Newsroom University of Ұ��

Ұ�� sociologist wins award for her distinguished service

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:39:38 +0000

The University of Ұ��'s has been announced as this year’s winner of the Distinguished Service to British Sociology Award.

The is judged on service to British sociology and awarded to the outstanding individual who has contributed most to the discipline by leading an extraordinary life as a sociologist.

Claire is the Head of the School of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology and has researched and published on race, ethnicity, youth and migration in the UK for over thirty years. She is a member of the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE).

Between 2011 and 2018, Claire was Editor of Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power and she is on the editorial boards of Ethnic and Racial Studies and Whiteness and Education.

She is also a Trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Active Communities Network and was formerly Vice-Chair of the Stuart Hall Foundation and the Runnymede Trust.

Report finds that 10% of people from ethnic minorities in Scotland have suffered recent racist physical attack

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

The finds that one in four people from an ethnic minority experience unfair racist treatment in their job or education, and one in ten experienced recent unfair treatment in housing or from the police.

Ten percent of ethnic minorities in Scotland have suffered recent racist physical attack. Black and Chinese ethnic groups in Scotland have particularly high levels of reporting racist insult and unfair racist treatment from police.

More than one third of people from ethnic minorities in Scotland worried about racist harassment. The majority of people identifying as Black, Pakistani, Indian and Jewish in Scotland worried about racist harassment. Levels of worry about racism were higher in Scotland than in England and Wales for many ethnic groups.

The report is produced by CoDE working in collaboration with BEMIS, the national umbrella body supporting the development of the Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector in Scotland.

The report is based on data from Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS), the largest and most comprehensive survey to document the lives of ethnic and religious minorities in Britain during the pandemic.

The collaboration is part of , an initiative which works with research and voluntary sector partners to explore how the EVENS dataset can be used in racial justice work beyond academia.

Read the report: y.

The report is authored by Nissa Finney (University of St Andrews), Nigel de Noronha (University of Ұ��) and BEMIS. We acknowledge funding from the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council via the CoDE grants ‘Exploring racial and ethnic inequality in a time of crisis’ (ES/V013475/1), ‘The social, cultural and economic impacts of the pandemic on ethnic and racialised groups in the UK’ (ES/W000849/1) and Legacy Grant funding (ESW012340/1).

Rap music is being used as evidence to convict children of serious crimes

Wed, 01 May 2024 09:00:00 +0100

from The University of Ұ�� has found that children are being swept up in murder and attempted murder cases - and being tried in adult courts – partly due to rap music culture being used as evidence against them.

Rap lyrics and videos are regularly used as prosecution evidence in youth violence criminal cases in England and Wales. The material selected by the state typically has violent themes, often from the popular ‘drill’ rap music genre, and is composed by one or more of the defendants or by one of their friends. This use is deeply controversial because of concerns that rap is an unreliable form of evidence, and that its use is unfairly prejudicial.

Despite mounting criticism, there is very little regulation or monitoring of how rap is being used as criminal evidence, and it continues to be used to build ‘gang-related’ prosecutions under highly contentious Secondary Liability laws. In turn, ‘gang’ labels - which have even been discredited as imprecise and racist by some law enforcers - are ‘evidenced’ by rap music, often to build large ‘Joint Enterprise’ trials in which more than one person is prosecuted for a single crime.

Eithne Quinn, Erica Kane and Will Pritchard say that their research has uncovered very concerning processes of ‘compounding injustice’ which risk innocent people being convicted of the most serious crimes.

In exploratory research, the researchers found 68 cases involving 252 defendants between 2020-2023 in which rap music was used as evidence for serious charges of violence - including murders. The overwhelming majority of the defendants were Black or mixed race.

Joint Enterprise cases involving rap music evidence have a notably higher average number of defendants per case than those without a rap music soundtrack, which they say supports the suggestion that rap is encouraging overcharging and mischarging by prosecutors.

Those charged in cases involving rap evidence - including those charged with murder under secondary liability laws, which carries a life sentence - tend to be young and Black, suggesting that these groups are being targeted disproportionately. This lends weight to those who see the rising use of rap in cases as systematically racist, and who are raising the alarm about the overcriminalisation of young people - including children.

“Our findings are deeply troubling, and support the view that the marshalling of rap evidence in criminal cases encourages police and prosecutors to further increase the number of people charged as secondaries under already-egregious secondary liability laws,” said Eithne Quinn, Professor of Cultural and Socio-Legal Studies, The University of Ұ��.

“Once again, three of the best researchers on the subject are doing what the state refuses to do,” said Liz Fekete, Director of the Institute of Race Relations. “They have scrutinised the data on rap prosecutions, exposed the racism that lies within the law - particularly the joint enterprise doctrine - and suggested targeted reforms to end the wide-ranging criminalisation of Black expressive culture.”

“Rap music is one of the most popular genres of music in the UK – it’s time to end the marginalisation and punishment of its creators through its use as prosecution evidence. JUSTICE welcomes this important and timely report and its recommendations, which will undoubtedly help tackle the corrosive practice of portraying a genre of music as innately illegal and dangerous”, said Tyrone Steele, Deputy Legal Director, JUSTICE.

The report can be read in full at

Experts outline how to reduce COVID-19 health inequalities for ethnic minority groups

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:11:04 +0000

An international collaborative led by The University of Ұ�� and the University of Leicester has published a new paper which outlines how to reduce COVID-19 health inequity among ethnic minority groups.

The paper, commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and published in , builds on research already completed by both institutions during the pandemic which demonstrated that ethnic minority groups were disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

The paper brings together all of the available evidence, along with international experts in the field, to summarise why people from ethnic minority groups were more likely to be infected and die during the pandemic.

Researchers highlighted that ethnic minority groups were more likely to be exposed to those who were infectious with COVID-19 because a high proportion were employed in key worker roles, making it more likely that they would themselves become infected. They also showed that certain ethnic minority groups were more likely to die once infected due to barriers in receiving adequate healthcare, such as delayed diagnosis and treatment due to job insecurity and financial issues, and in some cases language barriers.

In addition, the research showed they were more likely to suffer from social and economic consequences – for example the inability to isolate once infected and in some cases the lack of adequate healthcare to meet their needs.

The authors state that ethnic minority groups were disadvantaged from the start due to longstanding health inequities caused by systemic racism and racial discrimination. Furthermore, the reasons for ethnic inequities in COVID-19 infection, severe disease and death are interconnected.

The paper aims to provide a blueprint for policymakers and researchers to address these inequities so that they can be better prepared for future pandemics.

It states that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to intervention does not work and that cultural, social and language barriers must be overcome along with other socio-economic issues.

“This framework is the first of its kind to specifically address inequities during a pandemic,” said Dr Daniel Pan from the University of Leicester, the paper’s co-lead author who is a specialist registrar in Infectious Diseases and General Internal Medicine and a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Doctoral Research Fellow. “The recommendations aim to ensure ethnic inequalities in treatment do not occur in future.

“The COVID-19 pandemic won’t be the last and steps need to be taken now to reduce the inevitable consequences of the next pandemic on ethnic minority groups. We know that innovative approaches are required but if we plan for these, they can be overcome.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and amplified health inequalities for ethnic minority groups,” said Professor of Clinical Infectious Diseases Manish Pareek from the University of Leicester, the paper’s senior author.

