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Teenagers in discussion about racism with Jack Straw
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2 years ago, just after the Macpherson report came out, the Home Secretary met a group of forty teenagers, to meet head on some of the people who say there really IS an unacceptable level of racism in our society.
Not the usual group of lobbyists and race relations workers - they were black and Asian teenagers and they went to the House of Commons to tell him what they thought.
We spoke to two of them: Christopher Masih and Yuvraj Nirwal and also to the Home Secretary. They expressed anger and frustration about racism in football and in the police, and called for ethnic minorities to be given a voice in government. 2 years on we've brought the three back together again -- how do the boys feel our society has changed?
How does Yuvraj think Britain has changed?
There is still a lack of ethnic officers in the police today, many will not see this as an issue but that, to me, sums up the problem of race as a whole.
I believe racist views underpin society, but many people don't even realise they are being racist. To them the way they speak and think is just the norm. The language used in discussing the asylum issue gave many extreme right wing groups the chance to coax people into joining their agenda. My own feeling is that people must be educated to understand those who are 'different' to them irrespective of race or religion.
This type of xenophobia is making the British reluctant to join the European Union because we will lose our sovereignty. The fact that we still cling to this British concept while living in a multi cultural society saddens me. We have evolved as a country yet some cling to racist principles, maybe its time we took France's example and create a cabinet minister to improve race relations!
How does Chris think Britain has changed?
Racism has always been a key issue for me and the opportunity to interview Jack Straw was one which I definitely did not want to pass up. Having already done this two years ago did help to settle my nerves and give me an idea of what I wanted to say.
My main concerns as a young asian student are based around the police force. Having been often stopped and searched for no apparent reason, I wanted to know why this has been happening. Mr Straw's reply was of a concerned nature but I feel he still did not answer the question.
I do have other concerns regarding the amount of racist abuse I have been subjected to. Many of my friends have been involved in incidents of a racist nature, something which is fairly new to us. However, I am also worried about the number of inbred racist attacks around London e.g Muslims and Hindus. I hope one day these problem will be resolved.
Biographies
Yuvraj Nirwal: 18, studying for Maths, English and Economics 'A' levels at Richmond Tertiary College. Hoping to take Economic History at LSE or Bristol University. Wants to work in economics and/or broadcasting. Lives in Southall. Describes himself as second generation Sikh Indian.
Chris Masih. 17 in April, studying for Sociology, Politics, Media Studies and English Language and Literature 'A' Levels at Ealing Tertiary College. Wants to work in the media. Liverpool fan. Lives in Southall. Describes himself as a Christian British-born Asian.
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Sara Montague, Yuvraj Nirwal & Christopher Masih |
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Jack Straw |
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