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Book Review: Takeaway - Stories Of A Childhood Behind The Counter By Angela Hui

In my last review I mentioned blind spots and how we all have them. At the time I was referring to my difficulty naming African countries, but I’ve noticed another. I’ve been writing these reviews, learning and doing my best to fill in my knowledge gaps, and gain a greater understanding and appreciation for other people’s experiences for a few years now. Going back through my old reviews I’ve read history books, memoirs, collections of essays, and anthologies. All books about, and written by, people doing their best to navigate life in a country whose institutions have racism and discrimination in their bones, but none of them focus on experiences of East Asian people specifically in the UK. Given that these reviews are meant to point towards books that expand the mind and give a better understanding of racism in all its forms, that is quite an oversight. It is an oversight I want to try to do something about. I know one book won’t balance the scales, but we all have to start somewhere, and my start here was to pick up a copy of Takeaway: Stories From A Childhood Behind The Counter by Angela Hui. Takeaway is a memoir about Hui’s childhood living and working in a Chinese takeaway in a small town in Wales. It is an account of a life between two cultures and the pressures that come with being a child of immigrants born and raised in Britain.

Hui strikes a light and conversational tone with her writing throughout the book, even when she delves into deeply personal and at times difficult issues like identity, community, racism, and the toll it can all take on a person’s mental health over time. The result was an engaging read which I tore through, devouring all 277 pages the way one might devour some of the delicious sounding recipes Hui includes at the end of every chapter. I have no intention of trying to cook any of them as I would never be able to do them justice, but I appreciate their inclusion nonetheless. At times while reading I even made a game of trying to guess which of the dishes she writes about in each chapter would get that chapter’s recipe spotlight at the end. I have seen some other reviews comment that the book can be repetitive, or that not much happens. I however, see that as to its benefit. Hui really drives home the constant, grinding work, and the hard graft that goes into keeping a small family business running. The takeaway seems at times to be this all-consuming shadow that looms over the lives of Hui and her family. Every waking moment seems to be devoted to the Sisyphean task of making enough money to keep the lights on. This can particularly be seen in an early chapter where Hui takes the reader into a night of service. The pace of the chapter is fast and Hui shows the chaotic, relentless nature of the takeaway that customers don’t normally see. The orders keep coming with no end in sight, the work keeps going, more cooking, more dishes, and more deliveries. At times it felt like reading an episode of The Bear with how exhausting and stressful keeping ahead of the orders can be. Even the instances of explicit racism that Hui writes about like threatening customers, bricks through the window, and racist youths breaking into their garden can’t be dwelled on for too long because the phone is still ringing and five more orders have just come in.

One of the book’s main themes is about the messiness of dual identity and the difficulty of negotiating it. Hui’s parents arrived from Hong Kong and China in 1985 to build a new life with the takeaway being their vehicle to achieve that. As a result, Hui’s childhood is a balancing act of existing in two worlds while never feeling entirely at home in either. She is Welsh and Chinese, insider and outsider, fluent in English and went to a Welsh school while also being taught Cantonese at Chinese school on the weekends. That split between two cultures, between two worlds happening in her most formative years made some very stormy waters even more difficult to navigate. She writes openly and at times painfully about how hard it was to deal with it all. The memoir is told in first person and is written mostly in the present tense removing the distance that comes with memory and putting the reader directly in her shoes. The result is that she’s not recollecting the harassment and intimidation of racist teenagers, she’s experiencing the harassment, fear, and pain in the moment and the reader experiences it through her. There were times while reading when I felt spikes of anxiety myself, especially during scenes where her parents, their nerves frayed from the stress of working the kitchen, are arguing and the shouting and fighting keeps escalating further and further, especially when a meat cleaver is within arms reach. As a White guy growing up, my life was nothing like hers, but I think we’ve all been a child in the middle of parents while they’re arguing with no way to make them stop at one time or another. A few times I felt my heartbeat faster as the grip of anxiety took hold. I can only imagine how much more impactful this book could be on readers whose lives and childhoods were similar to hers.

Reading Hui’s memoir made me reflect on whose stories have become more visible, particularly in recent years. British discussions of race have frequently prioritised the relations of Black and White British people which is understandable given Britain's history, present inequalities, and more recent events like the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, and my choices of books to review have reflected that. East Asian, and given Hui’s heritage, Chinese communities specifically, have contributed enormously to British society for generations, but they can get lost in the shuffle with mainstream discussions of race and migration. As Hui points out this is partially because Chinese families would often intentionally set up takeaways in different cities and towns to avoid directly competing with each other, and as a result the East Asian, and Chinese population has been more scattered across the UK and less concentrated than other global majority groups. Hui’s story is her own first and foremost, but she also writes of experiences shared across many migrant families whose businesses have become part of the backbone of towns and cities across the country while their lives remain poorly understood. They have been largely held as evidence of successful integration or hailed with the "model minority" moniker. In Hui’s own words: “Being Chinese, I’m technically a minority that’s privileged, but excluded. East and Southeast Asians are considered so white-adjacent that they are no longer identified as a person of colour but still experience systemic racism.” Recognition matters because invisibility frequently leads policymakers, educators and institutions to overlook specific needs. Hui shows the emotional costs of this invisibility and how being perceived as economically functional but culturally peripheral creates its own forms of exclusion.

To bring this review to a conclusion, while this is the first book I’ve read for these reviews that focuses exclusively on the East Asian, more specifically Chinese experience in the UK, it will not be the only one and I will be more mindful going forward. This book shows that while equality is gained by combating and dismantling racism on an institutional level, it is also gained by expanding whose stories are considered part of the national narrative. It is gained by recognising the experiences of all global majority groups, and acknowledging the invisible labour that has shaped modern Britain, and that invisible labour includes the never-ending work that goes into keeping Britain’s takeaways running. This is absolutely a book I would recommend be read by as many people as possible. Any readers interested in stories of migration, identity, or the importance of food in cultures will find a lot to be gained here especially.

To buy this book for yourself, please click here: https://tinyurl.com/ys98xxhr

Book Review - Africa Is Not A Country By Dipo Faloyin

Ok, so, I’m opening this with a confession: I don’t know much about Africa. Or at least I don’t know as much about Africa as I should. Fifty-two countries make up Africa. I tried to see how many of them I could name and I was only able to get to ten, and even that was a struggle that took an embarrassingly long amount of time. If someone pointed a gun at my head and demanded I name twelve African countries, I wouldn’t be able to do it without throwing Wakanda and Zamunda in there out of desperate hope that I could get points for pop culture references. I can rattle off twelve European countries and twelve Asian countries with no problem but I couldn’t do that for African countries. Full disclosure, I was also only able to name eight South American countries, and even they were with great difficulty but I’m going to take one geographical blind spot at a time. Being a massive nerd my attempt at a solution was to look for a book and I found one. That book, as you can probably guess from the title at the top of this page, is Africa Is Not A Country by Dipo Faloyin.

Immediately upon beginning reading, one thing which stood out to me was the clear pride Faloyin has for Africa as a whole, and more precisely for Lagos in Nigeria. He goes big from the start with the first chapter being one of the highlights of the whole book. He writes about the city with a degree of vivid detail that can only come from someone who was raised there. He gives the whole book, but this chapter especially a level of lived-in specificity that other media with broader generalisations of Africa can’t capture. It almost feels like it would be an understatement to call this book a love letter. Seriously, the Lagos tourism board should give Faloyin a job. This book had me wondering if I’ve ever loved anything as much as Faloyin clearly loves Lagos, and jollof rice (which also gets its own particularly effusive chapter towards the end where he makes it sound amazing). His writing style is loose and informal with a palpable jubilance, but he also knows when to take a more serious or restrained approach. It has the rhythm of a conversation, and like a conversation it can go from joyful, to sombre, to frustrated and everywhere in between at any moment.

The more serious, and critical tone comes out when Faloyin focuses on the main thrust of this book, and its central point. That Africa is viewed to this day by not just the west, but much of the rest of the world as a hopeless land of famine, corruption, and an endless string of humanitarian crises. This stereotypical view also strips the people living there of all agency, portraying them as victims of a blighted land unable to do anything without international aid. Faloyin’s humour is still present here. The anger and frustration at the stereotypes and homogenised view the world has of Africa radiates off the page, but even at his most infuriated, Faloyin’s writing retains a sense of humour, with his wit taking on a more acerbic, cutting edge, dripping with sarcasm. This is most clearly seen in an extended passage where he describes how Hollywood makes films set in Africa. As a reader, this section of the book hit the nail on the head with its withering description no less effective for its lack of overt anger. He gives multiple examples of films where this stereotypical view of Africa as a whole has been reinforced over and over through the decades. Seeing it all laid out really hammers home just how deeply ingrained and culturally normalised this portrayal of Africa has become.