“It is important that we learn lessons from the pandemic and this work, in collaboration with international experts and the WHO, provides guidance on how to reduce the disproportionate impact on ethnic minority groups for future pandemics.”

New book explores changing Muslim masculinities

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 11:44:10 +0000

new book, is out now, published by Bloomsbury.

In her groundbreaking ethnography The Asian Gang, published in 2000, Claire Alexander explored the creation of Asian Muslim masculinities in South London.

Set against the backdrop of the moral panic over 'Asian gangs' in the mid-1990s, based on 5 years of ethnographic fieldwork, the book explored the idea of 'the gang', friendships, and the role of 'brothers' in the formation, performance and negotiation of ethnic, religious and gendered identities.

The Asian Gang Revisited picks up the story of 'the Asian gang' over the subsequent two decades, examining the changing identities of the original participants as they transition into adulthood in the context of increased public and political concerns over Muslim masculinities, spanning the War on Terror, 'grooming gangs' and increased Islamophobia.

Building on her ongoing relationships with the men over 25 years, the book explores education, employment, friendship, marriage and fatherhood, and religious identity, and examines both the changes and the continuities that have shaped this group. It traces the lives of its participants from their teenage years through to their early-mid 40s.

A unique longitudinal study of this small, diverse but still close cohort of men, the book offers an intimate, rich and textured account of what it means to be a Muslim man in contemporary Britain.

Just one third of students think that university security staff keep students safe on campus

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 18:55:00 +0000

reveals that despite security staff being a common sight on university campuses, only one third (30.8%) of students surveyed agreed that they keep students safe on campus. The report follows a series of high-profile and controversial incidents involving campus security services and police and students at UK universities.

Students raised concerns about racial profiling and discrimination from campus security staff. Nearly three-quarters of students surveyed agreed that some people would be more likely the have encounters or issues with security staff than others, with 78.6% saying that race was a key factor, followed by gender (61.7%) and social class (54.8%).

Only 22.6% of students who identify as trans, non-binary or an ‘other’ gender identity said that security services keep students safe and the report found cases of transphobic and misogynistic behaviour from security staff towards students.

Students reported instances of sexual violence, assault or drink spiking being dismissed or not believed by security staff. Sexual violence and drink spiking were important issues for students, and many felt that security staff did not treat them seriously enough. The report also highlighted some cases were security staff accused students of lying about being spiked, or blamed them for leaving drinks unattended.

In many universities, security staff are also the designated first responders to mental health incidents. Though there were cases where security staff were sensitive and supportive to students in crisis, there were many more where the response from individual security staff was inadequate or insensitive, sometimes even making the problem worse.

Security staff have wide-ranging and often conflicting responsibilities, and the report raises serious questions about whether they are best positioned to fulfil this role. One student remembered being intimidated and scared during a mental health crisis when she was escorted back to her student accommodation by security staff in ‘police-type uniform’. Others noted that security staff arrived quickly but clearly had little or no training in dealing with mental health emergencies.

Commenting on the report, Nehaal Bajwa, NUS Vice President for Liberation and Equality said:

Dr Shabna Begum, Interim co-CEO Runnymede Trust, said:

Ruth Ehrlich, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Liberty, said:

Lead author of the report, University of Ұ��, said:

Second author, Dr Laura Connelly, University of Sheffield, said:

Co-author, Dr Siobhan O’Neill, University of Kent, said:

follows a series of high-profile and controversial incidents involving campus security services and police and students at UK universities. It is the first piece of research to investigate students’ views on, and experiences with, security services and police on UK university campuses.

Authored by Dr Remi Joseph-Salisbury, Dr Laura Connelly, Dr Kerry Pimblott, Dr Siobhan O’Neill and Dr Harry Taylor, the report shows that students have a range of concerns about campus security services, as well as the police on campus.

New podcast on race and ethnicity in Britain

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 11:48:00 +0000

Race & Ethnicity in Britain is a new podcast mini-series produced in collaboration between the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and Surviving Society.

In the first episode, host Chantelle Lewis discusses the challenges of communicating research on racism and ethnic inequalities with CoDE directors Bridget Byrne, Claire Alexander and James Nazroo.

Future episodes will be released weekly. Each episode takes a close look at some of the research produced at CoDE, from issues ranging from the debates around statues of slave traders, ethnic inequalities in the cultural industries, racism in Britain today and the differing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Details of each new episode will be shared the CoDE social media channels. Follow us on , , and for updates. Or subscribe to the podcast on , or .

The is the most popular sociology podcast in the UK. It is produced by Chantelle Lewis and George Ofori-Addo.

Discrimination is the biggest career obstacle for women of colour in the NHS

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 13:26:13 +0100

In March 2023, NHS midwife won an employment tribunal case against the hospital in Kent where, as an employee, she had faced race discrimination and victimisation.

That same month, , a healthcare manager and senior nurse, won a case against NHS England and NHS Improvement Commissioning in Ұ��. She too had faced racial discrimination.

These cases follow the legal action launched in August 2022 by marketing executive against the NHS Blood and Transplant service. She provided recordings of conversations between staff members that backed up her claims that she had been subjected to racism.

According to , black and minority ethnic women are the most likely of all NHS staff groups to experience discrimination from patients or colleagues. The harms they experience due to in the workplace are compounded by their ethnicity.

My doctoral research looks at the obstacles black and minority ethnic women face in the NHS in terms of career development. In the chapter I recently contributed to the (edited by Naomi Chambers), I show how systemic discrimination is the single biggest impediment to these women being able to advance in their jobs.

The barriers to career progression

There is a notable lack of research on the workplace experiences of black and minority ethnic women leaders in healthcare. In 2021 I carried out a literature review to address this.

I identified eight barriers or drivers (often two sides of the same coin) to career progression for this group. These are: systemic discrimination; leadership and organisational cultures; recruitment and talent management; policies; training; monitoring and accountability; work-life balance; and support.

Systemic discrimination, the most pervasive impediment, refers to discrimination embedded in institutional policies, practices or processes, as opposed to the actions of individual people.

Research has long shown systemic discrimination at work in the NHS. In 2016, minority ethnic NHS staff were to enter formal disciplinary processes than white staff. More recently, a 2022 report by the Fawcett Society and the Runnymede Trust charities that women of colour are more likely (27%) to have been described as aggressive compared to white women (17%).

A , published in April 2023 looked at a large sample (37,971) of people applying for specialist NHS training posts (medical and surgical) between 2021 and 2022. It found that applicants from most of the ethnic minority groups were less successful than their white British counterparts. It pointed to recruitment policies and processes as key factors driving this inequality.

In addition to the racism and sexism often experienced by ethnic minority women more broadly, black women, in particular, also have to contend with anti-blackness.

In 2010, the black feminist scholar Moya Bailey and the writer who goes by the name Trudy coined the term “” – anti-black misogyny – to describe this compounded discrimination. It amounts, as the US legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in a landmark paper in 1989, to a form of erasure – being fundamentally overlooked by society.

shows that little has changed. Black women are subject to a wider range of microaggressions in the workplace. They are often the only black woman in any given setting. And they are three times more likely than their peers to think regularly about leaving their jobs.

