Anti Racist Cumbria

This week saw some prisoners released early as the government started their response to the overcrowding in prisons. In the government’s first few weeks, there was much talk of prison reform. The debate has quietened, resurfacing briefly due to the racist, islamophobic and anti-Black rioting as the government struggled to find prison space for those involved being charged in large numbers. From an anti-racist perspective, there are many questions we need to ask about prisons and the criminal justice system more widely. In 2024, 27% of prisoners identified as an ‘ethnic minority’, compared with 18% in the UK population. This is a significant over representation (House of Commons report). Despite the narrative that’s prevalent around this subject, this is NOT because they are more prone to criminality. Did you know that… 💥In 2022, a survey of 373 legal professionals found 56% had witnessed at a judge acting in a racially biased way towards a defendant ~ The Guardian 💥2023 data shows you if you are Black you were x4 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people ~ Institute of Race Relations 💥Police are more than x6 times more likely to strip search Black children ~ Runnymede Trust 💥Cumbria has the highest stop and search rate in the UK for the Asian ethnic group ~ Gov stats We could go on, but this points to the institutional racism embedded in our criminal justice system. Reform of the prison system will be ineffectual if it does not address this. We also need to carefully consider prison sentences being the primary response to the riots, with many believing that this means it’s been ‘dealt with’. Of course Racist violence - whether participating in it or promoting it online - needs to taken seriously. But it is problematic to approach the racism our country faces just through the lens of ‘hate crime’. Hate crime covers only a tiny proportion of overt racist incidents, and by only focusing on this we completely fail to address the normalised covert racism which people are facing every day. It also begs the question: how can a criminal justice system, which has racism embedded at all levels, successfully address racist crime?

Did you see the news? A pregnant woman and 6 children drowned in Lake Windermere last week.  Sorry that’s incorrect, they actually drowned in the English Channel, and they were people using small boats to get to the UK.  Pause for a second, how did you react to the initial statement in comparison to the second? Was there a difference? When you heard the first statement, did you imagine a white woman and white children? On hearing the second statement did you then imagine the now familiar image of Black and Brown people in an overcrowded boat?  If there was a different emotion which came up for you. Why do you think that was?  We have become so used to images of Black and Brown people dying attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats. The horror at their deaths has turned to numbness, resignation and in some cases heartlessness.  It’s become so politicised and is a key 'policy issue' pushed by both sides of the political debate. It also has to be acknowledged that it was used as an ‘excuse’ by the far-right to legitimise the violent racist rioting last month.  But how can we push against this? How can we pull people back to humanity, encourage them to see this for what is is: a tragic and preventable loss of human life. The most effective interactions are often with people in real life – friends, family, colleagues. It isn’t always easy. Anti-racism starts at home. First, see if you can find common ground e.g. ‘We both agree the NHS is overstretched’ or  ‘I agree the cost of living makes it hard for us all’. This can help take the anger out of the very politicised situation. Then see if you can get them to question themselves. Ask, ‘how many immigrants should we allow?’, ‘who should we allow?’. Often asking people to say what they really mean can shock them.  Take a breath, gather yourself. Then, listen to their answers and guide them to question any of the racist views which might sit behind them.  We cannot just let ourselves be numb to this, if you are trying to be anti-racist, then you should be actively trying to challenge views which are driven by racism. Have a read of some of our articles to help you start thinking about how you can have these conversations:  https://lnkd.in/eHQ9sqWQ https://lnkd.in/eefBXAqs

“Hi there, we’re looking for someone from an ethnic minority group to share their lived experiences with us and wondered if you could help?” It’s a question we are asked, often, and it’s hard to explain our stance in a quick email reply. This has led to us writing an in depth article setting out why ARC has a policy of declining to take part in requests like this, and exploring some of the reasons we don’t talk about lived experience as part of our work. It’s become increasingly common practice for people with ‘lived experience’ to be asked to share that experience with others, primarily with the aim of it leading to a better understanding of how it has affected them. The intended outcome is an increased empathy from those listening, as well as some form of action to prevent that experience continuing or happening to others. But is this what happens in practice? Read our article to explore this with us: https://lnkd.in/egHfiXCU In the meantime, we’ll leave you with some quotes from Ijeoma Oluo’s blog – The Limits of Empathy. “The truth is, if sharing our painful stories were enough, we’d certainly have gotten everyone on our side by now. We would all be connected”. “We could just decide to believe people.”