Faloyin never treats these stereotypes and this distorted view of Africa as accidental, or as the result of lazy filmmakers who can’t be bothered to do any research. He shows how these very specific portrayals of Africa as a place devoid of civilization and hope, have roots that stretch far back in time through to colonialism, the scramble for Africa, and even further. Faloyin argues that these stereotypes are intentional from their inception and have served economic and political purposes ever since. First slave traders benefited from portraying African people as more animal than human to justify their barbaric practices for centuries. Then when most people agreed slavery was bad, western powers in the late nineteenth century benefited from portraying African societies as uncivilised and incapable of self-governance in order to justify colonialism. These stereotypes may have morphed and softened slightly over the years, changing clothes as the times have changed, but Faloyin shows they are still present today in the form of big celebrity filled charity fundraisers. The only difference is where once African people were portrayed as uncivilised savages to be feared and controlled, now they are seen as helpless victims of famine and disasters who can’t do anything to save themselves and need the charity of the west. Faloyin makes it clear that fundraisers like “Live Aid”, charity songs like “Do They Know Its Christmas?” or online trends like the short lived “Kony 2012” phenomenon are all just the “White Man’s Burden” repackaged for the modern day. Where once there was fear, there is now pity, but the end result is the same, the dehumanisation and dismissal of an entire continent.

For as much as Faloyin obviously loves Africa and will defend the continent with an admirable passion he doesn’t just romanticise Africa in response to these overwhelmingly negative stereotypes. He also discusses the harsh realities of dictatorships, civil wars, ethnic tensions and political failures, especially with a chapter which goes on deep dives into the development of seven dictatorships across Africa. These examinations of how dictators took power and maintain it, do not shy away from the brutal reality of poverty, corruption, violence, and in at least one instance, genocide that has been enacted. A common theme among the seven dictators I noticed, was that many of them seemed to be among the original generation of political leaders who helped win independence from the west but then once in power, time passed and gradually, they were corrupted. Faloyin makes no excuses for the terrible things these dictators have done, or for the things people have done on their behalf. He does however, object to the way they can be treated like the defining characteristics of Africa itself. We in the west are often encouraged to see instability in African countries as business as usual or evidence of some unavoidable disfunction in Africa rather than as the consequence of colonial borders, extractive economics, Cold War interference, international debt structures and ongoing global inequality. Faloyin explains how arbitrary borders, straight lines drawn haphazardly on maps with little consideration by “White men in Khaki” grouped rival communities together, split ethnic groups apart and laid foundations for future conflicts. He pushes readers to ask why some African countries are treated as naturally chaotic, when it is actually the end result of centuries of meddling from the west.

There is a whole lot more I could write about and I could sit here typing away and singing this book’s praises all day. I mean I didn’t even mention how Faloyin uses the book to advocate for the return of looted artifacts from western museums to their countries of origin, or how he devoted an entire chapter to jollof rice. This review would start to become unwieldy in its length though, so I’ll draw things to a conclusion instead. If I’m honest, I still don’t know enough about Africa, I know more than I did, but there’s always more to learn about any subject. There is always new information, history, and perspectives like the ones in this book. I hope the day when I decide I know enough never happens because that would be a sad day indeed. Ultimately, I would easily recommend this book be read as widely as possible. Africa Is Not A Country, is a book which combines history, humour, and political analysis to challenge the colonial stereotypes that continue to shape our perceptions. It reminds us of the importance of accurate real representation, and that misrepresentation does a disservice to everyone.

To buy this book for yourself, please click here: https://tinyurl.com/2suehzr9

Book Review - How To Argue With A Racist By Adam Rutherford

All the way back in the ancient long-ago time of 2005 on The Colbert Report during a segment called “The Word”, Stephen Colbert coined the term “Truthiness”. It means when something isn’t actually factually true, but it feels like it should be true so you’re just going to go with it. As Colbert himself put it: “We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth – the truth we want to exist". Since then, truthiness has gained an increased presence across online and legacy media alike, so much so that it makes books that stay focused on hard data and empirical evidence all the more valuable. How To Argue With A Racist by Adam Rutherford is one of those books. It is similar in some respects to another book I’ve previously reviewed The Science Of Racism in how it remains laser focused on using scientific data and evidence to debunk some of the common ideas that racism is focused on. The big difference is where The Science Of Racism uses mainly psychological and neurological research How To Argue With A Racist focuses on genetics and DNA reflecting each author’s scientific backgrounds and areas of expertise.

Race and racism are of course social constructs and a lot of modern-day racism is built upon a foundational layer of “scientific racism” which itself is nothing but truthiness, centuries before the word existed. Scientific racism was constructed with the rise of the slave trade and particularly flourished in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Near as I can tell it started because even slave traders needed to be able to sleep at night, and it’s a lot easier to enslave people if you can tell yourself they’re not fully human. Many modern white supremacists like to focus on these debunked concepts of genetic purity and claims of white genocide caused by the increase of interracial relationships among other factors. Rutherford exposes this racism as blind irrational hate that is trying to launder itself as based in objective science through the superficial use of the language of biology. He dismantles modern racism by taking apart the pseudoscience that underpins much of it such as the racist idea that people of African descent are naturally better at sports, or that Jewish people are naturally smarter or better with money.

In addition to combatting and debunking scientific racism Rutherford also gives the reader a look at how simultaneously fascinating, complicated, and revealing genetics and genealogy can be. The most obvious example, so much so that I’ve seen it mentioned in other reviews, is that because going back through history the number of ancestors we have doubles (from two parents, to four grandparents, to eight great grandparents and so on) eventually we each have so many ancestors that our family trees overlap and entwine more and more the further back you go. According to Rutherford you only need to go back about 3,400 years to reach what he calls a global genetic isopoint where the entire population of the planet back then are the genetic ancestors of all eight billion people alive on the planet today. For me at least it reaches a point where the numbers get so massive that it is an almost mind-blowing concept that is difficult to wrap my head around but one which is nonetheless true. It’s the kind of thing that while completely abstract does make intuitive sense but I’d never really considered before. Of course, if you go back far enough all of our family trees will collapse into each other. The idea that all of humanity is one big family isn’t just a worn out platitude but is a scientific fact. This knowledge tears apart the idea that there can be any such thing as a “genetically pure” group or population that many more militant racists cling to. The science shows nobody has 100% ancestry from any one race (at least not without being very, very inbred). We are all genetic mongrels, no matter how much racists might want to pretend otherwise.

To read about a concept like this here it would be easy to be intimidated by the subject matter and to be dissuaded from reading it. I mean this is genetics, DNA and genealogy we’re talking about here. It’s all very complicated stuff that is usually the territory of highly educated, very serious people with lab coats and whatnot looking at inscrutable things with impressive looking microscopes. Surely it’s no place for the average everyday reader. Well fear not and rest assured because as an average everyday reader myself I can tell you this is not the case at all. One of the signs of an expert in their field is if they are able to take difficult concepts and break them down so they are understandable by ordinary people, and Rutherford does that throughout the book, keeping things accessible. That is not to say things feel dumbed down either. I never felt condescended to while reading. Rutherford makes his case clearly weaving between history and science without treating the reader like an expert, or like an idiot. This results in a book that can be read by people like me who know practically nothing about genetics (other than in comics it can be altered by radiation to give superpowers), yet still feel intellectually respected. What could have easily felt like a distant high and mighty scientist giving a dry lesson from a podium in a lecture hall instead feels like that clever friend telling you about the cool genetics stuff he learned about at a coffee place or down the pub.

Racism, especially nowadays, does not arrive as open abuse as much as it used to. With a media landscape of alternative facts where people are encouraged to retreat to the truthiness of their choice modern racism has learned and grown sneakier over time. Often it does not present as a gammon faced skin head covered in swastikas shouting obscenities and attacking people who look different to them. Now it presents itself as professional looking middle aged or older men and women in business suits giving a reasonable sounding, supposedly neutral conclusions, a statistic taken out of context, or a claim about “difference” dressed up as realism or telling it like it is. This is a book which rejects that camouflage. It argues that the challenge is not only to tackle bad intentions but to tackle bad evidence and bad reasoning too. It doesn’t pretend that racism and racist beliefs can always be reasoned away though. After all you can’t reason someone out of a position, they didn’t use reason to reach. What it does offer is a rebuttal to the claim that biology can justify hierarchy. It is clear-headed, and persuasive because it is so determined to stay as close as possible to the science.