Barriers and drivers of career progression for black and minority ethnic women leaders in UK healthcare. Rakhi Chand,

How discrimination is compounded

In the UK, this compounded discrimination is further exacerbated by, among other things, being a migrant or having a non-standard British accent. can lead to employees receiving poorer pay, having limited access to professional networks, or fewer chances of promotion. Here too, it can see people more likely to leave their jobs.

This often has a negative impact on an employee’s and too. The long-term physical problems it can lead to include increased blood pressure and heart rates, higher levels of the primary stress hormone cortisol, and unhealthy behaviours such as drinking alcohol or smoking.

Line managers are uniquely placed to influence an employee’s emotional attachment to an organisation. Research shows that their support – including for training and advancement opportunities – can be pivotal in decisions to leave or, conversely to stay in a role or even the organisation.

However, research has long noted the lack of diversity in healthcare leadership. A on equality in the NHS workforce found that black and minority ethnic executives were “entirely” absent, and women “disproportionately” absent, from the boards of all key NHS national bodies in 2013.

To remedy this situation, academics and practitioners alike have repeatedly called for better reporting on gender data, broken down by ethnicity, within healthcare management.

Yet, until the publication of the Workforce Race Equality Standard report in 2022, this appears to not have happened within the NHS. Not having access to such data is a problem. has long shown that when a healthcare workforce does not reflect the population it serves, patients’ health outcomes worsen as a result.

The fact that black and minority ethnic women are under-represented at leadership levels is, of course, to the healthcare sphere. It is also .

Anyone wanting to improve diversity and inclusion within their workforce must engage with the obstacles that black and ethnic minority women face. Addressing inequality benefits everyone.

, Doctoral Researcher

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Data reveals worrying rates of financial hardship for people from ethnic minority backgrounds

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:09:13 +0100

New data from the at The University of Ұ�� has revealed disturbing ethnic inequalities in rates of financial hardship in the UK.

In the three months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 40% of people surveyed from the Arab, Any Other background, and Mixed White and Black African background all reported that they had financial difficulties. This compares with 23% of people from the White British group.

The COVID-19 pandemic made managing household finances harder for people from almost all ethnic groups, including White British people. But people from some ethnic groups recorded a particularly sharp rise in rates of financial difficulty, including people from the Chinese, Any other Black background, Black Caribbean, Roma and Gypsy/Traveller groups.

During this period, over 45% of people from the Arab, Any Other Black background, Any Other Mixed background, Any Other background, and Roma groups reported being in financial difficulty.

Michaela Šť��ٲ�á, from The University of St Andrews, said “Importantly, our data uncovers inequalities experienced by people from certain ethnic groups who are missing from, or invisible in, the Census or other national surveys, especially some of the smaller ethnic groups such as Roma, Gypsy/Traveller, Arab and ‘Other’ ethnic groups. People from Roma and Gypsy/Traveller backgrounds are one of the groups often missing from survey data. Yet this new dataset shows that they face the highest levels of socioeconomic deprivation: they much more likely to have no educational qualifications, less likely to have better paid jobs and have some of the highest rates of financial hardship.”

Professor Nissa Finney, from the University of St Andrews, said “We are excited to be able to share our unique dataset. It is a one-of-a-kind survey which goes into more detail and more depth on the experiences of people from ethnic minority groups in Britain than any other survey. We encourage all researchers and policymakers to access it and use it to reduce ethnic inequalities.”

The new dataset is from , the largest survey of ethnic and religious inequalities in Britain during the pandemic. EVENS documents patterns of ethnic inequality in health, housing, employment, income and education and the is freely available from UK Data Service.

Gemma Hakins, Acting Director of Data Access, UK Data Service, said “We are delighted to provide free research access to CODE’s EVENS Survey through the UK Data Service. These new data are a first in providing detailed evidence on how ethnicity shapes the lives of people across the UK. We welcome the insights they give researchers and policy developers to help enable greater ethnic equality in the future.”

Experts call for teacher training changes to create more inclusive curriculum

Thu, 25 May 2023 12:09:12 +0100

A new briefing from The University of Ұ��’s Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and the Runnymede Trust has highlighted the need to use teacher training and Initial Teaching Education (ITE) to develop a more diverse and inclusive curriculum and methods of teaching.

Recent years have seen increasing calls to make schools across the UK more inclusive for students from minority ethnic backgrounds. Disproportionate school exclusions, low levels of Black and minority ethnic teachers, particularly at senior levels, and tensions regarding policing in schools are all at the forefront of these discussions.

Calls to expand the curriculum - particularly the History curriculum - have been core to national debate for decades, particularly since 2020, with teachers and students expressing dissatisfaction with what is currently being taught in British classrooms. While this debate has mainly focused on the ‘what’ of the history curriculum, there has been less discussion of the ‘how’, particularly how a more inclusive curriculum can be delivered in the classroom, and by whom.

While barriers for teachers in delivering more inclusive history curricula have long been recognised, there has been little focus on the crucial role of teacher educators and teacher training in this trajectory toward a more inclusive education system which works for all.

shows how Initial Teacher Education (ITE) provision is increasingly fragmented and marketised, and that there are a number of constraints in the teacher education space, including lack of time, ‘tick-box’ approaches to diversity work, gaps in trainers’ subject knowledge, and lack of Black and minority ethnic representation among teacher educators/trainee teachers.

In schools, significant constraints were identified including limited time for innovation, lack of training and guidance in teaching ‘difficult’ or ‘sensitive’ subjects, and the need for accredited, high-quality continuous professional development for all teachers.

The briefing makes a number of recommendations, including that:

● The Department for Education should establish formal structures of training and accreditation for ITE professionals and school-based mentors, including requirements for mandatory subject knowledge development and training on anti-racism, inclusion and diversity in pedagogy and curriculum development.
● The Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2011a) should be updated to require training in, and demonstrated commitment to, anti-racism, inclusion and diversity in schools and curriculum.
● ITE providers should include mandatory training on anti-racism, inclusion and diversity in pedagogy and curriculum development for all trainee history teachers.
● ITE providers should expand opportunities for collaboration with history subject experts and improve access to (recent) scholarship, to support subject knowledge development around British histories of migration, empire and race for trainee teachers and school-based mentors.
● ITE providers should strengthen partnerships with schools and school-based mentors to enable collective consideration of curriculum issues and trainee recruitment. Alongside this, schools should improve resources (time and financial) for school-based mentors to engage with ongoing CPD and collaborative professional networks.
● Department for Education, ITE providers and school SLTs should refer to and draw on recent recommendations made by the Welsh government for improved workforce training and continuous professional development in support of the delivery of ‘diverse’ histories in Welsh schools.

Lesley Nelson-Addy, Education Manager at the Runnymede Trust, said: "History has typically been the discipline that leads the way on educational related change with regards to race and ethnicity, and so we look forward to seeing how the Government and other core stakeholders engage with and respond to the recommendations we have outlined. This is a vital briefing which highlights the, often forgotten, need to engage with the role teacher education plays in embedding an anti-racist approach to teaching history. This research makes clear that teacher educators are asking for support in this process, and so we hope this marks a point at which we can further engage with, and act on, questions around teacher training policy and practice."

