Transforming Diversity and Inclusion: Progressive Actions for Equitable Futures

TR A N S F O R M I N G D I VE R S I T Y A ND I N C L U S I O N : P R O G R E S S I V E A CTI ON S F O R E Q U I TA B LE F U T U R E S

DIVERSITY IS A REALITY, INCLUSION IS A CHOICE STEVE FROST BA C K TO CONTENTS

O UR M IS S IO N AT L IV ES O F CO L O U R IS TO EL EVATE THE V O ICES O F M AR G IN AL IS ED C O M M UN ITI E S

BY WO R KIN G WITH IN DIV IDU A L S , CO M M U N ITIES A N D O R G AN IS AT I O N S THR O UG H EDU CATIO N , EV ENT S AN D TR A IN IN G PR O G R A M M ES. W E DO THIS BY US IN G O UR G . R . A . D . E . S IN C L US IO N S TR ATEG Y. IT DEN OT E S : G EN DER , R EL IG IO N , A G E, DIS AB I L I T Y, ETHN ICITY AN D S EXUA L O R IEN TAT I O N , AL L C HA R AC TER IS TIC S WHICH A F F E C T THE WAY PEO PL E EXPER IEN CE L I F E .

© Lives of Colour 2020 Nowans Community Trust 1137971 Published November 2020 BA C K T O C ONT ENT S

LIVES OF COL OUR REP ORT AN D CON FER EN CE P ROP OSAL CON TE N TS Background ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 2 Strategy for Developing Black Lives Matter – 2020 and Beyond ����������� 3 Conference – Initial Projections �������������������������������������������������������������� 4 Key Aims �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 Suggested Conference Names ��������������������������������������������������������������� 5 Specifications ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 6 Ideal Outcomes ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 Themes and Proposed Actions ��������������������������������������������������������������� 9 Care and Outreach in Schools ����������������������������������������������������������������� 9 Workplaces and Economies ������������������������������������������������������������������ 10 Communities and Local Democracy ������������������������������������������������������ 10 Community Engagement ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 11 Reaching Communities ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11 Potential Partnerships and Support ������������������������������������������������������ 12 Proposal Participants ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13 Conclusion ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15 Bibliography ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 16 References ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20

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B A CK G R O UN D Arrangements for the conference should address the Cheltenham Borough Council Motion: Cheltenham Borough Council believes in action, not just fine words. In conjunction with the Police and Crime Commissioner, Cheltenham Borough Homes, Cheltenham Trust, Festivals and other partners, Cabinet is requested to look at holding a conference for Cheltenham’s BAME community organisations, to discuss how we might work closer together to challenge bias, both deliberate and unconscious, and racism in all its forms. Lives of Colour was tasked with putting this report together from discussions from Cheltenham Borough Council developing a strategy to support the BAME community in the months following the exponential rise of Black Lives Matter movement. It is vital to address long-term inequalities and make sure that vulnerable communities are in a position to thrive in a postCovid society, and we can create a stronger, better and more compassionate Cheltenham by mindfully taking action to uplift people.

Any initiatives of this measure should be led directly by BAME people, as they are directly impacted by any potential measures, and they have direct lived experience and solid expertise in working with communities and developing solutions to ongoing problems.

There are concerns that BAME people are not currently centred in these discussions and projects as they should be, and a conference and ongoing group working in coordination with local councils will effectively address these concerns.

Through summer 2020, we have seen some of the limitations of our society and the way it functions frequently on systemic inequalities. We have an opportunity to address this in cooperation with recovering from the effects of covid-19, ambitiously tackling climate breakdown, supporting displaced people experiencing geopolitical instability and displacement, and making our communities more resilient across internal changes in the face of our society.

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S T RAT E GY FOR DEVELOP I N G B L ACK L I V ES M ATTER – 2 0 2 0 A ND BEYON D • An engagement exercise to hold Cheltenham accountable and to inform people on how severe and entrenched UK racism is, even in comparison with the US. • The council, schools, police, and other municipal organisations need to commit firmly to anti-racist measures, positive organisational strategy, and inclusivity from the bottom up, instead of continuing ignorant and malicious practices that directly harm people’s livelihoods and welfare.

• There needs to be stronger community representation and prominent people taking up positions of responsibility.

• Nabeela suggested that there aren’t enough community groups taking this kind of action, and there needs to be stronger opposition positions on the norm of racial intolerance and erasure of marginalised communities.