I will conclude this piece by saying I would recommend this book easily and I think it should be read by as many people as possible, especially those who are into going through the data with a fine-toothed comb. Rutherford tackles far more than I have mentioned here, and in far more detail than I could hope to cover within the confines of a mere book review, at least not without it getting excessively long to the point of being unreasonable. When you get down to it what Rutherford gives readers is a firmer ground of truth from which to challenge racism whenever it dresses itself up as fact. This book pushes all the nonsense and blah blah aside and says here’s what the actual data says and in a world of truthiness real empirical, testable, provable evidence is a valuable thing indeed.

To buy this book for yourself, please click here: https://shorturl.at/rpvU0

Colour Of Injustice Leicester Conference

TREC held The Colour Of Injustice Leicester Conference on 20th April 2021. TREC hosted the event along with our partners including the London School of Economics, The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre (DMU), Leicestershire Police, Police and Crime Commissioner, Crown Prosecution Service and more. The conference brought key stakeholders and impacted communities together to discuss disproportionality in policing, drug law, and enforcement. It provided an opportunity for members of the public to question police and representatives on these issues, and in turn allowed those representatives to hear and respond to the concerns of their constituents. The conference was held with an eye towards presenting possible solutions, and agreeing to meaningful and time sensitive actions to make real changes happen.

The conference was chaired by Dr Kennetta Hammond-Perry from the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre and held virtually over two sessions in accordance with Covid19 safety guidance. Alongside Hammond-Perry key speakers included: Mike Shiner, Associate Professor, London School of Economics; Sally-Ann Flemmings-Danquah, District Crown Prosecutor, Crown Prosecution Service; Julia Debenham, Assistant Chief Constable, Leicestershire Police; Lord Bach, Police and Crime Commissioner, Leicestershire Police; and Derrick Campbell, Regional Director for Midlands Region, Independent Office of Police Conduct. It consisted of a mix of presentations from our speakers, question and answer sessions, and roundtable discussions both with the whole conference present, and in smaller groups. At each point in the conference there were plenty of opportunities for participants to engage with their concerns, and suggestions for further action.

While at certain points in the second session in particular discussion got caught up in the weeds of debating whether institutional racism in Leicestershire Police is real, overall, the conference was considered a success and useful to participants who responded. A more detailed report on the conference including its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for future action is being written and will be made available to read shortly.

Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain by Sathnam Sanghera - review

The government’s recently released (as of the time of writing) report of the commission of race and ethnic disparities is the latest example of Britain’s tendency towards denial of the existence of systemic and institutional racism. Britain seems to want to be a colour-blind, or post racial society but without committing to the hard work it will take to actually get there. This denial of the realities of racism in Britain is reflected by a denial of Britain’s history too. Britain’s history is a history of empire, and imperialism yet an historical amnesia seems to have taken hold. From our school curriculum, to our pop culture Britain’s past in empire, and imperialism seems to have been swept under the rug. We have a steady stream of period dramas, and films based on World Wars I and II but where is Oluadah Equiano’s award winning biopic? Where is Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s critically acclaimed limited series? They have been rendered footnotes by Britain’s desire to forget about the uncomfortable parts of its past. Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera is an attempt to trace the connections between Britain’s past in empire, and its present day despite efforts conscious and unconscious to obscure, and erase them.

The central argument which runs throughout Empireland is that the history of the British empire should be taught in a more comprehensive, and importantly a more honest way from school onwards. In that respect it is one part of a larger conversation, as the movement to decolonise our school curriculum has been gradually picking up steam and public support. Petitions calling for expanding the teaching of Black history out of the confines of October, or to improve the diversity of the material studied in English Literature for example have only increased over the last few years. The book makes a strong case for an increase in teaching about the history of the British Empire. Sanghera draws links to empire for many aspects of modern British life like our multiculturalism, the NHS, and the food and drink we consume on a daily basis. Nations, like individuals are the product of their pasts and experiences and Sanghera illustrates throughout that Britain is no exception.

A large part of taking a more honest evaluation of the British Empire and its effects is examining the aspects that are typically whitewashed. Sanghera achieves this by using diary entries, and reports from the time. While it makes for difficult reading, Sanghera employs these primary sources to powerful effect. He uses them to detail some of the dirty secrets of Britain’s history such as the massacres during the invasion of Tibet, or the genocide of the indigenous Tasmanians during the colonisation of Tasmania. One example that stuck out to me along these lines was when Sanghera was writing about slavery. When slavery is discussed it is usually in broader terms, and more focus is spent on Britain’s abolition movement. Sanghera focuses on Thomas Thistlewood, and his diary entries. Thomas Thistlewood was a slave owner in Jamaica. His diary entries describe in disturbing detail the punishments he doled out to his slaves. For example when one of his slaves tried to run away Thistlewood “gave him a moderate whipping, pickled him well, made Hector shit in his mouth, immediately put him in a gag whilst his mouth is full and made him wear it 4 or 5 hours.” As a reader, and a white man, I will admit this was shocking to read. While I knew slavery was (and still is) an abhorrent, monstrous crime, and I knew the crimes committed by slave owners were horrific I never knew they were forced to hold actual human faeces in their mouths for hours at a time. I knew it was terrible in the abstract, but the details really drove it home in my mind. It was disturbing to read but the fact that I didn’t know about it is exactly why I needed to read it.

Sanghera also writes in detail about the items and artefacts looted by British soldiers during colonisation and conquest, and about the process of looting itself. He reveals that the act of looting was so widespread among the British army that they had to come up with official rules as to what could and couldn’t be taken, and under what circumstances. He even points out that the act of looting is so closely linked to colonisation that the word loot itself is derived from the Hindi word lut which roughly means ‘spoils of war’. Here Sanghera shows the links between the modern day and the past as many of the items that were looted are currently on display, or in storage in British museums around the country. Artefacts like the Koh-i-Noor diamond have not simply popped out of thin air and existed as part of the British crown jewels since time immemorial. It was seized by the East India Trading Company after the annexation of the Punjab Region. Sanghera is critical of attempts to downplay the imperial roots of many artefacts, and the seeming reluctance of museums to return them to their countries of origin. This reluctance even extends to the 99% of artefacts that are held in storage, and not actually placed on display anywhere. Sanghera makes sure the reader remembers these artefacts have long histories of violence, bloodshed, and colonisation which cannot be encapsulated by a few lines on a display cabinet.

The discomfort I felt while reading parts of this book was necessary but that is not to say the book is an overly punishing one to read. It is not just a list of terrible things Britain has done in the name of empire. Sanghera writes with wit, and humour sprinkled throughout. It helps that Sanghera admits to his own ignorance on the history of the British empire numerous times. He makes it clear that he is a product of the same education system that he is criticising for focusing on world wars, and ancient romans at the expense of empire, and colonialism. While advocating for the decolonisation of our education system he is also in a sense decolonising himself. This approach positions Sanghera as a peer to the reader rather than an authority figure, and is one I appreciated. He refers to, and quotes the works of other historians throughout providing both an extremely comprehensive bibliography, and helpfully pointing the reader to other writers should they want to do any further reading on the subject. The effect is to make the book read like Sanghera is sharing what he has recently learned with the reader as equals, rather than lecturing the reader from on high.

To conclude this piece, while Sanghera argues throughout the book that Britain should rediscover the truth of its history of Empire, and not look away from the worst parts, he acknowledges that such an overhaul of our school curriculum, and attitude in general would be a huge undertaking. He illustrates Britain’s reluctance to deal with its past by comparing how Britain treats its history with how Germany treats its history in World War 2. Britain has statues that commemorate slave owners, and Germany has memorials to the victims of the holocaust. Britain has museums which proudly display looted artifacts, and Germany has guided tours of concentration camps showing the depth of their cruelty. Where Germany stares unflinchingly at its past to learn and avoid repeating it, Britain looks instead to a rose tinted alternate past where the effect of its empire is minimized at best. Sanghera gives an example of this denial from his own experiences. He describes how he wanted to make a documentary on the origins of, and truth about, India’s railway system but upon pitching the idea a TV producer turned him down saying rather bluntly “viewers don’t like to have their prejudices challenged”. This seemingly innate desire in Britain to use our history to confirm our preconceptions is one that no single book can break. However if we really do want to become the society described in the Sewell report we need to be serious about doing the hard work to get there. Decolonising our history with Empireland, and other books like it is only one of many steps we need to take.

