Blacks and Other Ethnic Minorities in the UK - Essay Example

Why Black and Minority Ethnics seem not to accept mainstream opportunities like The Princes Trust 12 week development Programme: Blacks and other ethnic minorities in the UK have historically faced discrimination and prejudice. While in recent decades their situation has improved to an extent, they continue to lag behind native Anglo-Saxon Brits in terms of access to quality education, healthcare and job opportunities. The New Labour government in power today has made efforts to rectify this social disparity by introducing educational and cultural programs that would help integrate minority communities into the British mainstream. One such measure targeted at high school and college students in the UK is the Princes Trust 12 week programme which “features confidence building, team events, challenges, outdoor activities and fundraising events” (The Birmingham Post, 2006). The program intends to give students from minority communities a chance to gain practical skills that would make a real difference to their community. But in spite of this promise, the statistics pertaining to student enrolment into this programme paints a disappointing picture. The rest of this essay will delve deeper into the underlying causes for this situation. Firstly, despite several flaws inherent in the 12-Week personal development programme, it has had its share of success as well. For instance, a team of young students participating in a Princes Trust 12-week programme run at Bournville College “chose to revamp the neglected memorial garden at Witton Cemetery. The memorial garden was created after the Second World War as a tribute to civilians who had lost their lives and was in desperate need of a facelift. Countless visitors have come to pay their respects since the gardens restitution, with its upkeep actively undertaken by many local residents.” (The Birmingham Post, 2006) Talking on the occasion of the team’s success, Steve Perkins of the Prince’s Trust noted that “this team is a great example of how a diverse group of people can learn to look at things in an entirely new way. The enthusiasm and commitment they put into this project after initially showing signs of apathy, has been exceptional." (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 2008) The story of one particular team member, Danny McErlean, who comes from an ethnic minority background, is quite exceptional. Having left school in his early teens and later running away from his home, Danny found refuge in youth hostels for a while. Throughout these years he was also involved in petty offences and drug abuse. It was in this troubled condition that the 12-Week programme offer came his way. After his enrolment, Danny and his team “undertook a two-week community project for the National Trust, clearing trees and creating pathways to allow access to a bird hide that the team renovated. Danny excelled at this, securing a work experience placement with the organisation in Birmingham that led to a volunteer-placement with them. During this time Danny worked towards various qualifications that enabled him to become a tour guide. He also continued volunteering for The Princes Trust, working as an assistant team leader, to help other young people on the Team programme.” (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 2008) But it would be simplistic to hail the programme as an unqualified success based on testimonies such as above. In other words, despite the odd success, the process of racial integration and the march toward true multiculturalism in Britain has not taken off yet. The United Kingdom’s projection as a multicultural society has come under greater questioning in the last few decades. The British media – both print and electronic mediums - has also been criticized for its reluctance to discuss openly issues of race and ethnicity in its programmes. The advent of new mediums of communication too has not made a significant contribution toward racial conciliation in Britain. The tendency of the native British to maintain their unique cultural identity has had pervasive effects. In the political front, Britain is still holding on to Pound Sterling even as the rest of Europe is integrating economically and thereby becoming stronger. In the social realm, “the issue of racism has become a latent one, lurking behind media discussions and TV programmes such as the recent five-part "BBC White Season" which focused on what the BBC termed ‘the disappearing White Britain’, and the medias examination of the 40th anniversary of the infamous speech by the controversial Tory politician, Enoch Powell, who spoke about ‘rivers of blood’ if immigration into the UK was not halted” (Biney, 2008). Such events and political posturing suggest a deep-rooted intolerance for minority communities and a lack of concern for their well-being. Given all this negative baggage, it is understandable why many students from minority ethnics view the Prince’s Trust’s 12-Week program with suspicion and disinterest. With all its claims to be a humanitarian, charitable organization, the Prince’s Trust is largely run by Whites from mainstream society. And there are reasons for blacks and other minority ethnics to view their offers for emancipation with scepticism. Added to the entrenched prejudices against skin colour, the issues of minority religious beliefs have been part of media discourse in recent years. For example, some critics have asserted that the BBC is systematically biased in favour of Christianity and against Islam. This assessment was prompted by the public broadcaster’s dress code policy for newsreaders. According to Mark Thompson, the former Director General of the BBC, “the BBC does not object to newsreaders wearing small religious symbols, whether crosses, crescents or Stars of David. But we do not believe it would be appropriate for a newsreader to wear a veil over the face, not because we favour one religion over another but because we believe it would distract from the presentation of the news” (Thompson, 2006). To be fair to the BBC, the criticisms of ethno-religious bias in this case does seem far-fetched. But instances such as these have not encouraged minority ethnics to trust white, mainstream British institutions such as the Prince’s Trust. Finally, cultural imports from the United States, mainly through the infusion of television programs and music have not helped the disgruntlement of minorities in Britain. One of the talking points in this respect is the music genre Hip-Hop, which portrays blacks in negative stereotypes. This essentially boils down to the manipulation and exploitation of the historically disadvantaged black community by making a select few of them believe that they are ultra-masculine, rich and powerful. But the reality is quite the opposite. Beyond those visuals of glorification, superiority and success projected by the hip hop genre, the artists are subverting their own progress. For example, by glorifying violence and prison terms for blacks, the hip hop artists are undermining the efforts taken by social activists to address the disproportionate rates of incarceration and conviction against blacks. Hence, the hip hop genre does disservice to the blacks across the world through its narrow stereotypical portrayal of black men and women. If left unchecked, it will prove to be a resistance to further emancipation of blacks and other minorities in the UK and beyond. Simultaneously, it will continue to undermine social integration of minority communities within Britain, by alienating minority students from 16-25 age group (Alia & Bull, 2005). References: Alia, V., & Bull, S. (2005)., Media and Ethnic Minorities. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Thompson, Mark, Bias, the BBC.And Why I Will Not Allow Newsreaders in Veils. (2006, October 29). The Mail on Sunday (London, England), p. 42. Biney, A. (2008, June)., Britain Skin Colour Still Matters: Racism in Britain Is Now Disguised in Language Such as Diversity, Immigration and Citizenship, and Is Thus Far More Sophisticated, Subtle and Slippery in Identifying. but as Ama Biney Finds out, the Colour of Ones Skin Still Very Much Matters in Britain Today. New African 86+. Holliday, A., Hyde, M., & Kullman, J. (2004)., Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book. New York: Routledge. How the Princes Trust Helped Rose. (2008, December 11). Coventry Evening Telegraph (England), p. 34. Prince Is an Inspiration to Citys Young; the Heir to the Throne Is Proving to Have a Formidable Talent in Galvanising People Together to Create Something Special for Their Community, as Neil Connor Reports. (2006, September 13). The Birmingham Post (England), p. 5. Thrive: Princes Trust Achievers Celebrate Their Success. (2007, November 13). The Birmingham Post (England), p. 26. Read More