Anti Racist Cumbria

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

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

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

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

The media circus around the racist and Islamophobic attacks and rioting last week has moved on. The news and politicians are focused on the steady flow of people being charged who are now facing prison time. Yet we, and many Black and Brown people, are still feeling rightly anxious. A handful of people may be going to prison, but many are not, and people in our communities who hold the same racist and Islamophobic views may now feel emboldened. The far right are still there, behind the scenes. In our media violence against Black and Brown people, Muslims and people seeking asylum has been normalised for decades. All it takes is one person. There is still a high risk of attacks. White privilege means that you’re able to move on from this as if it’s now over and dealt with. Going about your daily business not having to worry about someone noticing your Black skin, your hijab, your accent. Singling you out. Our free monthly Living Whilst Black sessions, run in collaboration with Mind, Body & Soul have been a great source of support as we’ve lived through this moment. We spend the first hour healing and tending the wounds with Rowan Carr our anti-racist embodiment coach. We then move on to some Conscious Witnessing where an individual may want to share something with the group. The support isn’t to respond and start a dialogue. Conscious Witnessing is simply letting the person share and the rest of us then silently holding the space for them. It’s incredibly powerful. The last half hour is a time for us to just be our Black authentic selves. No tone policing, no code switching. Pure Black Joy and Love. The sessions are run on the 10th of every month and are open to anyone who is politically Black. Political Blackness is an umbrella term used to refer to all the people who are likely to experience racial discrimination based on skin colour. Living Whilst Black can be heavy, but it’s been especially heavy in the last few weeks 🖤 Read more and sign up here: https://lnkd.in/edp9mgbu

We’ve thought about it before, but the time has come. We’re leaving X. Twitter has always been a negative space. The word count limit just doesn’t allow for nuanced or in-depth discussion about anti-racism. But since Elon Musk took over, changed the algorithm, reinstated fascists such as Tommy Robinson, and started pushing content which aligns with his own views, the platform has nose dived. Going on X feels actively harmful. Everywhere you look on the platform you are bombarded with the most extreme views. Racism, islamophobia, transphobia and misogyny are inescapable. The role of X, and Elon Musk as an individual, in inciting the racist and islamophobic terror we faced last week also has to be acknowledged. We are very wary of the narratives which are solely blaming ‘social media’ as the cause - this has been brewing for a long time and is due to the normalised racism and islamophobia in every aspect of our society - but we simply don’t want to be in that space anymore. We are joining the Racial Justice Collective in their mass exit of X on the 16th August at 6pm. We’ll be deleting our account but you can continue to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. #ExitRacismOnX #JoinMe

📢 Have you heard about our NEW online modular programme? 📢 We’ve been listening to the many requests we get from organisations (and individuals) wanting our anti-racism work. We’re really happy to let you know that you can now book places for our four-part anti-racism programme and you can even pay in instalments. We hope this helps make anti-racism more accessible for more people. Perhaps you’re a business owner trying to improve your own anti-racist practice, or you only have a small team and can’t afford a full bespoke programme, you might have new people joining your team and you want to send them on a course that other team members have already taken. Or perhaps you’re just looking to invest in deepening your own anti-racist practice as an individual. This learning is for everyone. 🌟WHAT is it?🌟 This is an expertly facilitated 4 part online modular programme. The first module lasts for 3½ hours and the remaining three modules last 3 hours each, and are spaced 3 weeks apart to give time to process in between. You will be joining the course with a group of up to 25 participants from a variety of backgrounds. 🌟What's the COST?🌟 ➡️ Businesses or organisations with over 20 employees: £450 per person ➡️ Small businesses, charities, schools or individuals: £300 per person This cost covers the full 4 sessions of the programme (that's 12.5 hrs total of expertly facilitated content!) and also includes: - Pre and post course home learning - Access to course materials and resources - Opportunity to join post-course peer to peer learning space, where you can continue your learning with other course participants Each course will have two free spaces available to support those on low or no income. Contact us if you would like to access one. You can read all about our new 4 part programme, including an overview of the modules, details of the 2024 dates and how to secure your space/s via the link: https://lnkd.in/e7AzF3Vb #antiracist #antiracism #antiracistlearning #antiracismtraining #antiracistaction