Helen Snelson, Curriculum Area Leader PGCE History at the University of York, said: "As this research has discovered, history teacher educators are working to develop more inclusive curricula, teaching practices and pedagogies. This nuanced, evidence-based report is a very welcome focus on these efforts and the issues that are hindering more, and more rapid, progress. It will be incredibly useful to inform discussions at all levels as to how we can work together to develop more systemic, effective, informed and creative approaches to ensure a more diverse profession, curriculum and practice. Inaction is not an option in the context of a teacher recruitment crisis and the daily realities of teaching history in schools."

Professor Gary Younge shortlisted for Orwell Prize for Journalism 2023

Fri, 19 May 2023 15:41:14 +0100

, award-winning author, broadcaster and Professor of Sociology, Gary Younge, has been shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Journalism 2023. Formerly a columnist at The Guardian he is an editorial board member of the Nation magazine and the Alfred Knobler Fellow for Type Media.

The Orwell Prizes are awarded every year to the writing and reporting which best meets the spirit of George Orwell's own ambition 'to make political writing into an art'.

The three pieces shortlisted are:

Gary joined The University of Ұ�� in 2020 from The Guardian, where he was appointed US correspondent in 2003, before becoming their editor-at-large in 2015. Gary’s latest book is a collection of his journalism, .

Are ethnic and religious minority voters key to election success?

Thu, 04 May 2023 12:00:50 +0100

New research led by experts from The University of Ұ��, the University of St Andrews, the University of Essex and the University of Nottingham suggests that people from ethnic and religious minority groups are more likely to be interested in politics than White British people.

The (EVENS) is a major new survey of racism and ethnic inequalities carried out by the (CoDE). It polled 14,200 participants between February and October 2021 and asked people to rate how interested they were in politics.

The results could prove pivotal in the forthcoming elections, particularly in light of how the leading political parties are positioning themselves on matters of interest to these groups.

Whilst 60% of White British, White Eastern European and Gypsy/Traveller groups said they were ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ interested in politics, the level of political interest amongst some ethnic and religious minority groups was much higher. For example, the level of political interest was closer to 80% amongst Black African (78%), Mixed White and Black African (78%), Any other mixed background (77%), Indian (77%), Jewish (81%), and White Irish (83%) groups. Just one in three Roma people (31%) said they were interested in politics.

“The relatively high political interest amongst most ethnic minority groups clearly shows that political parties need to seriously engage with the ethnic minority electorate, and their particular needs and concerns” said Dr Magda Borkowska, University of Essex and part of the EVENS research team. “As demographic change means that the population of ethnic minorities will grow, the ethnic minority vote will increasingly matter for election results.”

“Despite many people from ethnic and religious minorities reporting high levels of interest in politics, we also know that society is not addressing the basic equality needs for many people from minority groups,” said Professor James Nazroo, The University of Ұ�� and part of the EVENS research team. “Our research also found many minority groups were experiencing widespread racism, and unacceptable inequalities in health, housing and employment. Now we have this data, we encourage politicians to use it as a tool for reducing inequality.”

The survey also asked if people had a preference for a particular political party. Around three quarters (73%) of White British people said they preferred a particular political party, alongside 79% of Bangladeshi and Pakistani people, and 80% of Jewish people. Rates were lower for some groups, with 62% of people identifying as Mixed White and Asian, and 63% of people identifying as White Eastern European indicating a party they would vote for. One in three (33%) Roma people indicated a party preference.

The highest support for Labour was from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Black Caribbean people, at over 60% of each group. Half of Jewish respondents said they would vote Conservative, but just 14% of Black Caribbean respondents said the same. The Liberal Democrats got the highest level of support from White Eastern European, Chinese, and White Other groups (between 20-30% of respondents from each group). In comparison, among the White British respondents, 35% supported Labour, 35% Conservative, 10% Liberal Democrat and 20% other parties.

“EVENS is the first nationally representative study since 2010 that allows for detailed analysis of political interest and preference in ethnic and religious minority groups,” said Professor Nissa Finney, University of St Andrews and part of the EVENS research team. “The innovative, robust survey techniques used mean we have a larger, more detailed dataset on people from ethnic and religious minority groups living in Britain than ever before.”

EVENS, funded by the , is the most comprehensive survey of ethnic and religious inequalities in Britain for over 25 years. It is produced in partnership with 13 voluntary, community and social enterprise groups.

Results from EVENS are available in a new open access book , which is available in print, e-book and as a free PDF. The book will be in Ұ�� on Friday 12 May and the full dataset will be available in June 2023.

Over a third of people from minority groups have experienced racist assaults, survey finds

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 11:00:46 +0100

More than a third of people from ethnic and religious minority groups in Britain have experienced some form of racist assault, according to new research led by experts from The University of Ұ��, the University of St Andrews and King’s College London.

The is a major new survey of racism and ethnic inequalities carried out by the , which reveals the extent of racism and racial discrimination experienced by people from ethnic and religious minority groups.

The racism reported by the survey’s respondents took different forms - physical, verbal or damage to property - and happened in all areas of life including education, work and when looking for housing.

Overall, almost one in six respondents had experienced a racially motivated physical assault, but over a third of people identifying as Gypsy/Traveller, Roma or Other Black reported that they had been physically assaulted because of their ethnicity, race, colour, or religion.

Over a quarter had been verbally abused or insulted because of their ethnicity, race, colour, or religion, and 17% reported experiencing damage to their personal property. Nearly a third reported racial discrimination in education and employment, and nearly a fifth reported racial discrimination when looking for housing.

Racial discrimination in education was reported by around half of those who identified as Roma, Any other Black, Black Caribbean and Mixed White and Caribbean, with 44% of Gypsy/Traveller respondents saying the same. Some ethnic groups also reported high rates of discrimination from the police, including over a third of people from the Black Caribbean, Any Other Black, Roma and Gypsy/Traveller groups.

People from ethnic minority groups are subjected to racial discrimination from their neighbours and while going about their everyday lives. Between 40-50% of people from Black Caribbean, Any other Black, and White and Black Caribbean groups reported facing racist abuse while out shopping, in parks, cafes or restaurants or on public transport. Almost one in six people also experienced racial discrimination from their neighbours, but this rose to one in two Other Black people and one in three Gypsy/Traveller people.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese, Other Asian and Eastern European people reported an increase in experiences of racial discrimination relative to other ethnic minority groups, and some ethnic groups reported increased policing during the first year of the pandemic - one in three Gypsy/Traveller people, and one in five Roma and Chinese people had been stopped by the police in this period.

“The EVENS survey allows us to obtain a deeper understanding of the insidiousness and persistence of racial discrimination in the UK,” said Professor Laia Bécares, Professor of Social Science and Health at King’s College London. “We clearly document that there is a high level of racism in the UK which permeates all aspects of people’s everyday lives and impacts their health, wellbeing, and socioeconomic circumstances.”

“The innovative, robust survey techniques we used mean we have a larger dataset and detailed data on more ethnic and religious minority groups across a wider range of topics than ever before,” said Professor Nissa Finney, Professor of Human Geography at the University of St Andrews. “This makes our data a powerful tool for understanding, and reducing, ethnic and religious inequalities.”

“It can be easy to look back on the violent, explicit racism of earlier decades and think that racial discrimination is not a major problem in Britain today, but our data proves this idea wrong,” said Professor James Nazroo, Professor of Sociology at The University of Ұ��. “Now we have this evidence, it is simply not acceptable to pretend racism does not exist and to carry on as before - EVENS is a wake-up call to make society fairer for everybody.”