Brit(ish): On Race, Identity, And Belonging By Afua Hirsch - Review

All my life my sense of identity and belonging has never been in doubt or called into question by anyone I have met. I am a white British man. While I have grown as a person over the years, and what it means to be a white British man has changed in my mind over time that part of my identity has remained. This is a privilege that Britain does not afford most demographics. My identity, and sense of belonging is solid, for many it is more complex, and nebulous. Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch is part autobiography, part social commentary, and part exploration of the nature of identity, and belonging in Britain. Hirsch is a British born mixed-race woman with a black Ghanaian mother, and a white Jewish father. Her search to discover her own sense of identity is one which took her around the world to Senegal, Ghana, and back to Britain. This book is simultaneously deeply personal, and wide ranging in scope. It is one woman’s journey to find where she belongs, a collection of interviews with people sharing their experiences in Britain, and a look at Britain’s past, and its present as a whole.

Hirsch’s search for a place in the world where she can fit in, and the alienation she feels is the main driving force of the book. This is as much about finding where she culturally belongs as it is about geographic belonging. She describes growing up in a middle-class family and was often one of very few students of colour in school. This position, being alone in a sea of white faces continued up to her attendance at Oxford University. By her own admission she did not know much about black British culture as a result of her upbringing. She expresses feeling like she was on the outside everywhere being neither physically white enough to fit in one world, nor culturally black enough to fit in the other. Her relationship with her hair is a clear example of this dichotomy at work. Her natural hair is curled enough to defy her attempts to flatten it as a child, but the curls are not tight enough and too fine for black hairdressers’ usual treatments to work. She goes into detail about the difficulty she experienced trying to find ways to treat it, with most haircare products available for purchase not being designed with her hair in mind. Her hair is not only significant as a marker of her outsider status however. It also becomes a formative part of her culturally claiming her identity as a Black woman. Hirsch writes about when she first got her hair braided, and how things changed for her when she had a traditionally black hairstyle for the first time. She says the difference was night and day as they made her look blacker, and older. Her hair became a cultural marker signalling her as a member of the black community in a way she had not felt before. As a reader this was eye opening, revealing even something as simple as the hair growing out of my head to be yet another thing where I am relatively privileged.

The way Hirsch writes about her hair, the work it takes to care for it properly, and the reaction of others to it, is not the only way she writes about her relationship to Britain as a Black woman. She goes deep examining Britain’s hyper sexualisation of Black people. In a notable early chapter, she details visiting the “Black Man’s Fan Club” (BMFC) which is a monthly swingers night specifically for white women who want to have sex with black men. She links this hyper sexualisation back to racist stereotypes that developed during the era of slavery and colonialism to dehumanise black people. She looks at how these myths have been used to portray black men as boogeymen coming to take the virtue of white women, and points to the treatment of the Central Park Five as an example of how these myths still cause real harm in the modern day. At the BMFC however, instead of rejecting or pushing back against these myths she finds black men who have not only embraced them with open arms but are actively reinforcing them, and a club which does not seem to understand how fetishizing black bodies this way can be offensive or racist. Hirsch also writes about the hyper-sexualisation of black women and her own experiences of this in action. She includes examples of how at just fourteen years old she had teenage boys making crude jokes about black girls supposed greater promiscuity, and sexual experience. These stereotypes and myths around the hyper sexuality of black women similarly to those about black men seem to be repeated with no consideration or awareness of their historical origins rooted in white masters raping black women slaves. This is just one example of how Britain’s reluctance to examine its past of slavery, colonisation, and empire is poisoning the well even now in the 21st century.

Hirsch is critical of Britain’s seeming refusal to look at its past with honest eyes throughout the book. Britain favouring a view of the past which extolls its fight for abolition while minimizing its role in the slave trade has contributed to a view of Britain as being a post racial society. Hirsch clearly stands opposed to this notion using her own experiences to show that the idea that Britain is “colour-blind” is a veil to hide Britain’s more subtle hidden brand of unspoken racism. The more overt instances of racism she describes such as a neighbour who would make their dog defecate directly outside her grandmother’s home every day do not receive as much focus. Instead, its things like what she terms “The Question” that seem to have left more of an impact. The Question is: where are you from? It is as an almost perfect example of the kind of micro aggression Hirsch is pushing back against. I have never been asked where I come from, but she and many others have countless times. It is presented as being just out of curiosity asked by people who will readily claim they “don’t see race”. The problem with this is when a person is asked over and over again like Hirsch has been, its ‘alienating’ and ‘othering’ effects are multiplied. The idea that Britain is some kind of post racial nation is so widespread it has come up in past reviews and is a clear source of frustration for Hirsch. It is almost a form of gas lighting on a national scale. It flat out denies the lived experiences, and racism people of colour are forced to live through every day. One example of this Hirsch writes about is at a special reception held by the Daily Mail to mark 10 years of the journalism diversity fund. A mixed-race journalist called Joseph (who Hirsch spoke to for the book) confronted some of the Daily Mail grandees present about a racist cartoon the newspaper had published. In response he was told to “stop being a troublemaker”. This myth has turned Britain into a nation with racism but no racists, where calling out racism and demanding accountability is met with denial, and labels like “troublemaker”, or “divisive”. To question and challenge this idea might make Hirsch a “troublemaker” but to paraphrase the late American politician and civil rights activist John Lewis, sometimes you need to make good trouble, necessary trouble.

To conclude this piece, good trouble as John Lewis described it is something Hirsch provides throughout the book. As her search for her own sense of identity continues, she touches upon and explores many aspects of what it means to be Black in Britain today. She always maintains her self-exploration as the emotional centre of the book so these dives into a wide range of subjects around race and identity never feel unwieldy. Her interviews with people of all walks of life are woven into the book well. They never detract from her story instead, adding more shades to it. Hirsch writes with a deft hand which is thought provoking and illuminating in equal measure. The book reviews I have written have all forced me to confront and reckon with my own privilege and position in society and this one is no exception. While it is about one woman’s journey of self-exploration it has also become an important step in my own self-exploration, and ongoing education.

Covid19 Guidance Update

New national restrictions announced

On Monday 4 January the UK prime minister announced a new lockdown in England, running from 5 January to at least mid-February. The lockdown measures are necessary to reduce levels of COVID-19 which are high nationally and locally and to protect against the new variant of COVID-19 that is more easily transmissible.

The measures mean that with few exceptions we must all now stay at home to protect each other and stop the spread of the virus. The COVID vaccination programme is underway, however, it will take time before this becomes effective at a community level. In the meantime, by following the Government guidelines we can protect our friends, families and communities. Our actions will also ease pressure on our NHS enabling them to treat both covid patients and those suffering from other conditions. We realise this will be difficult for many people but please be aware that support is available. We can help with advice on how to protect your mental health and wellbeing, help getting food items if you have no one else to turn to or financial support through government grants.

Visit our website www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus/coronavirus-support-for-residents for advice or email [email protected] giving a contact telephone number if possible. If you are telling us about another person, please get their permission before giving us their phone number or address.

Protect yourself and your loved ones. Stay at home.

And remember to

wash ours hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water

always wear a face covering in enclosed spaces such as shops and where social distancing is difficult, for example when queuing

keep two metres apart from anyone you don’t live with.

Education

Schools and colleges have all closed with students (apart from children of key workers and those considered vulnerable) now being taught remotely.

The scheduled 2021 A-levels and GCSEs have been cancelled with guidance issued soon about how awards will be given.

Students studying certain degrees (e.g. medicine and veterinary science) will be returning for face to face lectures but other university students will access their lectures online.

Early years provision is unaffected, but you are advised to check with your childcare provider for individual arrangements

Places of worship

You are able to visit a place of worship for communal worship (social distancing and other measures will apply). You are permitted to attend a funeral or other event related to a death and attend a wedding (subject to guidance and maximum numbers). Please note that weddings are subject to strict guidance and permitted in exceptional circumstances.

Exercise

Gyms, leisure centres and outdoor facilities including outdoor gyms are closed. You may exercise outdoors but are only allowed to do so if you are:

· On your own

· With someone that you live with

· With someone from your bubble

· With one other person (if you are on your own)

Bubbles

You are only allowed to form a bubble under certain circumstances. You can only form a support bubble if:

you live alone

you are the only adult in your household who does not need continuous care as a result of a disability

your household includes a child who is under the age of one (as of 2 December 2020)

your household includes a child with a disability who requires continuous care and is under the age of 5 (as of 2 December 2020)

you are aged 16 or 17 living with others of the same age and without any adults

you are a single adult living with one or more children who are under the age of 18 (as of 12 June 2020) – if you share custody of your children with someone who you don’t live with then your children can move freely between both households. You do not need to form a support bubble to do this.

You must not form a support bubble with a household that is part of another support bubble.

You can form a childcare bubble if you provide or receive childcare from one other household if you live with someone under the age of 14 - you must not meet socially with your childcare bubble.

For more information visit the government’s website www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-support-bubble-with-another-household.