• We also have elected councillors who are on record making offensive statements and using harmful language, who have continued to operate as public servants.

• Empowering people to become activists and not only supplying information to them, but also directing them with concrete ways to create change.

• Enabling BAME people to take centre stage in discussions, while also ensuring their mental wellbeing throughout and shielding them from any inflammatory backlash, should such arise.

• There needs to be practical ways for white people to become active and compassionate allies, and put themselves at the forefront of the struggle to take on a greater share of the risk involved, while simultaneously amplifying BAME voices above their own, trusting and uplifting their experiences, and centring them at the heart of the conversation.

• Eby suggested that we need to identify what allyship looks like and find ‘accomplices’ who recognise that while we may have different agendas, we can uplift ourselves by uplifting other people as well, by recognising intersections in our oppression and fighting for liberation for all of us as a collective.

• Empower BAME communities to become more autonomous and self-supporting while also forming links between them to strengthen them and develop an overarching movement.

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CO N F E R E NCE – IN ITIAL PROJ ECTI ON S KEY AIMS • Supporting BAME youth and families and helping them to thrive • Showing young people that there are wider options available to them, advocating for them, and helping them envision their futures as well as developing ways to meet their ambitions.

• Sharing news of opportunities and resources for social mobility and community support.

• Eby suggests Hesters Way and Whaddon are key communities that need to be strongly targeted as there are underserved sectors in those regions that urgently need investment.

• Supporting BAME communities as a whole • Connecting communities, developing stronger relationship links between people to reduce isolation, support one another, and make sure nobody’s left behind.

• Dismantling prejudice so that BAME people have greater wellbeing, and aren’t put at risk of targeted harm, threats and harassment.

• Reducing risk of poverty, inadequate healthcare provision, poor mental health support, illegal and disproportionate policing, prejudice within the housing market, lack of democratic representation, microaggressions, systemic oppression, etc.

Encouraging municipal and private institutions in taking tangible and measurable anti-racist action to support their local citizens and uplift disenfranchised people.

• Get stories and feedback from people affected by these issues, and compile them into a report.

• Gain clear commitments from institutions to make sure they meet their obligations, and follow up to ensure take-up.

• Give training to help people identify ways to remedy their own unhelpful behaviours, seeing how they fit into the ways in which white people and our society as a whole is structured to benefit from BAME oppression and marginalisation.

• Jermaine suggests enabling fairer recruitment, better staff development, and advocate for representation at the ‘top table’.

• Developing a working group to find ongoing ways of campaigning for proactive equality and fairness across all sectors of society, uplifting people at every level.

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S U GGE ST E D CON FEREN C E N AM ES • Diversity: More than words • Cheltenham True Change Conference • BAME: Hand in Hand: Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Conference • From Movement to Moment: Not holding back on diversity & inclusion policies • Change in Policy Conference: Diversity and Inclusion • ‘Speak Up’ • ‘Tell us more’ • BAME: learning, including & representing matter • Diversity: More than words • BAME - Lets Talk Diversity • BAME Matters Florence took the recommendations of names above and came up with the following; Transforming Diversity and Inclusion: Progressive Actions for Equitable Futures.

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S P EC I F IC ATION S • There have been a number of ways suggested over the last three meetings on to hold a conference, with different possible benefits and different combinations of activities and outreach.

• A two-hour reflection on gathered evidence and testimonials of life for BAME people in Cheltenham and further afield, and collating proposals for solutions to common problems.

• A full day of seminars and workshops, aimed to help businesses and municipal organisations to create concrete and lasting change, both in terms of immediate impact and longer-term goals.

• A package of resources, or a tool-kit and training program, to help organisations develop their own strategies for empowering local diverse communities and improve social and economic mobility for those who do not thrive under existing conditions.

• Projected time to hold the conference – either November/December to maintain momentum on the BLM movement, or April 2021 so that organisations can budget for it better in the new tax year, as well as giving more time for planning.

• Florence suggested that we could hold an event on a weekday during working times, where businesses can dedicate space to inclusivity training.

• We are in a position to help organisations to meet their diversity targets and network with one another to create meaningful change, and stick to the commitments they make, so businesses have a strong incentive to get involved.

• There needs to be pre-work done ahead of the conference specifically to identify speakers, participants, facilitators, key issues, and testimonials.