EVENS is the most comprehensive survey of ethnic and religious inequalities for over 25 years, and was supported by the Economics and Social Research Council (ES/V013475/1 and ES/ W000849/1). It was produced in partnership with 13 voluntary, community and social enterprise groups.

Results from EVENS are available in a new book available in print, e-book and free pdf. The full will be made available in May.

Leading Labour MP welcomes report into racial bias in justice system

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 11:44:20 +0000

Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP has welcomed a report by experts from The University of Ұ�� which highlighted the issue of racial bias in the justice system, after a meeting to discuss the findings with the academics and co-authors who compiled it.

, which was published late last year, raised urgent questions about racial attitudes and practices in the justice system - particularly in the judiciary - in England and Wales.

Drawing on a survey of 373 legal professionals, it found that 95% of respondents said that racial bias plays some role in the processes or outcomes of the justice system, and 29% said it played a ‘fundamental role’. A majority of respondents had witnessed one or more judges acting in a racially biased way towards a defendant and in their decision-making.

Racial discrimination by judges is most frequently directed towards Asian and Black people according to the survey, with people from Black communities - lawyers, witnesses and defendants alike - by far the most common targets of judicial discrimination. Young Black male defendants were the subgroup most frequently mentioned as targets of judicial bias.

Although the judiciary wields enormous power over individuals, its operations are alarmingly underscrutinised, and judicial racial bias has previously remained largely beyond examination. The evidence in the report rang alarm bells about access to fair trials, hearings and tribunals as well as to equal professional development.

David Lammy, who is Labour MP for Tottenham and a former Shadow Justice Secretary, has previously written a highly critical report about the subject after being commissioned to do so by the then Prime Minister David Cameron in 2016. It found that racial disparities in the criminal justice system in England and Wales were even worse than in the US in some cases.

His report made a series of recommendations including the sealing of criminal records to help former offenders find employment, and the adoption of the German system which allows juvenile law to be applied to young adults if their ‘moral and psychological development’ suggests they are not mature enough to be tried as adults.

"Action to embed compulsory antiracist and racial bias training for all judicial office holders, which is a key recommendation of the report, would encourage a culture shift towards antiracist practice," he added.

“We welcome David’s support for our report, given his long-standing record of campaigning and policy development on these issues,” said Professor Eithne Quinn, lead academic author of the report. “His comments add weight to our central finding: racism in the justice system is corroding principles of fairness and ruining lives. Yet, our survey found that many judges and lawyers have had no recent training about racism and bias.”

“Our report calls for training that is premised on the realities that institutional racism exists in the justice system and that judges, like the rest of us, harbour biases. Without this starting point, any new training won’t work.”

Winners of the Sociology Public Engagement Prize announced

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 18:30:00 +0000

(with and won the staff category for her influential which uncovered stark ethnic inequalities in healthcare. Commissioned by the NHS Race and Health Observatory the report was covered widely in national media and has received attention from policymakers in the UK and internationally.

, and were highly commended in the staff category. Luke’s research explores the impact of short-term rentals, such as AirBnb, on local neighbourhoods. After writing an Ethical Consumer report to share his findings he engaged with policymakers and residents, also creating the Action on Short Term Lets campaign platform. Patsy’s research uses innovative quantitative methods to investigate ethnic inequities in COVID-19 outcomes: she was commended for engaging with the World Health Organisation to share her data and her methodological expertise with colleagues in other countries.

Ernestina Zhu won the PhD student category for sharing her research on NFTs and the Metaverse through WeChat, podcasts and blogs.

Christopher R Fardan and David Dobson (with James Fletcher and Maohui Deng) were highly commended in the student category. Christopher worked with the Norwegian government’s Commission on Extremism to share his research on right-wing extremism as well as writing articles for the Norwegian press. David conducted exploratory research into what makes events ‘dementia-friendly’ before piloting a dementia café with partner Bolton Octagon.

The prize was judged by Hilary Pilkington (Research Director, Sociology) and Philip Drake (Director of Social Responsibility, SoSS). Both commented on the strength of the field, saying:

‘Sociology as a department has an excellent reputation for research and this is evidence that colleagues – staff and postgraduate students alike – are equally skilled in engaging communities outside academia with their research. It is especially impressive to see the range of activities colleagues are involved in: from advising housing campaigners in Moss Side to advising the WHO and regional and national governments; from trailblazing podcasts to inspiring workshops and ‘dementia friendly’ events.’

Anti-racism book available open access

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 17:42:59 +0000

The full text of by Remi Joseph-Salisbury and Laura Connelly is now available to download or read online for free.

The book, originally published by Ұ�� University Press in 2021, won funding for free online access from the University Open Access Fund and is now available on Ұ�� OpenHive.

Many anti-racist scholars have wrestled with the contradictions of working within a higher education system that often perpetuates social injustice. Anti-Racist Scholar Activism shows how students and academics can work within universities and other institutions to further social justice.

Anti-Racist Scholar-Activism is published by Ұ�� University Press. Remi Joseph-Salisbury is a Presidential Fellow in Ethnicity and Inequalities at the University of Ұ�� and Laura Connelly is a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Salford.

University partners with leading online coding boot camp provider

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 10:12:00 +0000

HyperionDev, one of the largest global providers of online coding boot camps, is now working with three major education bodies in England: The University of Ұ��, The Department for Education (DfE) and University of Nottingham Online in a bid to bridge the widening tech skills employment gap in England.

Through its partnership with HyperionDev, the DfE is offering over 1,400 potential learners the chance to enrol in a government-funded online coding boot camp.

These coding boot camps in Data Science, Software Engineering and Full-Stack Web Development, which can be completed within just 16 weeks, give learners a non-degree certificate from HyperionDev - with limited certifications issued in partnership with The University of Ұ�� and University of Nottingham Online.

Professor Danielle George, Associate Vice President Blended and Flexible Learning at The University of Ұ�� said: “Our new partnership with HyperionDev will make a significant contribution in addressing the national digital skills gap. Learning to code through boot camps aligns with our Flexible Learning Strategy and our commitment to prepare young people for an increasingly digital, interconnected and intercultural world.”

Riaz Moola, founder and CEO of HyperionDev says: "According to the UK government 2021 report “Quantifying the UK Data Skills Gap”, 48% of UK businesses were recruiting for roles requiring data skills. Of those, around 46% are struggling to find suitable candidates, meaning that there is a huge skills gap in this area. In the current economic crisis, the ability to code could significantly improve present and future employees' salary expectations. I strongly believe that accessible tech education is the future of upward social mobility for tens of thousands of people across the globe.”

In a competitive job market, skills such as coding have become crucial both for young people and for experienced professionals looking to reorient their careers. According to Tech Nation’s “People and Skills” 2022 report, tech salaries in the UK are on average nearly 80% higher than non-tech salaries. This reality has increased demand for boot camps such as those designed and delivered by HyperionDev, which has expanded its operations significantly to keep up with the demand for its services.

The HyperionDev programming boot camp courses are targeted at individuals who are looking to give their careers a boost, explore other career paths or to keep up-to-date with the latest job market requirements. They can generally be completed within three to six months and have been designed to help learners become fully-fledged developers, whether they are from a tech background or not. All students have a specifically designated mentor to help them adapt their level to the courses and advise them on their future professional development.

