CORE a coalition of race equality organisations from across the UK met on 18 February to reflect on the state of racism in Britain today, and how we as a society are responding to it.
With 29th of March deadline fast approaching, CORE is calling on the government to share its plan for responding to racism post-Brexit. Although we recognise that there were varied reasons why people voted to leave, and there is a need to bridge the division over the European referendum, we cannot ignore the murder of the MP Jo Cox during the campaign, the rise in hate crime that followed the referendum, and the wider un-bottling of racist attitudes and behaviour across Britain. That challenge of unleashing or exposing of racist attitudes hasn’t gone away, and is unlikely to do so whatever happens with Brexit.
Britain’s 8 million Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people are owed a proper plan and actions from the government outlining how they will respond to any rise in hate crime, but also to embed anti-racist education in our schools and among adults too.
Although there are signs of some positive changes, there is too much complacency that ‘tolerance’ will just advance and too little action in responding to longstanding and widespread racial inequalities in Britain today. On the 20th anniversary of the Lawrence Inquiry report, there is still too little focus on how institutions tackle the racial inequalities that the government’s Race Disparity Audit revealed. Until we understand that racism isn’t just about the attitudes of a few bad apples, but extends throughout all of our public, private and charitable institutions, we won’t be able to develop the responses to provide BAME people with the same choices where they live, work or raise their children.
CORE is (currently) a coalition of 20 signed organisations that will work with government and everyone, to ensure there is an informed plan in place to the potential for further division post-Brexit, and to build a society that better tackles racism in all its forms.
Signed by
Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG)
Black South West Network (BSWN)
BME National
BRAP
Caribbean and African Health Network
Council of Somali Organisations
Croydon BME Forum
Friends, Families and Travellers
The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE)
JUST Yorkshire
Migrant Rights Network
National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA)
OLMEC
Operation Black Vote (OBV)
Race on the Agenda (ROTA)
Race Equality Foundation
Race Equality Matters
Runnymede Trust
UKREN
Voice4Change England
Notes for Editor
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