• We need to develop workshops, feedback sessions and information sessions – all with accompanying suggestions for action as well as urging people to get on board. This will be subject to further discussion to make sure we have the best selection of effective ways to get started without reinventing the wheel.

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I DE A L O U TCOMES • Jermaine says we’re unlikely to see immediate change as a direct result of this, but he wants to see highly measurable action points listed that we can chart progress against.

• It could be a good strategy to assign a single action to individuals to work at and persistently develop over a matter of months.

• He said that people could be free to follow their own interests in order to turbocharge their momentum in making progress.

• Maureen agreed – she said that it’s key to have strong representation at the table and to share one another’s voices.

• It’s not ideal to have just a single person being the only BAME person in higher positions of authority or management, but it’s better than having no-one, and every board or organisation should endeavour to broaden their own expertise and understanding by bringing other more diverse experiences to the table.

• Mary said that it’s really vital to give marginalised people the confidence to tackle intimidating situations and work through systemic issues (e.g. family court, bullying and harassment, etc) with comprehensive resources and sensitivity.

• Putting strong structures in place to make sure vulnerable people aren’t left alone and unsupported.

• She also wants to involve people at all levels in contributing to making the change that we need to see.

• Nabeela says that BLM started a conversation, and has demonstrated that this issue isn’t a niche interest. It’s something that affects people throughout our society.

• The foremost thing is helping people recognise that, and giving strategies on how to uplift people with daily actions, and decolonising our ways of thinking to ensure needs are met and people are included.

• She said it’s vital to make sure we eradicate the costs and consequences that people face in speaking out against their injustices. We need to help people support one another wholeheartedly.

• We need to develop a culture that’s open to seeing things differently, that has the insight and wisdom to receive feedback and act on it constructively without getting offended.

• She said how vital it is to make sure people feel safe and are kept safe, that they’re not facing worse outcomes through social and municipal interactions, and they don’t have to excessively police their own behaviour in order to avoid scrutiny, which creates a massive emotional pressure.

• We need to move proactively past ‘targets’ and goals that organisations might have, and cultivate genuine curiosity and interest in anti-racist movements, as well as diligence in addressing these issues.

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• Eby said that he wants to see the right kind of representation – it’s not enough to be everywhere, you need to be present in the right places, and enable change to continue happening in time to come, not within a single moment.

• He really wants to see profound improved access to higher education to improve social mobility.

• Integration of Black British History into the curriculum from reception through to A level as a mandatory component, allowing children to develop a fuller more encompassing view of history, a better understanding of communities and providing a honest perspectives of Britain’s role in the current geopolitical landscape.

• Areas especially including healthcare, business engagement, education, and developing workplace cooperatives and fairer working conditions.

• He wants to see reparative and restorative justice for descendants of those affected by British colonialism – apprenticeships and access grants should be handed out to uplift those who have been deliberately exploited and trodden down by centuries of imperialism and eradication of cultures across the globe.

• He wants to see stronger relationships between neighbours and coordinated networking between communities so that we can support one another. He experienced a feeling of alienation and isolation just from lacking community connections, and he thinks one of the best ways to dismantle societal prejudice is by reaching out to our immediate networks.

• It should not be solely on BAME communities to fix these problems because they don’t have sole access to the material conditions that affect their quality of life. Any organisation who wants to work with us needs to commit to concrete actions to make a difference.

• Tabi would like to see refugees, migrants and people seeking asylum being better understood with much more support and generosity available to them, and facing much less hostility through misinformation and prejudice.

• Florence noted that Cheltenham Borough Council outsources many of its resources now, and it should be possible to open up their resources and municipal infrastructure to make it much more inclusive.

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TH E M E S A N D PROPOSED ACTI ON S C A RE A ND O UTRE A CH IN SCHOOLS • We need strong visible representation for children and sharing positive role models, as well as mentorship programs to give people powerful visions of their own capacity and ability.

• Diverse book club for all ages and pupils.

• Sharing personal and professional development opportunities and careers guidance.

• Creating a resilient collaborative listening culture with opportunities for diverse communities to give feedback in an open and non-judgemental environment.

• Pastoral support including assistance for those with physical or learning disabilities, and diagnostic for children with apparent behavioural issues who may instead be neurodiverse.

• Mental health provision with someone trained specifically on issues that affect BAME people.

• Education on Black hair and hairstyles, including ensuring that natural and protective hairstyles aren’t maligned or eradicated with uniform policy, and helping to provide guidance for white parents to learn how to take care of Black hair.