The Olympics has been a welcome retreat over the past few weeks as we've witnessed violent racism on our streets, but there was no escape even as we enjoyed the spectacle of athletes at the top of their game. Dr Pete Olusoga describes how ‘athletes racialised as white are described in terms of their cognitive abilities and qualities (intelligence, resilience), while athletes of colour are routinely described in terms of physical characteristics (strength, power, aggression)’. This is the language of quasi-science which was historically used to legitimise the trans-atlantic trade of enslaved people: one legacy of this is that many still think that race is based on biological science. We think of science as separate from the ‘isms’ we see in other parts of our society, but it is not immune to being inherently racist or to being used in a way which upholds racism and misogyny. It can be seen in the way science has been weaponised in the transphobic debate centred around Algerian Olympic boxer, Imane Khelif. After an opponent ended the fight 46 seconds in saying ‘she had to preserve her life’, Khelif was accused of being a ‘man’ who should not have been allowed to be in the women’s tournament. Speculation online incorrectly labelled Khelif as trans, or claimed that she has DSD and is intersex. This was on the basis that she failed a gender eligibility test in 2023 (not recognised by the IOC). These tests are controversial among scientists and it is debated how far they can prove athletic advantage. Yet anti-trans ‘feminists’ have pursued Khelif in the name of science and ‘fact’, with comments on her appearance echoing similar treatment of other Black women in sports, including Serena Williams. There’s no denying the interconnected nature of racism and misogyny here. Despite this, Khelif went on to win gold, and is now filing a claim against J.K Rowling and Elon Musk who fuelled the online hate. We hope she gets the justice she deserves.

We’ve had a lot of new followers over the past few weeks. Welcome!  If you’re new here, or if you need a refresh, this is for you. Anti Racist Cumbria is a charity whose aim is to make Cumbria the first actively anti-racist county in the UK. We were formed in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd and the regalvanisation of the Black Lives Matter movement, but as the last week of racist, islamophobic violence on our streets has shown, our work is still as needed as ever.  We go beyond campaigning for change and help people and organisations achieve it, because an anti-racist society is good for everyone. You can learn more about the basics of anti racism here: https://lnkd.in/d8tJ2w6 To read more about the kind of work we do, read our impact reports on our website https://lnkd.in/gXKRWBVn You can donate to our grass roots work here: https://lnkd.in/e-Ch_94C And if you want to invest in your anti-racist learning, as a business or an individual, then we still have spaces for our new facilitated online modular training. You can find out more here https://lnkd.in/e7AzF3Vb We’re glad to have you with us. The main aims of our social posts are to share information through an anti-racist lens, and to encourage critical thinking. If you have any questions or there’s something you want to ask about, drop it in the comments and we’ll see if we can pick it up in future posts. 

The scenes last night were a relief after days spent in fight or flight. Seeing enormous crowds standing in solidarity with their Black and Brown neighbours as the far right were cowed is proof that community is powerful in the face of fascist violence. We have to hold onto this glimmer of hope. But the fight against racism is bigger than this. It started long before this week, and it will carry on long after. Many have asked if we are planning anti-racism protests or counter protests: some have even demanded that we do. Protests can be an important tool in anti-racism, but protest is not going to be part of our response to the last week of racist violence for the following reasons. Those with the power to dismantle systemic racism, will now deny. Pointing to the counter protests and community spirit as evidence that the UK does not have a problem with racism. Many headlines today show a switch of narrative so fast it could give us whiplash. Racism is not just upheld by those who shout slurs or physically attack Black and Brown people. We may have quietened them briefly, but they, and those who agree with them, are still there. They are a symptom not a cause. Systemic racism, islamophobia and White Supremacy remains in the fabric of our communities, institutions and politics. This is what has emboldened and radicalised them, and it remains unchallenged. Anti-racism is a consistent process of long-term change that chips away at racism in its many forms. The impact of ARC has been over months and years and is strategic, in depth - building foundations for individuals, organisations and establishments to embed anti racism for future generations. Protests have their role and we will be sharing local protests organised by others. However, protest alone is not going to rip systemic racism out at its roots: unless it is done alongside other forms of anti-racism work that takes time, energy and resource. We hope that you join us in that work.