Racism is ‘fundamental cause’ of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among ethnic minorities

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 11:32:46 +0000

Racism is the ‘fundamental cause’ of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among ethnic minority groups, according to a from the Runnymede Trust and The University of Ұ��’s Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity.

During the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in the UK, explanations for the lower vaccination rates in people from ethnic minority groups focused on differences in the level of concern about side effects and in a lack of trust in the development and efficacy of the vaccine.

The authors of the new briefing argue that by the time people were deciding whether to have the vaccine, the conditions that created lower vaccination uptake among ethnic minority groups were already present. By ignoring the impact of structural and institutional racism on vaccination rates, ‘vaccine hesitancy’ is misunderstood – and crucially, the opportunity to address inequities is missed.

The briefing uses data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study to show that institutional and community-level factors, driven by structural and institutional racism explain the large majority of ethnic inequities in vaccination rates.

Vaccination hesitancy rates vary across ethnic groups, with over half of the Black group reporting hesitance to get the covid vaccine, compared with just over 10% of the White British group.

When comparing vaccine hesitancy in the ethnic minority groups with the White British group, institutional factors - including financial situation, car use, ability to travel to vaccination centres, housing tenure, and educational attainment - explain 41.6% of the difference for Pakistani or Bangladeshi people, while community-level factors including neighbourhood diversity, cohesion, political efficacy and racism explain over 30%.

For Black people, community-level factors were the biggest impact, with institutional-level factors explaining 12.9% of the difference.

These findings suggest that if policy intervened on institutional and community-level factors – shaped by structural and institutional racism – considerable success in reducing ethnic inequities might be achieved.

“Vaccine hesitancy puts the blame on individuals, instead of addressing the historical and ongoing racism that has contributed to the societal inequities that lead to ethnic inequalities in the distribution and uptake of vaccines,” said one of the authors of the briefing, Professor Laia Bécares from King’s College London.

The briefing was also written by Professor James Nazroo and Dr Patricia Irizar of The University of Ұ��, as well as Dr Richard Shaw of the University of Glasgow. It draws on a longer article published in , and is part of a by the Runnymede Trust and the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) on the impact of COVID-19 on people from ethnic minority groups.

About the Economic and Social Research Council

The Economic and Social Research Council () is part of UK Research and Innovation (), a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. We fund world-leading research, data and post-graduate training in the economic, behavioural, social and data sciences to understand people and the world around us. Our work helps raise productivity, address climate change, improve public services and generate a prosperous, inclusive, healthy and secure society.

New report uncovers ‘institutional racism’ in the justice system

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 18:00:00 +0100

A new report by experts from The University of Ұ�� and barrister Keir Monteith KC has raised urgent questions about racial attitudes and practices in the justice system in England and Wales.

Although the judiciary wields enormous power over individuals, its operations are alarmingly underscrutinised, and one area that has remained largely beyond examination is judicial racial bias. draws on a survey of 373 legal professionals.

95% of respondents said that racial bias plays some role in the processes or outcomes of the justice system, and 29% said it played a ‘fundamental role’. A majority of respondents had witnessed one or more judges acting in a racially biased way towards a defendant and in their decision-making.

Racial discrimination by judges is most frequently directed towards Asian and Black people according to the survey, with people from Black communities - lawyers, witnesses, defendants, etc. - by far the most common targets of judicial discrimination. Young Black male defendants were the subgroup most frequently mentioned as targets of judicial bias.

The survey did find that some judges are already acting in ‘antiracist’ ways by being conscious of and knowledgeable about racism, and seeking to mitigate it - however, only a minority of respondents had ever seen a judge act in this way.

Race training is neither compulsory nor provided on a regular basis – only 49% of the respondents who have worked as judicial office holders had received race training in the preceding three years.

The report emerges as serious questions are already being asked about the treatment of ethnic minority people in the justice system. Black barristers are and report experiencing . On top of this, and the found that sentencing outcomes are often harsher for ethnic minority defendants.

Overall, the report suggests that the combination of quantitative and qualitative data presented, substantiated by the kind of reports listed above, amounts to evidence of ‘institutional racism’ in the justice system presided over by judges.

The report is a response to the five-year strategy launched by Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett of Maldon to enhance equality and diversity in the judiciary, and finds that it does not consider the issue of racism or even mention ‘racial bias’. Researchers found a profound disparity between the conclusions of the strategy - that the justice system is basically fair and that progress has been made - when compared to the widespread views and experiences of the legal professionals surveyed.

In addition, the report is critical of the Equal Treatment Bench Book, the textbook given to all judges on appointment, in terms of its framing of bias and racism, especially its lack of acknowledgement of anti-Black racism in the justice system.

The evidence in the report rings alarm bells about access to fair trials, hearings and tribunals as well as to equal professional development.

“Racism in the justice system has to be acknowledged and fought by those at the highest level, but at the moment there is complete and utter silence - and as a consequence, there is no action to combat racial bias,” said Keir Monteith KC. “It is impossible to have diversity and inclusion if the system itself unfairly discriminates. There has to be a hard reboot to protect and revitalize the rule of law and civil rights for all citizens - a good start would be to follow the recommendations in our report.”

“Judges need to sit up and listen, because it is a myth that Lady Justice is blind to colour,” said Professor Leslie Thomas KC, who wrote the report’s Foreword. “Our judiciary as an institution is just as racist as our police forces, our education system and our health service - this is something that cannot be ignored for any longer.”

“This important report demonstrates that the very low number of Black and minority ethnic judges poses an acute challenge to the credibility and legitimacy of the judiciary,” said Stephanie Needleman from . “It is only by creating a critical mass of diverse judges that we can ensure that our judiciary is reflective of society and begin to combat the racism witnessed by survey respondents.”

“We welcome, and are grateful to have been consulted on, this hard-hitting report,” said former Judge Claire Gilham from the “My whistleblowing about racism was dismissed as me not understanding judicial culture, having come from the wrong background. There is no internal data keeping for equality complaints, which makes it very difficult for the judiciary to provide any evidence to deny the findings of this report. A severe shake-up of the system is needed.”

“Even after 25 years as a Trade Union Official, I am shocked at the practices employed in the appointment and promotion of judges,” said Stuart Fegan from GMB. “The Judiciary is funded with public money, and the practices identified would simply not be tolerated anywhere else in the public sector. I am delighted that Labour have committed to review appointment and promotion procedures if they win the next election in order to ensure that judges are reflective of the public they serve.”

Take part in our new research on gambling harms

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 00:05:18 +0100

Dharmi Kapadia is leading a new project on gambling harms. The project will investigate why people gamble, the harm caused by gambling and how services that support gamblers can be made more accessible to minority ethnic groups.

The team is looking for participants. To take part you need to be:

A gambler, or have been affected by the gambling of somebody close to you, and
From an ethnic or religious minority, or refugee or asylum seeker background.

The research involves completing an 'app-life diary' or taking part in three interviews. Everybody who takes part in the research will receive vouchers as a thank you for your time.

People who do not speak English can take part: voicenotes in any language and alphabets other than English can be used in the app-life diary.