• Assemblies and workshops several times a year to discuss colonialism and systemic racism so that children are familiar with the issues, appreciate our differences, and empowered to address oppression within both their own behaviour and prejudices, and with other people.

• Give key support for BAME staff members who will be facing pressure from daily news cycles, potential harassment from both within work and outside it, and systemic harm from an enforced socioeconomic position.

• Celebrate and spotlight different cultures and world histories, and develop inclusive curriculums.

• Create proactive working partnerships with local cultural communities.

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WO R K PLA CES AN D ECONOM I ES • A working group developed to support BAME people who are out of work or study.

• Inclusivity programs for industries with lower uptake or typically less diverse representation, including the arts, environment, etc.

• Protections for health workers and essential workers who are typically from BAME backgrounds and endure poor or unsafe working conditions.

• Public information campaigns on how to address ongoing racial harassment and profiling, and how to take meaningful action to prevent it from arising.

• Supporting public transport and creating better alternative transport infrastructure so that people living on a lower salary has more disposable income and don’t have to afford the expenses of owning and maintaining a car.

• Supporting businesses and organisations in creating best practices and affirmative action programs.

• Rolling out awareness training of how to deal with racially abusive customers or internal workers, as well as other situations.

CO MM U NI TIES AN D LOCAL D EM OCRACY • Develop a strategy for nurturing diverse talent and mentoring parish, borough and county council candidates.

• Share opportunities to represent on charitable trusts and boards of directors.

• Regular citizens assemblies.

• Voter engagement drives to encourage local diverse communities to vote and participate in council actions.

• Have firm commitments from upper levels of democratic institutions and cabinets, rather than simply inclusivity officers who sometimes struggle to get progressive and ambitious motions through.

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CO MM U NI TY EN GAGEMEN T REAC H I N G C O M M U N ITIE S • Key organisations to initially reach out to include: • Police • University of Gloucestershire • School networks • Business networks • Gloucester College • NHS hospitals and social care • Faith groups • Jermaine suggests the project needs to be an intersectional approach giving people from all backgrounds an opportunity to engage.

• Reaching out to other Gloucestershire-based BLM groups across social media.

• Maureen suggested launching an open meeting, possibly a few across different times, online and offline, and advertised across different platforms, and make it free for anyone to come and drop by.

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P O TE NT IA L PARTN ERS HIP S AN D SUP P ORT • Lives of Colour • Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees • Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers • Young Gloucestershire • Political parties?

• Gloucestershire police • Cheltenham West End Partnership • Cheltenham Borough Council • Gloucestershire County Council • SARI Bristol – advice on organisational structure?

• CCP • Barnwood Trust • Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Westmorland • Cheltenham Open Door • Gloucestershire VCS Alliance • Ecotricity’s philanthropic arm • Rethink • Samaritans • Community centres • Social housing projects • First Stop

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P R OPO SA L PARTICIPAN TS Florence wants to share views from among a variety of people to develop a proposal for further action – this is the first meeting of a longer-term project that will eventually include a great many people across different organisations. Florence has a lot of experience delivering educational and diversity training resources across Gloucestershire through Lives of Colour and Authors of Colour, as well as launching a book club to bring diverse literature to educational institutions and uplift young people.

Nabeela’s background is in social care and mental health based in Aston, working with vulnerable communities including homeless people whether paid or in a volunteer capacity.

She now works in children and adolescent mental health services with specialisation in eating disorders. She’s found in her working practices that there’s not a lot of inclusion, with many people in positions of care and responsibility with no direct experience or comprehension of marginalisation. She wants to take action in whatever way possible to resolve some of these issues.

She’s also volunteering with Inclusion Gloucestershire and a grant-awarding board to add lived experience not just as Asian but as someone with a life-changing physical disability & PTSD so that decisions are made based on far more varied & representative experience.

Eby grew up in London in a close-knit community where people looked out for one another, and he’s found that Cheltenham doesn’t have a similarly cohesive community. He wants to see that happen here. When he participated in the Black Lives Matter movement, he had the realisation that he’d been prepared for this throughout the course of his life and he felt now is the time to speak out and build something new. He’s concerned that some of the momentum of the summer protests has been lost, and wants to ensure that the substantial and practicable action continues.

