discrimination, a detriment to racial equality.

The figures published by Labour and Farage’s prospective plans to defeat anti-discrimination indicate young people from minority ethnic backgrounds are in grave danger. Their prospects of the future are jeopardized if they fail to engage in the political sphere as the threats against them mount up. Tonight we host a youth empowerment concert with the help of music artist, Fuse ODG, in hopes that young people throughout the nation will be inspired to register to vote and make their voices heard. Together, they can shape their futures and the futures of those that will succeed them.

Andi Guede