If you are interested in taking part, or would like more information, please contact us:

Email: uk-pa-gambleaware-minorityresearch@ipsos.com

Phone: 0800 5422155

The project is led by Dharmi Kapadia and Ipsos Mori and funded by GambleAware, a charity that seeks to protect people from gambling harm.

Take part in our survey on policing and security on campus

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 16:37:15 +0100

A new project is researching the impact of security and policing on UK university campuses. If you are a current student or graduated since 2020 we would love to hear your views via our .

The aim of the research is to understand students’ experiences of policing and security on campus. We will then use this knowledge to inform best practice in equality, diversity and inclusion on the role of police and security on university campuses.

The project is led by a team from the universities of Ұ�� and Sheffield: Remi Joseph-Salisbury, Kerry Pimblott, Laura Connelly, Siobhan O’Neill and Parise Carmichael-Murphy.

If you have any questions about the project or would like more information please contact: spoc2022@outlook.com.

Take part in the

Covid pandemic worsened pre-existing inequalities in the creative industries

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 09:00:00 +0000

The pandemic has worsened pre-existing inequalities in the creative and cultural industries by causing job insecurity and financial instability among ethnically diverse people employed in the sector, according to a new report. This is particularly concerning given the underrepresentation of these groups within the industries.

Experts from The University of Ұ��’s partnered with career support organisation to collect data on the experiences of ethnically diverse workers - and those aspiring to work - in the industries.

The researchers found that only 29% of respondents were in employment a year after the first lockdowns – a huge drop of 22 percentage points - and 48% of respondents said they are either becoming financially unstable or need immediate assistance to pay their bills.

The overwhelming majority of ethnically diverse creative workers report feeling anxious or worried, with insecurity being a major contributing factor - 70% of all respondents were worried about their job security, and a staggering 89% of workers with over 10 years of experience said the pandemic had made their job less secure.

One respondent told the researchers that they were unable to claim money from the SEISS (Self-Employment Income Support Scheme) despite having no income – they were existing on Universal Credit, which was barely enough to cover their outgoings. They said their mental health had plummeted from not being able to secure any kind of work.

58% of respondents said that their primary source of income had changed, and alarmingly, 30% of these said they had left the creative and cultural industries for another sector - this suggests a risk that as the industry recovers from the aftermath of the pandemic, it may be even less diverse than before.

37% of respondents said their careers had been affected by discrimination because of their ethnic or racial identity, but many reported that 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests had only seen limited subsequent improvements despite many employers declaring their intent to reduce discrimination and increase diversity. Only 14% agreed that more paid opportunities were available as a result of the protests, and these were also likely to be junior positions.

The report’s authors are calling for a host of changes at creative and cultural organisations to tackle these issues including the adoption of employment targets, guidelines for recruitment practices and financial incentives for organisations which develop targeted schemes for graduates from ethnically diverse backgrounds who have lost out as a result of the pandemic.

“Our findings are extremely worrying because they demonstrate that ethnically diverse creatives and cultural workers are having to deal with the severe impact of Covid on employment in the creative and cultural industries, on top of pre-existing racism, and indicates a potentially lost generation of ethnically diverse talent who are struggling to enter the sector,” said Roaa Ali from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity.

“The creative and cultural industries were already the site of fundamental race and ethnic inequalities, and our findings suggest that the pandemic has deepened them,” said Professor Bridget Byrne from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity. “This sector is critical not only for its contribution to the economy, but also because it shapes the cultural life of the country - this is why structural racism faced within the sector is so concerning.”

“We need action within individual organisations, but also more broadly at a policy level to both collect the data needed to track ethnic inequalities and also to implement proactive actions to ensure that ethnically diverse people have fair access to training, jobs and promotion within the sector.”

"Clearly, the Covid pandemic hit everyone who works in creative and cultural industries - but it also exasperated existing inequalities in this sector,” said Dr Anamik Saha from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity and Goldsmiths, University of London. “While media and cultural organisations were quick to pronounce their support for the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred during the pandemic, our research found this translated into relatively few new opportunities for Black people in particular.”

“Our hope is that in shining a light on their circumstances, media and cultural organisations can better support creative workers from minoritised communities, ensuring fair and equal treatment during these difficult times.”

“On the second anniversary of the pandemic, we are seeing yet further proof of the disproportionate impact of covid on people from groups under-represented in the creative industries in terms of ethnicity. With the huge loss of funding, income and job opportunities in the sector, it’s critical that organisations like ours work with employer partners to ensure that people from these communities do not lose out on career access or progression as a result,” says Josie Dobrin, founder and CEO, Creative Access.

To read the full report, visit

Review highlights stark ethnic healthcare inequalities in the UK

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:07:25 +0000

A major new review into ethnic inequalities in healthcare has revealed vast inequalities across a range of health services in the UK.

The review, funded by the NHS Race and Health Observatory and led by experts from The University of Ұ�� in conjunction with the University of Sheffield and the University of Sussex, explored differences in mental healthcare, maternal & neonatal healthcare, digital access to healthcare, genetic testing & genomic medicine, and the NHS workforce.

While ethnic inequalities were found across each area studied and there were differences between ethnic minority groups, some communities were found to have particularly poor access, experiences and outcomes.

Some of the largest inequalities were found in mental healthcare, where treatment for Black groups was particularly poor. The review also found a lack of research into specific areas including how outcomes may differ for ethnic minority babies in neonatal healthcare settings, where just one study was found to investigate health disparities in the care of ethnic minority new-born babies.

It found GPs were less likely to refer ethnic minority patients to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme compared to White patients. Barriers were also faced by patients who delayed or avoided seeking help for health problems due to their fear of racist treatment from NHS healthcare professionals.

Strikingly, there was evidence that ethnic inequalities in adult mental healthcare is being reproduced in younger people, with one study in the review showing that Black children were 10 times more likely to be referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) via social services rather than their GP service, in comparison to White British children.

In maternal care, there were some positive relationships with midwives – however, this was limited by poor communication between women and health providers, and women who did not speak English as a first language often lacked access to quality interpreting services. The one study researchers found that focused on ethnic inequalities in care for new-born babies, showed Asian babies were over-represented in admissions to neonatal units for jaundice.

Overall, the review of maternal healthcare found evidence of negative interactions, stereotyping, disrespect, discrimination and cultural insensitivity, leading to some ethnic minority women feeling ‘othered’, unwelcome, and poorly cared-for.

With respect to the NHS workforce, the impact of racism on careers and professional development was also explored in the review, and there was evidence of an ethnic pay gap affecting Black, Asian, Mixed and Other groups, and to a lesser extent, Chinese staff.

The review urges ‘critical action’ to be undertaken by organisations including NHS England, NHS Improvement and NHS Digital, with recommendations outlined by topic area.

“For too many years, the health of ethnic minority people has been negatively impacted by a lack of high-quality ethnic monitoring data recorded in NHS systems; lack of appropriate interpreting services for people who do not speak English confidently and delays in, or avoidance of, seeking help for health problems due to fear of racist treatment from NHS healthcare professionals,” said lead investigator Dr Dharmi Kapadia, Lecturer in Sociology and member of The University of Ұ��’s Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity. “Our review confirmed that all of these issues are still to be tackled by the NHS.”