Jermaine has been campaigning for a conference of this nature for a long time, and is now working with Florence to bring it to reality. His ambition is to reduce inequality at first in Cheltenham and then further beyond. He’s considering establishing channels through which people can share their experiences so we can proactively help to address them. He’s lived in Cheltenham for the past ten years, and has approached Florence to work on a conference and ensure that it’s a project led fundamentally by the people most affected by the issues it concerns. He’s a Doctor of Psychology working at University of Bath.

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Tabi’s worked for Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees for the past three years carrying out external liaisons and media work. Having lived in Cheltenham most of her life, she is frustrated by the reserved views of many local people who do not recognise the limits of their own understanding in these issues, and feels positive change has been happening much too slowly to be of effective use to diverse communities.

Maureen has lived in Cheltenham for twelve years and works at St Gregory’s School as a childcare professional. She also worked on the I-MMIGRATE exhibition in Gloucester last year.

She wanted to become a part of the conference as she works at a school, and wants to approach the administrative staff to find out how they handle such cases and whether the local authority can be involved in helping BAME kids.

Mary has lived in Cheltenham for twenty years and she met Florence at the University of Gloucestershire. She’s wanted to become a part of this conference because she’s aware that BAME communities have been disproportionately impacted by coronavirus, being on the front line both as healthcare workers and as essential community workers, and she feels that the long-standing issues of racial tension and inequality need to be urgently addressed. She’s a social worker and she’s seen first-hand the effects of the way we respond inappropriately to children of colour who need help, and don’t receive the sensitivity that they really deserve.

Natalie is Chair of Cheltenham Welcomes Refugee

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CO N C LU SION The report highlights the issues faced by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire. It is supported by various research papers and findings as indicated in our bibliography.

Discrimination, unconscious bias and racial inequality continue to affect the lives of culturally diverse communities in Cheltenham and the UK. This year Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how much our system is unequal. Inequality of outcome in education, income, health, employment and criminal justice systems is evident in all aspects of BAME lives. We believe that It is the responsibility of all institutions, private and statutory, to listen to and work together with BAME communities and organisations to find solutions and best practices to effectively ensure equitable futures.

By engaging the community from the beginning and, supporting the community members in organising and running this conference, it is an example of an institution empowering and including BAME communities to shape a more inclusive society for everyone.

TO RELY SOLELY UPON LEGISLATIVE REFORM TO RESOLVE THE INEQUALITIES WHICH PLAGUE OUR SOCIETY WOULD BE NAÏVE, WHEN MANY OF THOSE RECEIVING THOSE SAME SERVICES ARE TELLING US THAT RACISM, BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL, IS ALIVE AND WELL. IT IS ONLY BY DEEPLY LISTENING TO AND ACTING UPON THEIR POWERFUL NARRATIVES, WHICH MAY WELL CONTAIN SOME INCONVENIENT TRUTHS, THAT WE CAN LIVE IN A TRULY INCLUSIVE SOCIETY 1.

Taking the words from 1 ‘To rely solely upon legislative reform to resolve the inequalities which plague our mental health services would be naïve, when many of those receiving those same services are telling us that racism, both individual and institutional, is alive and well. It is only by deeply listening to and acting upon their powerful narratives, which may well contain some inconvenient truths, that we can hope to offer everyone the mental health support that they deserve’. (N. Dissanayaka, 2020)

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B I B L I O G R APHY SCHOOLS “The gap in attainment between the poorest children and children from better-off backgrounds, already large at age 5, grows particularly fast during the primary school years. By age 11, only around three quarters of children from the poorest fifth of families reach the government’s expected level at Key Stage 2, compared to 97% of children from the richest fifth” (J. Rowntree Foundation; 2010) https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poorer-children’s-educational-attainment-how-important-are-attitudes-and-behaviour

S C H O O L S A ND E XCLU SION S Child poverty and education outcomes by ethnicity

Figure 1 In the 2018/19 academic year ‘In Gloucestershire, pupils of Black Caribbean heritage are 5.6 times more likely than their White British peers, to face multiple fixed-term exclusions’ I(ntegratED; 2020) https://www.integrated.org.uk/2020/07/30/the-disproportionality-of-fixed-term-exclusions/

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YO UN G A N D BLA CK: ‘95% of young Black people report that they have heard and witnessed the use of racist language at school, and 78% of young Black people reported hearing and witnessing racist language in the workplace. Young Black people said that they expect to experience racism because of the colour of their skin.’ (YMCA, 2020:7) ‘Young Black people felt that society typically views them as “the class clown” or “underachiever”. As a result, young Black people explained that some teachers automatically view young Black people as“less capable”, “unintelligent” and “aggressive’. (YMCA; 2020:12) https://www.ymca.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ymca-young-and-black.pdf

E MPL O Y M E N T The higher rates of child poverty experienced by BME groups (rising to over half of Pakistani children) are particularly striking. Child poverty is not only bad for children in terms of their experience at school and relationships with parents and wider family, but it provides people with a disadvantaged start in life.

