What (White) Parents Can Do to Stop the Racist Social Cycle

It is hard not to be outraged by the death of George Floyd, the US man who was brutally murdered by a policeman. He was pinned down by his neck during arrest like a dangerous animal and despite begging to be allowed to breathe, he was ignored and subsequently choked to death in the street.
It has to stop. It is modern day lynching and it absolutely must not be tolerated. If I lived in the US, believe me, I would be on the streets being civilly powerful. However, as it is, I am here in Surrey, feeling hopeless.
As someone that researches a world in which gender, race, disability, sexuality, identity, religion, ethnicity, geographical location and class, still have an effect on a person’s levels of opportunity, I have five top tips for parents who want to break the racist social cycle:
1. Don’t talk to your kids as if white is normal and everyone else has a race. White is a race. It is so easy to get caught up in the mind set we are taught in the UK that there are white people who are the ‘normal’ people and then the BAME community who are different. Even if you are the most anti-racist, tolerant, and socially conscious person in the UK, the chances are that you still somewhere deep in your subconscious think of ‘us’ and ‘them’. I do it all the time until I check myself, because that is the racist cycle we have been taught. Unless, of course, you are BAME yourself and then you know exactly what I am talking about. The Western world is white-centric, and anyone outside of white is treated differently or at the very least the difference is acknowledged.
2. When your child has a school science project (or any project), research a bit and find BAME geniuses to add into the mix. Often, those who are on the margins of society are invisible in intellectual pursuits such as maths and science, and culturally arty farty pursuits such as ballet, literature, opera singing, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Find them and add them, make it completely normal for your kids to see BAME scientists and mathematicians and artists etc so when they are older, they can create inclusive businesses and cultural events.
3. Stop speaking about Africa and Asia as single units which are poor and incapable. Again, we almost certainly don’t mean to do this, we were taught by Live Aid that Africans are all starving and won’t get Christmas. This is a damaging view of the world. It is perfectly ok to look at famines, or pockets of absolute poverty and point out that it is awful that people are forced to live in this way, but it is not everyone in Africa or Asia. These two continents have many nations, many cultures, many religions and all have their own story to tell. We are taught the history of white men which has its roots in colonial attitudes and violence, look beyond this education and see the real world. Look at histories of nations and cultural trends of nations that are created by people from those nations. Historians from Mozambique are just as qualified as historians from England.
4. Let your kids know that it is ok to talk about race and it doesn’t make them racist. It is ok to ask questions about what race is and why people look different. It is fine to acknowledge that different cultures do things differently and to discuss this. Then explain that racism is something different. It is the negative stereotyping of entire nations and communities based upon their physical attributes for which there is never a worthy excuse.
5. Let your kids know that racism is not just a problem far away over in America, but right on our doorsteps here in the UK. Tell them honestly about the institutional racism and invite them to feel responsible for positive social change. If you are not sure about how to approach this, talk about the Stephen Lawrence case.

Thanks for reading. Our kids are our only hope of really breaking the racist cycle. It is OK to make them aware of social responsibility early. Let them be incredible.

What Labour Need To Do Now is Easy: Listen

I study a nuanced political theory called Progressive Left Realist Feminism. This essentially looks at the relationship between idealism (what we think ought to happen) and realism (what will actually happen). It advises that we are realistic in our expectations as well as resilient, reflexive and inclusive in light of our failures.

The Corbyn Project did not work for a number of reasons, but largely because it tried to bring an idealistic agenda to a nation grappling with very real political complexity. Re-nationalising the railway in principle is terrific, but so is mandatory afternoon tea for all citizens from 3-5pm. Neither of these dreams is going to stand up in a world dominated by capitalism.

Before hurtling into more panicked policies and desperate flailing ideological black holes, what Labour members and politicians need to do now is stop. Just for a minute, to think about their thinking. Take some deep breaths. Then say: ‘Our fight for social justice remains the same, but we need to listen to voters about how to do this.’

It is not the support of those affected by economic inequality or the emphasis on the NHS that put people off voting Labour. Nor was it the desire to fund schools to make our children brilliant. We did not alienate a nation by speaking out about domestic violence nor about sustainable living. So what was it?

Ask.

Carry out vast social research projects, hold events where people can talk freely, invite people from across the nation to focus groups and relearn how to listen. Be present. Show us that really the loss of seats does not make the party any less passionate about equality.

It is my experience as a social researcher and feminist that presumption of a person’s needs and desires is a aggressive act. It removes their voices. Give people their voices back and adapt your policies to include them. Even if you don’t agree on certain points. Because the left is for everybody. It is a platform to bring ideas and negotiate solutions by hearing one another. And after all, what is more empowering to the electorate than being heard?

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