Seeking medical help

If you need medical treatment, then please do not hesitate to contact your doctor. Your GP may offer a telephone appointment service which means that you will not have to leave your home. Alternatively, you can call NHS 111 for medical advice over the phone.

You must still attend your routine appointments.

For more information and details of all of the restrictions go to the gov.uk website www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

New Strain of Coronavirus

As you will have seen in the media a new strain of Coronavirus has been identified.

There is no evidence to say that this new strain affects people more severely, but it is transmitted more easily. This is why it’s is extremely important that we continue to follow the guidelines and stay at home.

Remember the less contact with other people that you have the lower the risk of catching it and passing it on to others.

Testing

Testing is really important to help us find out who has coronavirus so they can isolate and reduce the risk of it spreading.

There are two types of tests available:

· Rapid test (lateral flow tests) – these will give you a result in less than an hour. Some residents without symptoms are choosing to get tested at our rapid testing centre at Fosse Neighbourhood Centre. There is no need to book and you get your results within an hour. Please remember to wear a face covering if you go. If you get a positive result you will need to self-isolate along with the rest of your household.

· PCR tests – these are the bookable tests for those with symptoms. You will get your results within 48 hours. You must self isolate whilst you are waiting for the test results, as must anyone that you live with.

There are many testing centres in Leicester – for more information about where they are please go to our website – www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/coronavirus/coronavirus-in-leicester-latest-news.

Isolation

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, or you have tested positive, you must self-isolate at home, even if you are a key worker. Everyone you live with must also stay at home.

This is because if you have coronavirus there is a high chance you could pass it to other people. By staying in your home, and away from others (you must not leave your home for any reason at all this includes going to work, daily exercise or shopping), you reduce the risk of passing the virus on to other people. This is the most important thing we can all do to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

If you are self-isolating because you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus or who has symptoms, then you will be pleased to know that the isolation period has reduced from 14 days to 10 days. This is because you are at risk of having caught the virus from that person and need to reduce the risk of passing it on to others.

Current self isolation guidelines*

If you have symptoms of coronavirus - Isolate for at least 10 days or until you feel better – this may be longer than 10 days (check the NHS website for latest guidance)

If you have tested positive for coronavirus - Isolate for at least 10 days or until you feel better – this may be longer than 10 days (check the NHS website for latest guidance)

If you are waiting for the results of a coronavirus test - If you have symptoms you must self-isolate whilst waiting for the result. If the test is positive you must isolate for 10 days from the start of symptoms or date of positive test

If you live with someone who has symptoms of coronavirus - You must isolate for 10 days from the start of their symptoms

If you live with someone who is waiting for coronavirus test results - If they have symptoms, you must isolate whilst they are waiting for the test results. If the test is positive you must isolate for 10 days from the start of their symptoms

If you have been identified as a close contact of someone who has coronavirus - You must isolate for as long as you have been advised to by your school or workplace or the NHS test and trace service

For the latest guidance visit the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/how-long-to-self-isolate/

If you're on a low income and cannot work while you self-isolate, you may be able to get a support payment of £500 and you may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (for more information visit the government’s website www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/what-youll-get); or you may be eligible for Employment Support Allowance www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

If you need any help whilst you isolate you could ask friends or neighbours to help you; or, if you don't have anyone to do this then visit our website or email [email protected]

Contact Tracing

If you test positive for coronavirus you will be contacted by the Test and Trace team (this could be either the national or local Leicester City Council team), they will ask if you understand what this means and if you need any support. They will also ask you for details of who have been in close contact with so that they can contact them and advise them to self isolate for 10 days.

The test and trace team will keep calling you for a period of time until they get this information so its really important that you give them as much information as you can. Your details will be kept anonymous.

Coronavirus Vaccine

The coronavirus vaccine continues to be administered in Leicester. The first groups to be vaccinated are people over 80, health and social care staff and care home residents. The priority groups for vaccination have been set by the government.

You do not need to contact your GP to arrange your covid vaccination - you will be contacted directly to book your vaccine. For more information visit the NHS website - www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine

Care homes

We know how hard this year has been for those with family and loved ones in care homes and we know that you are anxious to visit them as soon as you can. Unfortunately, due to the high risks involved the majority of care homes are not able to have visitors just yet.

As elderly people and care home staff are amongst the first to be vaccinated, hopefully we will not have to wait much longer to see our loved ones.

For more information:

Subscribe to Your Leicester and get the latest information weekly via email

Continue to follow Leicester City Council on social media Facebook Leicester City Council and Twitter @Leicester_News

There is a range of videos that can be shared on our Your Tube channel Leicester City Council

They continue to update our translated materials on the webpages here

For the latest data on the situation in Leicester go to their website here

Teaching To Transform

Well ahead of its public launch in May 2019, The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre (SLRC) began engaging with schools and local educators with a view to influence anti-racist, social justice oriented pedagogic practice in Leicester. This ambitious programme takes up elements of the unfinished agenda of the Macpherson Report’s recommendation to combat the “failure of the National Curriculum to adequately reflect the needs of a diverse, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society (Macpherson, 1999).”

Early last year we partnered with a number of local schools and educators on a variety of inreach and outreach initiatives to support and enhance current teaching practices and to encourage positive conversations around race, inclusion and social justice to take place in the classroom.

A quick look at some of these engagements:

Classroom takeovers and assemblies

School visits where the SLRC would deliver an assembly or classroom session to give students the opportunity to explore a number of avenues around race, identity, citizenship and relationships. Visits can be scheduled at suitable times throughout the academic year.

Stephen Lawrence Day at DMU experience 2019

A day-long programme to commemorate the annual National Stephen Lawrence Day (22 April), themed “Live Your Best Lives” that gave young students an opportunity to learn more about Stephen Lawrence’s story, interact with some of the materials from the Stephen Lawrence Archive and think creatively about how Stephen’s story inspires them to become agents of social change.

Bespoke school visits to the centre

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, we welcomed class visits from schools to the centre, to visit the exhibition space and to learn about the work that we do to continue Stephen’s powerful legacy. We worked collaboratively with the lead teacher to plan an appropriate hour-long session that fitted into their teaching agenda and curriculum.

Local Educators Listening Sessions

We readily engage with a consortium of local schools to plan activities that can help to transform and enhance current teaching practices to help make the curriculum more inclusive, via our Teaching to Transform programme. These schools are doing some fantastic work around race and social justice issues including creating Stephen Lawrence Ambassadors and Stephen Lawrence Awards programmes, forming Stephen Lawrence Day Committees and parliaments, creating academy-wide lesson plans and fun charity events, for example.

Professional Pathways Programme

This academic year, the SLRC has introduced a pilot project in Leicester that seeks to develop a bespoke teacher education programme that emphasises building racial literacies amongst local educators and facilitate the embedding of anti-racist practice in local schools with an eye toward addressing the persistence of inequalities and injustices in the classroom, the curriculum and the wider school environment.

The project is being piloted and delivered by way of a bespoke professional pathways programme for educators within a local Academy Trust. In the long-term we’re aiming to produce a practice-driven evidence base that will amplify calls for educational policy reform and investment in teacher education

Read more about our work at www.dmu.ac.uk/slrc

TREC’s Foodbank

TREC has received funding from Leicestershire & Rutland’s Community Foundation in association with the Co-op Fund to provide a foodbank for it’s most vulnerable refugee and asylum seeker clients.

It began on the 9th December and will run every Wednesday 2:00pm to 3:00pm till the end of March 2021.

We will take referrals from external organisations for clients who fit the criteria.

Please ensure clients bring their own bags and weak a mask

Ethical Gifts Presented To Staff At TREC

During the height of the pandemic when staff were either furloughed or working from home, ‘Diverse Minds’ provided staff with a much needed ‘Health & Wellbeing’ workshop.

Diverse Minds is a holistic consultancy with a solutions-focus, bringing a wealth of experience from higher education, private and public sectors.

Diverse Minds supports organisations to invest in their staff to create an open, healthy, happy, and productive workplace. Their founder and CEO Leyla Okhai is the former Head of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Centre at Imperial College London and wanted to ‘give back’ to the staff and volunteers of TREC who have been working hard to maintain their services to the most vulnerable.

The ‘gifting’ didn’t end there. Leyla surprised staff when a box of ethically sourced gifts was delivered to the office containing toiletries, teas, chocolates and other items. She also provided all the staff and volunteers with a personalised gift bag of goodies. Knowing that someone outside of the organisation appreciates our work and commitment to our clients, especially under the current circumstances, is a very special feeling and we would all like to send a massive ‘THANK YOU’ to Leyla and Diverse Minds.

https://diverseminds.co.uk/about/

RMVS Assembly Micro Grants

1. Introduction

1.1 Our vision as the Racial Minority Voluntary Sector Assembly, was to provide a service where Leicester’s racial minority organisations, through membership could make applications for funds to maintain and support their individual organisation staff or clients suffering the effects of Covid-19.