(Runneymede: 2020:8) There is evidence of discrimination in Britain, including in the labour market. For example, research has found that people with Asian or African-sounding surnames had to send in nearly twice as many curriculum vitae (CVs) just to get an interview (Wood et al., 2009; Di Stasio and Heath, 2019). This is hardly ‘indirect’ discrimination or ‘unconscious bias’, as it involves people refusing to offer an equally qualified candidate an interview solely because of their surname. (Runnymede; 2020:10) https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/pdfs/2020%20reports/The%20Colour%20of%20Money%20Report.pdf (YMCA; 2020:22) https://www.ymca.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ymca-young-and-black.pdf

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HOU SE H O L DS Black and minority ethnic households are, on average, larger than white British households. The most common household size in Britain among adults is two people (34%); by contrast, the most common household size among adults from a BME background is four people (25%). BME groups, on average, are more than twice as likely as white people to live in households of five people or more. https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/Runnymede%20Covid19%20Survey%20report%20v3.pdf

W EA LT H BAME people generally have much lower levels of savings or assets than White British people. Indian households have 90–95p for every £1 of White British wealth, Pakistani households have around 50p, Black Caribbean around 20p, and Black African and Bangladeshi approximately 10p. (Runneymede,2020:12) Relative wealth by ethnic group Figure 6 (Runnymede; 2020:13)

https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/pdfs/2020%20reports/The%20Colour%20of%20Money%20Report.pdf

HE ALTH An analysis of survival among people with confirmed COVID-19 by sex, age group, ethnicity, deprivation and region, shows that, after taking these factors into account, some ethnic groups still had a higher risk of death than others (Appendix A). This analysis looked at 16 ethnicity categories and found that, when compared to White British ethnicity, people of Bangladeshi ethnicity had twice the risk of death. People of Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Other Asian, Black Caribbean and Other Black ethnicity had between 10 and 50% higher risk of death when compared to White British (Appendix A, table A1). (Public Health England, 2020:45) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/908434/ Disparities_in_the_risk_and_outcomes_of_COVID_August_2020_update.pdf

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B LA C K W O ME N A N D H E A LTH Black women are five Black women are five times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Findings from MBRACE-UK findings. Woman’s Hour (BBC Radio 4: 2019) https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/news/1834-npeu-news-black-women-are-five-times-more-likely-to-die-inchildbirth-than-white-women-why

M EN TA L H E A LTH ‘There is growing evidence that suggests that discrimination and particularly experiences of racism (interpersonal and institutional) contribute to increased likelihood of developing mental health problems.

Experiences of racism has been linked to increased likelihood of developing depression; hallucinations and delusions; and if physical assault is involved, post-traumatic stress’(Mind: 2020:5) https://www.mind.org.uk/media/6484/race-equality-briefing-final-oct-2020.pdf BAME communities are more than any other group likely to be referred to mental health services through criminal justice. “Patients from the White British group were less likely than average to be referred by the criminal justice agencies, whereas the Black Caribbean, Black African, Other Black, White/Black African Mixed and Other Asian groups were 30% to 83% more likely than average to be referred in this way” (Care Quality Commission: 2010:21). https://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/count_me_in_2010_final_tagged.pdf

C RI MI N A L J U S TICE BME communities experience a range of inequalities which can put them at greater risk of mental health problems and encounters with the CJS. Many BME communities occupy particular positions of disadvantage in the UK. They experience inequalities across all indicators of economic and social wellbeing. They generally have higher rates of unemployment, live in poorer housing, report poorer health, and have lower levels of academic achievement (Keating, 2007). (The Bradley Commission, 2013:3) https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-09/Bradley_Commission_briefing1_BME.pdf Despite making up just 14% of the population, BAME men and women make up 25% of prisoners,4 while over 40% of young people in custody are from BAME backgrounds. If our prison population reflected the make-up of England and Wales, we would have over 9,000 fewer people in prison5 – the equivalent of 12 average-sized prisons.6 There is greater disproportionality in the number of Black people in prisons here than in the United States (Lammy Review, 2017:3) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643001/lammyreview-final-report.pdf