Have you been watching the Paralympics? If not, have you wondered why? There’s been a clear lack of hype in the media, on social platforms, and in everyday conversations. The celebrities are gone, the torch passed to LA,and the Olympic closing ceremony appeared to mark the closure of The Games. Even when you do tune into the coverage, you often encounter blatant ableism in the way athletes are portrayed. Narratives focus on their disabilities, often leaning on traumatic stories, or describe them in patronising terms like ‘inspirational’ or ‘superhuman.’ While these words might seem positive, they overlook the reality most disabled people face. They give able-bodied people an excuse not to push for societal change, thinking, “If THEY made it, anyone can if they work hard enough.” This mentality shifts all responsibility onto those systematically excluded from society, upholding the medical model of disability which blames impairments for exclusion. Ask yourself: if 80% of people needed wheelchairs, would stairs exist? Would wheelchair racing be part of the Paralympics, or would the 20% of people with full mobility be seen as ‘disabled’ for not keeping up? The social model of disability argues that it’s not the body that disables, but how society is structured and the barriers it creates. Ade Adeptian, a Black British Paralympian, explains the systemic nature of ableism and racism: “I’m disabled because society hasn’t allowed me to shine, not because of my disability... The Black community has faced oppression for hundreds of years, unable to shine because of systemic racism.” We’re often slow to connect ableism and racism, but ableism is rooted in white supremacy. White supremacy elevates whiteness but also idealises a ‘pure’ form: able-bodied whiteness. People don’t fit into neat boxes. Athletes, like Ade, are Black and disabled. They don’t choose which box to fit into, and they experience layered oppression. If we fail to recognise this, we fail to be truly anti-racist.

As children go back to school, the Mirror have published a front page piece on the rise in racist incidents in Britain’s schools: “11,619 children were suspended for racist behaviour in 2023…1,413 were still at primary school”. This is an increase of 25% on the year before. These statistics do not surprise us. On average ARC receives a minimum of two emails a week from teachers who are witnessing racism in their school and don’t know what to do. But these stats most likely reflect only the most violent and overt cases. The more subtle, ‘everyday’ racism is likely to have been glossed over, denied - regardless of the trauma this form of racism triggers. Consistently parents come to us in disbelief after being told that the child ‘didn’t mean it’, or that it’s ‘just bullying, not racism’. These stats also predate the August 2024 racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Black riots, which have further traumatised Black and Brown children. We’ve heard stories of children asking if they’re going to die and what will happen when they return to school. They are now entering schools alongside students who might have joined the violence, and those who, whilst rejecting the violence, share the sentiments behind it. Racism in our schools is at a crisis point. Bullying policies and ‘welcoming everyone’ is not enough. Teachers need anti-racism training to understand racism and be able to spot it in their classrooms. And this is just to deal with the racism that is already happening. We urgently need action to prevent children from developing racist views. You only need to look at the white children as young as 13 being charged for racist violence to see: not only do we fail Black and Brown children when we don’t address this, we also fail white children. Racism is learnt. Racism is preventable. Teachers, parents and carers: does your school have a policy to deal with racist incidents? Are staff trained in anti-racism and able to understand what racism is, in all its forms? What is in place to educate children about anti-racism? To prevent racist views forming? This won’t happen on its own. We need EVERYONE to hold schools and the education system to account.