2. The Call

2.1 As there was a total of £17,000 a decision was made to approach the 150 plus members of the assembly through an initial e-bulletin followed by an email inviting them to make their application for the funds ranging from £500 to a maximum of £1000.

2.2 The funds were initially advertised on the 15 October 2020. Interest was effective with responses and requests for applications and membership. On the 22 October 2020 telephone calls were made from A-Z through our contact list advising Assembly members directly of the grant availability.

2.3 At this stage it was realised that although a lot of our members had access to email (via smart phones), they did not necessarily have access to a laptop or computer to complete the grant application form and return it.

2.4 We recognised this as a barrier preventing organisations from applying for the funds. For this reason, we slightly adjusted our outreach style allowing applications to be made via post, zoom and telephone (using the same form, which would be filled in at the time) which we found the members were very responsive too.

2.5 This allowed the service we were providing to be more deliverable to our target market, reaching multiple organisations that may not have been confident to applying through the email application process.

3. The Process

3.1 Once the process was amended, we decided to lower the amount that could be applied for (allowing more organisations to be helped). We ensured the application form was basic with very few questions.

3.2 The returned forms were reviewed weekly enabling those who made application to receive the funds the following week (or immediately thereafter). Funds were on a first come first serve basis (which was shared from the outset).

3.3 Once the outreach telephone/zoom applications were completed a deadline was set for the 13 November 2020 and all zoom and telephone applications were completed during this time. The applications were then reviewed, and funds allocated in accordance with the Covid-19 relevance.

4. The Outcome

4.1 Generally, we found that the maximum fund amount was applied for in most applications. Whereas some organisations were asking for funds to purchase laptops and equipment to enable them to work from home during Covid-19 other organisations were asking for funds to support purchasing PPE equipment. The distribution of funds was therefore allocated to reflect this, regardless to the amount applied for.

4.2 TREC believe the overall outcome of the project was successful as all funds were distributed to 24 racial minority organisations ranging from £150 - £1000 to aid them during the uncertain times of Covid-19.

4.3 Once all the funds were finished a grant evaluation form was sent out to a selection of grant receivers (10). The feedback suggested the application method was positively adaptable and smooth from the start of the process to being awarded the funds.

5. Observations

5.1 Were TREC to engage in a grant giving process again some of the improvements that would be made is as follows:

· Multiple options to submit a grant application to enable a fair process for all applicant made known from the outset

· One application submission per organisation

· Deadline for application process, fund acceptance deadline and, funds used by deadline would be stated in the application. (This was stated only in the guidance).

· Request for TREC logo to be added to any publications outreach, expressing TREC’s grant assisted in project delivery

5.2 The need to be adaptable when working with racial minority organisations is paramount when it comes to being inclusive in reducing inequalities.

5.3 There are many barriers to form filling that prevent racial minority organisations from obtaining funds. This process clearly highlighted this fact.

· The ability to confidently read and respond to application questions

· Language

· Literacy

· The complications become more obvious when the forms are lengthy, wordy and when answering and expressing needs may be difficult due to language/cultural differences.

5.4 It would be beneficial for assembly members to have a course/workshop in completing grant application forms which may be something that TREC could host in the future or if not host, signpost to organisations that may be able to provide this service. The added complication here is that most of our newly formed racial minority organisations may not have English as their first/second language, this is where TREC would be best delivering the workshops due to the bilingual staff members/volunteers and the current level of trust between TREC and the said organisations.

5.5 The benefits of workshop(s) would be to provide confidence in completing grant application forms, as TREC are aware that not all funders will make adjustments to their application process to suit the needs of applicants with language limitations and for those organisations, it is fundamental to be able to proactively apply for appropriate funds to keep going.

5.6 This would be done to encourage organisations to correctly answer the questions being asked, understand the requirement to apply the needs of the organisation to the criteria of the fund, ensure synergy of what is being applied for with the funders’ objectives. This assistance will give confidence to those organisations to make applications to larger funders.

The Good Immigrant: A Collection Of 21 Essays - Review

Recently (as of the time of writing this review) Sainsbury’s released their Christmas advert for the 2020 holiday season. The advert features a family talking about how excited they are to celebrate Christmas together. It is nice, and positive, and basically what you would expect from a typical Christmas advert. The advert has however received complaints from some viewers because the family featured are black. While the complaints have been the minority they have been loud with people saying they plan to boycott the supermarket chain as a result. I know this is a book review but I want to let that sink in for a moment. There are people who saw an advert featuring a black family celebrating Christmas and are offended enough to boycott a supermarket chain. A boycott because of an advert.

This reaction shows in Britain White (and if you want to get more specific straight white male) is still considered the default and for lack of a better term “normal”. Anything else is considered “other”, and a break from what is normal. This Britain, where a Christmas advert can be considered offensive is the Britain in which The Good Immigrant was written in 2016, and is the one we are still living in in 2020. The Good Immigrant is a collection of 21 essays from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnicity writers from across literature, and the media curated by editor Nikesh Shukla. It is an anthology focused on the experiences of immigrants, the children and grandchildren of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers living in the UK. These essays are a mixed bag as could be expected, and differ in tone, subject matter, and focus but a few shared themes, and subjects emerge over the course of the collection.

One of the themes that comes up multiple times throughout the different essays is a deep frustration and anger, but also the inability to express that anger. Anger and particularly public displays of anger are unfortunately still the privilege of White men specifically. When a white man is angry he is called passionate, when a white woman is angry she is called hysterical. When a Black person is angry they are called a thug. When an Asian person is angry they are called a terrorist. These are but a few examples of the way words are used to defend the anger of white men as righteous and justified, and to dismiss and invalidate anger from anyone else. Throughout these essays to be a “Good immigrant” seems to be synonymous with being quiet and taking the everyday indignities, biases, and micro-aggressions without complaint such as the question which is called out several times in these essays as a particular source of frustration: “No, where are you really from?” This book offers the relatively rare opportunity for the writers to complain, to express anger, to pour their completely justifiable frustrations onto the page. However it is important to note that this is not a purely angry book just shouting at the reader from start to finish. Each writer brings their own voice and their own writing styles. Many are funny, and each is unique, and as a white reader they are eye opening and reveal life experiences I have not considered, or at least have not considered as much as I should.

Alongside this anger, and frustration there is an undercurrent running throughout the book about the struggles with assimilation. To be a “good immigrant” seems to not only be quiet, and non-threatening, but to fit in with the mainstream as much as possible. White British people are generally held as the judges of culture and behaviour in this country. As said above we are considered “normal” anything outside of that from non-anglicised names, to cultural practices is categorized as “other” as a result. To live outside of the norm, to be in the box labelled other means living under an extra level of scrutiny that never goes away, an extra burden for these writers to prove that they belong in Britain, even when they were born here. Reading these essays a commonality comes through of the push and pull between wanting to belong with wanting to retain your own cultural identity. It is a balancing act all of the writers have had to hone and perfect as a matter of survival in a society which does not always react well to difference. It is a balancing act which I as a reader have never really had to learn, and an added burden that I have never had to carry.

Given the rise of the stereotype of the “immigrant” as somehow being a lazy benefit sponge while simultaneously taking seemingly all the jobs this book serves an important purpose. It casts a light on the sneakier form of racism that has become more prevalent in modern day Britain. While open and proud racists still exist racism has evolved to fit in a Britain that will proudly tout its commitment to multiculturalism while quietly enforcing conformity. This quieter racism is names being mispronounced. It is words being misunderstood and misused. It is actors being pigeonholed into certain parts because of their skin colour. It is not seeing yourself represented in the media as anything other than a stereotype or token best friend. It is small comments and digs here and there which multiply over time like racist compound interest. This book gives valuable insight as to what it is like to live in a country that does not seem to want you living in it, and always considers you an outsider even if you were born in it.

To conclude this piece these essays are at times funny, at times sad, and at times anger inducing at the state of the world the writers have to live in. We all live in our own lives created by our own experiences, and perspectives. The racism and anger seen in reaction to Sainsbury’s advert shows this. Some people have such a lack of understanding for what exists outside of their worldview that what they have categorised as “other” entering their lives is cause for anger, and a boycott. Ultimately what this book offers is an opportunity to step out of our lives and into the lives of these 21 writers. It is a chance to gain some much needed perspective and awareness. Given the reception the advert received this chance to see how the “other” lives is one we need more of right now, and while it will not magically fix everything on its own, this is a book more people should absolutely read.