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RE FE R E NC ES : BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour (2019) Black Women are five times more likely to die in Childbirth than white women. MBBRACE-UK findings https://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/news/1834-npeu-news-black-women-arefive-times-more-likely-to-die-in-childbirth-than-white-women-why N. Dissanayaka (2020) Racial disparity in mental health: challenging false narratives. Centre for Mental Health https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/racial-disparity-mental-health-challenging-false-narratives IntergraED (2020) The disproportionality of fixed-term exclusions https://www.integrated.org.uk/2020/07/30/the-disproportionality-of-fixed-term-exclusions/ Haroon Chowdry Claire Crawford Lorraine Dearden Robert Joyce, Luke Sibieta Kathy Sylva Elizabeth Washbrook (2010) Poorer children’s educational attainment: how important are attitudes and behaviour? Joseph Rowntree Foundation. https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/poorer-children’s-educational-attainment-how-important-are-attitudes-and-behaviour Lammy Review (2017) An independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the Criminal Justice System https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643001/lammyreview-final-report.pdf Magali Duque and Abigail McKnight (2019) ‘Understanding the Links Between Inequalities and Poverty (LIP)’ The London School of Economics. Joseph Rowntree Foundation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337085190_Understanding_the_Links_between_Inequalities_and_Poverty_ LIP_Understanding_the_relationship_between_inequalities_and_poverty_a_review_of_dynamic_mechanisms Mind for Better Mental Health (2020) Inequalities for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities in NHS Mental Health Service in England. Mind https://www.mind.org.uk/media/6484/race-equality-briefing-final-oct-2020.pdf Nancy Kelley, Omar Khan, Sarah Sharrock (2017) Racial Prejudice in Britain Today. Natcern Social Research https://natcen.ac.uk/media/1488132/racial-prejudice-report_v4.pdf National Mental Health Unit (2010) Count me in 2010. Care Quality Commission Count NHS (2010) Race: Evidence of health inequalities affecting black and minority ethnic people https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Race.pdf

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O. Khan (2020) ‘The Colour of Money’ Runnymede. https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/publications/pdfs/2020%20reports/The%20Colour%20of%20Money%20 Report.pdf Public Health England, (2020) ‘Disparities in the Risks and Outcomes for Covid-19’. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/908434/ Disparities_in_the_risk_and_outcomes_of_COVID_August_2020_update.pdf The Bradley Commission (2013) Black and Minority Ethnic communities, mental health and criminal justice Centre for Mental Health https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-09/Bradley_Commission_briefing1_BME.pdf YMCA (2020) “Young and Black Experience of institutional Racism” YMCA England and Wales. https://www.ymca.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ymca-young-and-black.pdf Zubaida Haque, Laia Becars and Nick Treoar (2020) ‘Over Exposed and Under Protected’. Runneymede https://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/Runnymede%20Covid19%20Survey%20report%20v3.pdf

A CK NO W LEDGEMEN TS: We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the following teams for all their contributions to this report.

It is through sheer commitment, determination and generosity that we were able to gather expert information that will bring real change to the culturally diverse communities in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and beyond.

Furthermore, we would like to give special gratitude to Cheltenham Borough Council for their support in making this conference possible.

Eberechi Ukandu

Maureen George

Natalie Genes

Jermaine Ravalier

Mary Mackie

Nabeela Akhtar

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Tabitha Joy

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INEQUALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH RACE ARE ENDEMIC IN UK SOCIETY, ACROSS INCOME, EDUCATION, WORK, HEALTH, AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. PUBLIC DEBATE OFTEN FOCUSES ON EXTREME OR OVERT FORMS OF RACISM EXPRESSED BY INDIVIDUALS, SUCH AS HATE CRIMES, OR THE MORE DISTANT, IMPERSONAL CONCEPT OF INSTITUTIONAL RACISM. IN THIS CONTEXT, IT IS PERHAPS IMPORTANT ALSO TO CONSIDER THAT THE CULTURES AND PRACTICES OF OUR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS ARE MADE BY INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE, AND THAT EVEN SUBTLE PREJUDICES CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT INEQUALITIES (N.KELLY, O. KHAN, S.SHARROCK, 2017:12)

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info@livesofcolour.co.uk

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