This time last week our team of intrepid volunteers were braving the elements at Solfest. If you’ve never been, it’s Cumbria's longest running Music & Arts Festival, and when the clouds lift there are glorious views over the Solway Coast. This is our third time at Solfest, and we had a great time despite the storms - a highlight for many was headliners De La Soul, with one of our team even securing autographs on their ARC tee! Our stall was busier than ever this year- bustling with people chatting, making badges and showing their support with our ARC temporary tattoos. ARC’s increased popularity this year was bittersweet. Many people were keen to talk to us about the recent overt racism that we’ve seen across the UK but there was a tendency to shrug off the deeper rooted problems that we’ve been highlighting over the past few weeks. We asked some of our team for their thoughts about their Solfest experience this year: “Why do we need to be at Solfest? Looking around, there were lots of white people wearing Red, Yellow and Green clothing, with ‘dreadlocked’ hair, eating Soul food and dancing to Drum n Bass, De La Soul and The Wailers. On first glance, you might think our work was done. However, from the discussions we had, it’s clear we have a long way to go. We heard several comments like 'I don't see colour', or 'I have Black friends or family members who are mixed heritage so I'm not racist'. There was not always an understanding that this isn't the same as being anti-racist. It’s important for ARC to be in spaces like this: we had some powerful conversations and hopefully got some people kickstarted on their anti-racist journeys” “Solfest was intense at times. Some complex conversations that needed processing but the highlight for me was meeting black and brown people who came across ARC for the first time. The depth of conversation, the connection and the delight on their faces made me feel proud to be there.” Anti-racism work is challenging. Thank you to everyone who engaged with us and made us feel welcome - if you met us at Solfest, or heard about us for the first time, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. Our next in person event is Cumbria Pride in Carlisle, we hope to see lots of you there!

A review of the UK’s counter-extremism strategy was recently announced. It was celebrated as it declared that extreme misogyny would be categorised as extremism. However, the review also addresses “the rise of Islamist and far-right extremism in the UK” (BBC). While this seems positive, cause for concern comes from the focus on identifying "gaps in existing policy" rather than a fundamental rethink of counter-extremism measures (BBC). A key element of the current policy is 'Prevent', introduced by Labour in 2005 after 9/11, and expanded by the Conservatives. Its goal is to ‘stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism’ by requiring institutions to report individuals at risk (Gov UK). Since 2015, 50,000 innocent people, mostly children, have been referred. Referrals often infringe on children's rights, with interrogations conducted without a parent or guardian present. Disproportionately, Muslim and neurodiverse individuals are targeted. Racist, Islamophobic associations which link Brown skin and Muslim faith to ‘terrorism’ contribute to this. Muslims are "referred eight times more than non-Muslims in the healthcare sector", and "nearly half of the children referred are Muslim or of Asian descent" (Amnesty International, Prevent Watch). One mother whose 14 yr old son was wrongly referred said: “She [the teacher] looked at my son, saw a brown Muslim boy, and she made the Prevent referral not based on evidence but based on her own bias” (Amnesty International). Critics of Prevent have increasingly been labelled as terrorist sympathisers or Islamists, and there have been more referrals based on support for Palestinians, anti-racism, or climate activism, leading to self-censorship. Prevent and the current counter-extremism policy is built on institutional and systemic islamophobia and racism. A policy such as this cannot effectively address the far-right threat; "identifying gaps" is not enough. We join other organisations, including Runnymede Trust, Amnesty International UK , and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in urging the Labour government to #ScrapPrevent. You can sign the petition here: https://lnkd.in/eNB4hWCb