ESOL Update

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is vitally important for new arrivals in Leicester. Being able to read, write and engage in verbal communication using English is essential for people to fully participate in society and, especially, to gain employment.

TREC has been providing ESOL classes since the summer of 2017 and has helped hundreds of learners to improve their English. This, in turn, has enabled many people to get jobs or enter further and higher education.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 put a stop to face-to-face ESOL classes and they were suspended.

However, we are in the process of setting up an ESOL and Horticulture project called Growing Together. This will enable people to learn about growing fruit and vegetables, whilst simultaneously improving their English language abilities.

Initially, learners will receive certificates of participation but our intention is to seek accredited status for the courses.

Although the project uses horticulture as the focus, many of the topics to be covered (such as health and safety in work situation) will be of value to learners in their search for work in a variety of settings.

We plan to deliver the first few modules online and then utilise a plot of land that has been made available to us so that learners have the practical experience of growing produce.

As well as growing fruit and vegetables, learners will improve their English and develop team-working skills. Hence the project name Growing Together!

Black And British: A Forgotten History - Review

The mainstream view of British history and one which is instilled from childhood with our school curriculum is largely one told through a white lens. We learn about The Tudors, The English Civil War, the Victorian era and World Wars I and II. Less focus is placed on the British involvement in the slave trade, or British colonialism for example. This is not just the case in school but onwards from there with our popular culture. The idea that there were no Black people in Britain until the Windrush set sail in 1948 is a disappointingly widespread, and reductive one to the point where costume dramas that include Black people have been accused by some of being “historically inaccurate”, or being examples of “political correctness gone mad”. Over the last few decades there has been a concentrated push to change this perspective with more and more books, and academic research devoted to uncovering Black British history and bringing it into the light. One example of this is the book Black And British: A forgotten History by David Olusoga

Black And British: A Forgotten History is a book with a clear goal, to show that Black people have been in and part of Britain for millennia, and to make sure that their history in Britain is forgotten no more. It asserts that Black British history is British history and should be treated as such. Over the course of its 624 pages this book looks at several individuals like Francis Barber, Oluadah Equiano, and Sara Forbes Bonetta among others. Olusoga pieces together their lives with as much detail as he can find from court records, diary entries, legal documents, and newspaper articles. At times it reads like Olusoga is a detective putting together the clues to uncover their stories, and ensure they are told. This uncovering, and reclaiming of a hidden past runs throughout the book whether looking at the stories of individuals, or the changing fortunes of the Black British population over time. Olusoga makes sure the focus remains on the Black experience in Britain making it clear that Black people have always been here from the Roman era up to the present day. The message is a resoundingly clear one: Black people have always been here too.

While Olusoga makes it clear that Black British history is about more than just slavery, the development of the British slave trade, and the growth of the abolition movement are also given attention. Olusoga shows Britain entered the slave trade relatively late compared to the other European powers in the 17th century but later emerged as one of its dominant forces. The abolitionist movement rose in response and were able to gain the support of a lot of the British populace by successfully arguing that the institution of slavery was incompatible with British ideals, and that to oppose slavery was the morally right, and patriotic thing to do. According to Olusoga Britain’s laws regarding slavery and the slave trade were an intentionally vague jumble of positions, and rulings which kept things deliberately hard to pin down. The book depicts what almost seemed to be a cat and mouse game between the abolitionists and the British legal system in the 18th and 19th centuries. The abolitionists took on many legal cases of Black people in Britain looking for the case that would force the courts to declare slavery illegal. The judges on the other hand were determined to keep their rulings as narrow as possible to avoid any far reaching political or economic consequences. Eventually the abolitionists succeeded. First the slave trade was abolished in Britain in 1807, and later slavery was abolished in Britain 1833. According to Olusoga the abolition of slavery was taken to so positively by the White British population that it came to be seen as a point of national pride.

Britain may have abolished slavery but its economic strength in the 19th century still depended on raw materials that were the product of slave labour in America, and the colonies. Many White British people may have supported abolition but their opinions on Black Britons could be described as ambiguous at best and racist at worst. These were contradictions that were not lost on olusoga. He examines many such contradictions throughout the book charting the development over time of British racism. British racism is shown to be a nebulous mixture of exoticism, fascination, hate, and fear with an insultingly paternalistic streak. There is a popular view that the arc of history is one which bends unerringly towards the positive with things consistently improving and getting better for people over the centuries. Olusoga shows the line of history is much bumpier than that, and that it is very easy to regress. For example the popular anti-slavery sentiment following abolition led to the since debunked “social darwinism” causing some to posit that abolishing slavery may have been a mistake. This regression of views and the exoticism of Black people is also reflected by the popular culture of the time, particularly with the rise in popularity of minstrel shows, and human zoos as forms of entertainment.

Olusoga also casts his gaze further afield to the complex, tangled, and deeply rooted relationship between Britain and Africa. Olusoga shows the effects that books like Mandeville’s Travelogues had painting a bizarre fictionalised version of Africa to a British populace who accepted many of the outright lies presented as fact. This view of Africa as the unknown “dark continent” only added fuel to the fire being a continent which was largely unexplored aside from the coast until the scramble for Africa in the late 19th century. The contradictory nature of British racism is again seen at work here as this ignorance gave way to the idea held by many in Britain that the people of Africa were simultaneously brutal savages who needed to be feared, and controlled, and people who did not know any better and needed the guidance of a White Britain to lead them to civilization. The book takes an extended look at the ill-fated attempts at starting Granville Town in Sierra Leone showing this in action. Granville Town was the world’s first settlement for freed slaves and was meant to be a new home for Britain’s Black poor. It was pioneered by Granville Sharpe who acted as its patron, and whom the settlement was named after. The settlement was ultimately a failure with many of those who sailed over dying due outbreaks of disease, and the inhospitable weather, and environment. Sharpe was a fervent abolitionist devoting his life to ending slavery, and trying to help Black people. Olusoga however reveals that in his private correspondence he blamed the settlers themselves for the failure of Granville Town. He fell back on many negative stereotypes of Black people as being lazy, and unintelligent believing that if they just did what he and other White men told them to do that Granville Town would flourish. The failure of Granville Town as presented by Olusoga with the attempts to force a settlement on the basis that White Britain knows best, and with its clear “white man’s burden” overtones is a perfect if unfortunate encapsulation of British racism, and Britain’s historical relationship with Africa.

Towards the end of the book, as Olusoga gets closer to the present he looks at World Wars I and II but instead of the constant meat grinder that was the western front his attention is on the attempts of Black Britons, and the British colonies to enlist, and the government, and military’s attempts to dissuade them. The British military held the view, particularly during World War I, that it was a “white man’s war” and was extremely resistant to the idea of forming Black regiments of soldiers, arming them, and sending them to kill white soldiers even when those white soldiers were the enemy. Eventually as the war stretched into years Black people were allowed to join the war effort with Olusoga paying particular attention to the formation of the British West India Regiment. In the immediate post war era though Olusoga finds there were concentrated efforts to erase the contribution of Black soldiers to Britain’s victory. One example of this erasure in action according to Olusoga was how Black soldiers were not allowed to take part in the victory parades that were held after the war was won. This conscious effort to downplay, and forget Britain’s Black soldiers is one which was resisted at the time by the soldiers themselves who would wear their army uniforms in public as a reminder that they served their country too. It has however, had long reaching consequences which are still being felt to this day. In many respects the government and military succeeded in their goals here but with this book Olusoga has shown that a whitewashed history is one which does a disservice to the people who were forgotten, and to us in the modern day as our understanding of our shared past is a flawed and incomplete one.

In conclusion this book succeeds in its goals. Writing from my own perspective as a White man, Black And British: A Forgotten History repeatedly made me stop reading to search online for further information. I went down rabbit holes about Bunce Island, John Blanke, and James Somerset to give but a few examples. This book makes it abundantly clear that Black British history is British history, and to separate them for so long has been a grave mistake. It should be taught as part of a more extensive curriculum from school onwards but beyond that we should seek out more information on Black history and history in general into adulthood. It made me realise how much of Black History in Britain I didn’t know, and how much had been kept from me. Other books I have read for review purposes made me confront my privilege as a White man living in Britain, this one made me confront my ignorance.

The Racial Minority Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Assembly Update

The Racial Minority Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Assembly facilitate opportunities for Racial Minority community and voluntary organisations to articulate the concerns and needs of and within communities. The purpose of the Assembly is to increase the voice and influence of Racial Minority communities and ensure fair treatment and equality in the delivery of services. The Assembly is hosted by The Race Equality Centre, who provide the development and administrative support.

