Jill Rees: Welcome Press

I was in the middle of the desert in Western Sahara, getting diesel from two young men who were well-educated and spoke English. I asked them if they ever would visit the UK.

‘No,’ said one, ‘It is too violent.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You have gangs who go around killing black people.’

In Africa everyone is black and very few white people are around, but in the UK of course there are fewer black people. Although there have been some African and Asian inhabitants for several hundred years, most of today’s black families came to the UK in the 50s and 60s. At that time the UK was short of workers, and asked the former Colonies to send over young people who wanted to emigrate. They came from the West Indies and from India and Pakistan. West Indians, especially Jamaicans, were predominantly working class and came to escape poverty. Those who came from the Indian sub-continent were usually middle-class entrepreneurs, looking to set up their own businesses in the UK. At that time, members of the Commonwealth were classed as British citizens, and there was no barrier to their immigration. The difference in aspiration between African and Asian descent peoples is at the root of today’s violence.

The West Indian workforce consisted of men and women, most who had little formal education, who hoped to earn money and eventually return. It’s hard to imagine now how differently people thought back then. The West Indian workforce were seen merely as numbers of workers, and not perceived as part of the British population. There was no thought given to the future, it was assumed that when the work was done, people would go home, as if they were a commodity to be used until it was no longer needed. The workers were put into council houses, crowded into the poorest and most neglected areas. Postcodes such as SE24, Railton Road in Brixton, became synonymous with black inhabitants.

Of course people settled down, fell in love, started families. In the seventies, unemployment began to rise, and black workers, unprotected by law, were the first to lose their jobs and the last to be rehired. They didn’t have the education or the exams for many of the new style service industry jobs that were opening up. Gradually the people of Brixton became poorer, more entrenched in the close community, and unwilling to leave their new homes.  Today, many of their sons and grandsons have acquired qualifications, anti-discrimination laws mean they have good jobs, and they are beginning to expand away from the ghettos of south London into the rural areas. However those inner city areas which were used to house immigrants have now become entrenched in ethnic minority segregation and social deprivation. In some of these areas, gangs of black and Asian youths, as well as white racist groups, have formed and street fighting is common. Where drug trafficking has become mixed up in it, several murders have occurred, some on victims who aren’t involved, including children. These killings have of course been in the news, and are what the young men in Western Sahara had heard about.

For the most part, the UK has become pretty tolerant, incidents of racism increasingly isolated.  With its reputation for tolerance, citizens of the UK are entitled to all its institutions and honours. There are descendants of these first immigrants who are professors in universities, leading journalists and TV presenters, and participants in all areas of public life. There are currently 14 black and Asian MPs in the House of Commons, and black members of the House of Lords, selected for their service to the nation. Although most black MPs tend to be members of the Labour Party, the conservatives too have their share.

Although there is a shortage of female MPs generally in the House of Commons, out of the 14 black and Asian MPs, two are women. Diane Abbott was the first black woman to be elected into the House of Commons, and remained the only black woman until the arrival ten years later of Oona King in 1997. She is a daughter of Jamaican immigrants. She was criticised in 2006 for comparing Jamaica to Nigeria, speaking critically about many aspects of Nigerian society and organisation, which caused an international storm, given that many of her own constituents are of Nigerian origins.

It is not the general racism of the streets which is considered to be the greatest threat to black people in the UK, but the more serious and well-organised British National Party, which tends to gain seats in areas of ethnic violence and is currently posing a threat in the London constituencies. The BME, an organisation which provides support and training for would be politicians of colour, and the OBV, Operation Black Vote,  are calling for positive discrimination in certain key constituencies to encourage more black MPs. On May 1^st, there are local elections, including the London council elections and the election of the Mayor of London. Alongside the fear that BNP candidates will gain seats, is the concern that black constituents won’t bother to vote. The BNV believes that ensuring a black candidate is standing will encourage black people to use their vote. Ahamed Shazzard, chair of the BAME Labour Society, said:

‘The membership in our society have overwhelmingly agreed that in the absence of any other effective mechanism, ‘all -BME’ shortlists must be implemented for a time limited period’. BNP racist tactics to attract votes through fear have been responsible for emphasising racist violence, implying that it is widespread in the UK, and implying that their party could somehow ‘get rid of’ the problem, linking it to current immigration. Their propaganda entices ordinary people in the UK to racist sentiments and fear, and to vote accordingly. There is nothing harder to defend against than an unknown enemy, and the OBV believe that more black candidates in sensitive areas in the May elections will be a move in the right direction.

1010 words

© Jill Rees

02 April 2008

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