So, do you want to be anti racist but you feel overwhelmed or don’t know where to start? It is not easy to improve anti-racist practice or to develop and embed an anti-racist approach without talking through some of the myths about racism and the assumptions that are barriers to equitable practice. You might have done ‘unconscious bias’ or equality, diversity and inclusion courses in the past. But the work that Anti Racist Cumbria do is different. We believe that the best way to share understanding about racism and anti-racism is not by ‘teaching’ or ‘delivering’ - rather by creating safe spaces to have open, authentic discussions and conversations. Spaces where people have time to think and to process and come to their own conclusions. By having challenging conversations we help address the norms that enable racism to continue. We’ve been listening to the many requests we get from organisations (and individuals) wanting our anti-racism work, and we’ve created a new 4 part programme which is delivered online by our expert facilitators. As an affordable way to access our in depth sessions, it's possible to pay in instalments- We hope this helps make anti-racism more accessible for more people. If you're from a business and need to pay via invoice, we can do that too. By doing this course, you’ll be helping to spread the word that anti-racism is good for everyone and ‘paying it forward’ by educating and raising awareness in others, playing a vital role in helping us with our mission of making Cumbria the UK's first anti-racist county. Our first session of this NEW 4 part online modular course is on Wednesday 11th Sept at 9.30am. Do you want to part of it? Don't miss your chance, spaces are selling fast! Click the link / in bio to learn more about the modules and book yours now. https://lnkd.in/e7AzF3Vb

Over the Bank Holiday whilst huge crowds were enjoying Notting Hill Carnival, in East London scenes emerged of fires at two blocks of flats. One in Dagenham, and one in Blackwall. We followed the evolving situation anxiously and whilst it seems that no one has died, several people were treated at the scene or taken to hospital. A week away from phase 2 of the Grenfell Inquiry, this was a painful reminder of the images of Grenfell on fire 7 years ago. 72 residents died when a fire ripped through the building, propelled by the cladding which was highly flammable, didn’t meet English building standards, and had failed fire tests for 12 years. Most of the people who died were from the global majority and the inquiry has consistently linked racism and classism to the fire. In 2020, a lawyer representing the bereaved families stated: "A majority of the Grenfell residents who died were people of colour. Grenfell is inextricably linked with race. It is the elephant in the room. This disaster happened in a pocket of one of the smallest yet richest boroughs in London. Yet the community affected was predominantly working-class." There is now an investigation into the causes of the fires in Dagenham and Blackwall, but we know that the building in Dagenham still had ‘non-compliant’ cladding which was in the process of being removed (BBC). 7 years on from Grenfell, many buildings still have dangerous cladding and poor fire safety. We all have a responsibility to witness this, and to engage with phase 2 of the Grenfell Inquiry as the fight for justice goes on. We join Grenfell United in calling for the Labour government to ‘speed up the remediation on unsafe buildings, where their predecessors failed’. Our thoughts are with everybody affected by the fires in Dagenham and Blackwall, and the bereaved families of Grenfell victims who are likely to have been re-traumatised by this 💚. Follow @grenfell_united for more updates on the inquiry and for ways to support.

We are so proud of the community we have built since 2020. We now have a 100+ strong group of volunteers - Black, Brown, mixed-heritage, white allies - all living in, or connected to Cumbria. We never know what to refer to them as - the word ‘volunteers’ doesn’t do it justice. Community with a side of volunteering fits better. Because that’s what they, we, are. A community. Comfort, strength and anti-racist solidarity. A balm for the persistent racism which comes with living in Cumbria and the UK. A resource for all of us, including our white allies, who are committed to doing the difficult work of anti-racism. Anti-racist community is self-care. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare” ~ Audre Lorde One of our volunteers shared with us her reflections from an ARC walk on the Ullswater Way in July. July seems a world away, separated from now by the scar that the week of violence has left. Yet her reflections only seem more relevant as the world moves on but we remain with the feelings of hyper-vigilance and fear. Even as we continue to push for anti-racism. “1. Go in your own way, at your own pace – but do learn from others. We found our own rhythm, some moving quickly and others slow. Racism is not new, and neither is our resistance to it. It’s important to zoom out and see yourself as part of that long arc of change. Progress in your own way while learning from those who’ve gone before you. 2. Resource yourself. Don’t forget the joy. We talked about anti-racism, but we also laughed and had fun. In anti-racism work, it’s essential to sustain yourself with joy. 3. Go in community. “I came for the people,” was the response when asked why we’d come on this walk. There’s power in moving together, supporting one another, and sharing the experience.” As our Trustee Nick said after our quarterly general meeting in Carlisle earlier this year, “Getting to know people IS the work.” We cannot do this alone 🖤