The objectives of the Assembly are to: “Enable Racial Minority communities and organisations to have a greater voice and influence and to challenge race inequalities in policy and decision making.”This is achieved by Integrating communication mechanisms amongst organisations, and enabling equitable empowerment of Racial Minority communities and organisations.

We are currently offering Micro Grants ranging between £500-£1000 to Racial Minority voluntary sectoror ganisations experiencing difficult times during Covid-19. This financial support is limited and will be on a first come first serve basis.For more information about the Assembly, how to join,or for an application form to access the fund please contact: Fiona Francis, (Racial Minority VCS Assembly)Tel: 0116 2042790 Email: [email protected]

Black People’s Contributions To The UK: A Very Small Sample

Women

Phillis Wheatley

From West Africa.Sold as a slave to a family called the Wheatleys. Named after the family to whom she was sold and the vessel that transported her to America–‘the Phillis’.Wrote her first poem at 14 years old.First volume of poetry published in 1773.Moved to England at 20. Contributed to the anti-slavery movement. Read: Poems by Phillis Wheatley

Mary Seacole

From Jamaica.Traveled to England in 1854 with the intention of an onward journey to Balaclava, Ukraineto assist the soldiers fighting in the Crimean War (1853-1856). War Office denied her request. Made her own way and established a boarding houseto successfullylook after the wounded British soldiers using traditional medicines.She then traveled relentlessly.Returned to England and is now buried at Saint Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, London.

Fanny Eaton

From Jamaica. A model for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and their circle between 1859–1867.Public debut was in Simeon Solomon's painting ‘The Mother of Moses’, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1860.

The Mother of Moses - Simeon Solomon (1840-1905)

1860 Oil on canvas

Lilian Bader

From Liverpool.The first black woman to join the British Armed Forces where she was: Canteen Assistant, Instrument repairer, Leading aircraft woman, and a Corporal. On receiving her degree from the University of London, she became a teacher.

olive Morris

From Jamaica.A member of the Black Panther Movement.Campaigned for rights of black people in Manchester and South London.Whilst at university expanded her activism to an international stage, visiting China and publishing an article from that visit. Founding member of Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD) and,the Brixton Black Women's Group.

Margaret Busby

From Ghana. Youngest and first black female book publisher.Founded the publishing company Allison& Busby in 1967, alongside Clive Allison.A campaigner for diversity in publishing –co-founded Greater Access to Publishing (GAP).

Malorie Blackman

From London of Barbadian parents.Qualified as a computer scientist. Writer of children and young adult novels.Author of the Noughts&Crosses series.Eight Children’s Laureate–first black person in that role.Awarded an OBE in 2008.

Dr. Shirley Thompson

From London of Jamaican parents.Professor of Music at the University of Westminster.Recently named "one of the most inspirational Black British women" by the newspaper Metro.The first woman in Europe to conduct and compose a symphony within the last 40 years,composed to mark the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, -New Nation Rising.A 21st Century Symphony.Named on the Evening Standard's Power List of Britain's Top 100 Most Influential Black People in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

From Jamaica. Barbara Blake-Hannah was the first ever black person to appear in a news role on British television in 1968. She paved the way for Moira Stuart, Trevor McDonald, and others.She was an on-camera reporter and interviewer on Thames Television’s Today programme. Since returning to Jamaica she has had a career in film making and written five books, including one in 1982 about the Rastafarian religion, which is her faith.

Dr. Youmna Mouhammed

From Mayotte, a small island off the coast of Southeast Africa. Dr Mouhamad has a PhD in polymer physics and is currently a Technology Transfer Fellow at SPECIFIC in Swansea University and is working on industrial coatings.She is pushing to improve the representation of black women within STEM, the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.She is the leader of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students in Engineering Network, formed in 2019. This network aims to progress racial equality by raising awareness of the challenges that BAME students and staff experience, then suggest interventions or strategies that investigate how to overcome the challenges.

Men

Ignatius Sancho

Born on a slave ship. Ignatius Sancho was an influential figure in the arts and is the first known black British voter. He is known for his plays, poetry,and music, and had a shop in London, where other creative people like him would meet up. He spoke out against the slave trade. Read: Letters of the Late Ignatius Sancho: An African

Oluada Equiano

From Southern Nigeria. He was a slave but managed to buy his freedom and moved to London.Became very involved in the abolition movement. His book about slavery is one of the earliest accounts about what it was like to be a slave and it is one of the best-selling books on the topic. His autobiography (1789) ‘The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African’ was a seminal piece to those working to abolish slavery and its sales made him a wealthy man.

George Bridgetower

From Biala Podlaska, Poland-Lived in England for much of his life. Virtuoso Violinist Year of birth vary between 1778, 1779 or 1780.The son of an African father and a Polish mother. Said to be the older of two brothers, with his younger brother being a cellist. George was a student of composer Joseph Haydn and (once) a friend of Beethoven. Whilst friends, Beethoven dedicated a violin sonata to him, which was so hard to play many gave up.

Ira Aldridge

From New York – moved to the UK. Believed he stood a better chance of accomplishing his ambitions to become a brilliant and recognised actor.He became an important actor in plays at the theatre and was one of the highest paid actors in the world.He also became well known across Europe as a brilliant Shakespearean actor. Aldridge first toured to continental Europe in 1852, with successes in Germany, where he was presented to the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and performed for Frederick William IV of Prussia; he also performed in Budapest. An 1858 tour took him to Serbia and to Imperial Russia, where he became acquainted with Count Fyodor Tolstoy, Mikhail Shchepkin and the Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko, who did his portrait in pastel.

John Edmonstone

From British Guiana. He was born into slavery but gained his freedom. Becoming skilled in taxidermy John Edmonstone was a very important figure in the world of scientific research.He taught at Edinburgh University in the 19th century with Charles Darwin as one of his students. It is said that Darwin’s theories on how humans have developed throughout time resulted from the teaching of John Edmonstone.

Samuel Coleridge Taylor

From London. Studied at the Royal College of Music in London.He partnered with several talented musicians, worked across continents and wrote many beautiful pieces of music enjoyed all over the world and still being enjoyed today. He died at the age of 37 from pneumonia. Compositions included: The Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha Overture, Violin Concerto in G Minor. Read:The complete poems of Samuel Coleridge Taylor

Sir Learie Constantine

From Trinidad.A member of West Indian Cricket team who settled in Lancashire. Became England’s first black peer due to his political work which included relentlessly fighting for racial equality. Described as a cricketer, statesman and advocate of racial equality. Read: Colour Bar (1954) and, Learie Constantine and Race Relations in Britain and the Empire By Jeffrey Hill (Author)

From Grenada.The second peer of African descent to sit in the House of Lords, He was the longest serving Black Parliamentarian. He was described as a revolutionary politician. He was a medical practitioner in Trinidad on completion of his studies (Edinburgh University). His involvement in politics was twinned with his medical practice. He was a funding member and leader of the West Indian National Party. He returned to the UK and lived in London. As a member of the House of Lords, he played a leading role in campaigning for the Race Relations Act 1976. He was outspoken on issues such as immigration policy, and in a debate on 24 June 1976 he noted, in part: "...it is a myth, that the fewer the numbers [of black immigrants] the better the quality of race relations. That is a myth, and it is a myth that has inspired the 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act, the Immigration White Paper of August 1965 and the Immigration Acts of 1968 and 1971. It is designed to placate the racialists, but it is a fallacy; for to the racialist or the anti-semite the only acceptable number is nought....(Immigration Policy debate, Hansard, vol. 372, 24 June 1976.)

Stuart Hall

From Jamaica. One of the Windrush generation and an Oxford graduate he was responsible for pioneering theories of multiculturalism and the first cultural studies course in Britain, which was offered by the University of Birmingham. The Observer referred to him as “one of the country's leading cultural theorists". His ideas and books, which included The Hard Road to Renewal: Thatcherism and the Crisis of the Left (1988), Formations of Modernity (1992), Questions of Cultural Identity (1996), and Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (1997), inspired a whole new generation of multicultural academics and advocates.

Paul Stephenson

From Essex. Paul was Bristol’s first black social worker. As an equal rights campaigner he worked for the Commission for Racial Equality and the Press Council to ensure minorities were both working in newspapers and being covered fairly by them.He spent his life leading campaigns to change the way black people were being treated and it is said that his work played a part in Britain’s first Race Relations Act in 1965.

Life Chat - Leicester Community Radio Programme

In this show Leicester Community Radio will be talking to you and each other. They will be talking about their lives in Leicester to expose the parallels between what they have gone through and the experiences of others. It is because we are each expert in our own lives that this show was developed. They want to offer some insight into Their lives and the lives of others around us and in doing so increase mutual understanding.

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