“It is clear that existing evidence on the stark health inequalities faced by ethnic minority communities has not led to significant change - this is why the Observatory has been established: to synthesise what already exists, translate it into actionable policy recommendations, and to challenge leaders to act,” said Dr Habib Naqvi, Director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory.

“This report should be a tool for them; highlighting the best quality evidence and making concrete recommendations for change. By drawing together the evidence, and plugging the gaps where we find them, we have made a clear and overwhelming case for radical action on race inequity in our healthcare system.”

Join our new early career race and ethnicity network

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 14:52:49 +0000

The activities of the network will be driven by the needs and concerns of the members. It will provide focused research workshops on substantive questions within race and ethnicity, as well as career development sessions such as on recruitment interviews, publishing, promotion, engagement in policy and anti-racist activism. This will be complemented by a mentoring scheme which will match early career scholars with more experienced scholars who can provide individualised support and advice.

Come to our first meeting to discuss what form the network might take, and what members would like to get out of, and contribute to, the network.

Whether or not you can come to the meeting, we encourage you to complete our . We will share feedback from the survey at the meeting.

Find out more:

Older people from ethnic minorities hard hit by pandemic and lockdown

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 13:41:47 +0000

This group entered the pandemic at a disadvantage due to pre-existing inequalities in housing, health, employment and income. Some older ethnic minority people were also particularly hard hit by lockdown and restrictions on social mixing.

The ‘digital divide’ can stop some older ethnic minority people from easily accessing reliable information about public health. Training and resources to address this divide could help, if they are properly targeted.

Language barriers were an additional issue for some people in , with important information and messages sometimes only provided in English.

Older ethnic minority people were more likely to rely on community and voluntary groups to provide support and advice, and lessen the impact of the digital divide and language barriers. But restrictions on social contact meant that often these lifelines were removed at exactly the point they were most needed.

Read the briefing in full:

You can also hear the authors of this briefing and an expert panel discuss the research at our free online event:

- takes place at 2pm on Monday, 6 December 2021. Please register for a free place to receive instructions on how to join.

The briefing is produced by and and authored by Jenny Hewitt and Dharmi Kapadia.

This briefing is part of a series which explores the impact of the pandemic on people from ethnic minority groups. Find out more:

New book: Anti-Racist Scholar Activism

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:27:00 +0000

Many anti-racist scholars have wrestled with the contradictions of working within a higher education system that often perpetuates social injustice. shows how students and academics can work within universities and other institutions to further social justice.

Aziz Choudry, editor of The University and Social Justice, Activists and the Surveillance State said of the book: 'This is an excellent and welcome addition to literature on racism, activism, and higher education, and a unique resource for university students who are trying to navigate higher education institutions and think through the contradictions, tensions and possibilities of being "in" the university, but not necessarily becoming "of" it, while committed to a politics of anti-racism.'

New briefing highlights damaging impact of Covid-19 on high streets

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 14:53:08 +0100

In a collaboration between the University's Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and The Runnymede Trust, a new briefing has highlighted how the pandemic has impacted the UK’s ethnically diverse high streets.

With a focus on Brick Lane, the briefing goes on to show how the pandemic and subsequent economic disruption has not only led to shop closures but a detrimental impact to livelihoods and the local communities.

This briefing is an update following ‘’, a 2020 research project from the Runnymede Trust and CoDE.

With businesses concentrated within the food and hospitality sector and much more likely to be self-employed, the disruption caused by the pandemic has compounded the issues faced by many within Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities. The data gathered from the research shows that Asian restaurants have suffered a decline in trade, while several others have closed permanently.

But while attempts have been made to mitigate some of the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the report details how attempts made at establishing an online presence has often proved difficult, with many finding the costs of using online platforms prohibitive.

Unable to establish themselves online and faced with difficulties in the form of reduced footfall and an inability to find staff, questions are raised about the future facing the restaurants in Brick Lane. But as many businesses struggle to come to terms with the pandemic, the social and cultural nature of Brick Lane is likely to be altered further by ongoing and proposed development plans. The question of how we recognise the cultural life of Brick Lane and pay heed to its history as a centre of anti-racist struggle has never been more acute.

With the country still dealing with the effects of Covid-19, the report reveals a stark picture of the conditions experienced:

Having reopened, Bangladeshi restaurants are currently experiencing trade at 10-30% of turnover compared to previous years.
Since 2014, 17 restaurants have closed with only 18 operating in Brick Lane in 2021, down from a high of 35.
In April 2021, over a quarter of shops had closed (29%). This compares to a figure of 9% in 2019.
At the time of the study, only 56% of shops remained open, many of them operating under reduced hours or by appointment only.
83% of those surveyed stated that they had received some form of government assistance in order to remain in business.

The briefing raises concern over the effect of Covid on ethnically diverse high streets nationally, and offers some recommendations for how best to mitigate the risk to these communities.

"As we come out of lockdown, there are important discussions about how we reinvigorate our small and independent retail sector and give new life to our high streets, how we support the people who own and work in these businesses, and their significance for those who rely on them for goods and services," added fellow co-author Professor Claire Alexander.

The briefing can be .

David Olusoga to chair discussion on diversity in statues and public memorials

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:13:40 +0100

David Olusoga OBE, Professor of Public History at The University of Ұ��, is chairing a special panel discussion on the debate around statues and public memorials in Ұ�� and Bristol as part of Black History Month.

The event, ‘From Bristol to Ұ��: history and memory in our cities’, will be held on Tuesday 5 October. It is part of The University of Ұ��’s ‘Creative Ұ��’ initiative and will question how diverse voices and communities can be engaged in cultural policymaking.

The discussion will also reflect on a recent consultation about statues, monuments and artworks in Ұ��’s public realm. That consultation, carried out in spring 2021, outlined how important the conversation around public art and diverse histories has become to local communities and wider society. This was brought into sharp focus in June 2020 with the tearing down of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

Addressing the significance of the event Professor Olusoga says, "Over recent years statues have gone from being often neglected features of our urban landscapes to become lightning rods for long overdue conversations about hidden histories and contested heritage."

The panel will include Ray Barnett, Head of Collections and Archives at Bristol Museums, Dr Sadia Habib of The University of Ұ�� and Dr Joanna Burch-Brown of the University of Bristol. They will be joined by members of Ұ�� Museum’s Our Shared Cultural Heritage Young Collective who participated in ‘Whose Statues? Whose Stories?’, a series of online workshops led by Dr Habib that brought together young people, researchers and spoken word artists to examine monuments in their local areas and produce creative responses.

Commenting on the event Professor John McAuliffe, Director of Creative Ұ��, says, “Creative Ұ�� works with researchers at the University and external partners to develop the crucial evidence base we need to address ideas at the heart of contemporary culture: we are delighted to be bringing together key figures at events like this which will drive productive new conversations, not just in Ұ�� and Bristol, but nationally too.”

The event builds on the findings of The University of Ұ��’s ESRC-funded research project on ‘The Changing Shape of Cultural Activism'. Under the auspices of the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), the project examined global activism against the presence of statues that commemorate colonisers and slave traders. The project team, including former Guardian editor-at-large Professor Gary Younge, investigated local and national policy approaches to this transnational issue and has made a series of recommendations for UK policymakers.

Tickets are available for the of the event, or to book to attend .

New report suggests pandemic policing undermines public health measures whilst disproportionately targeting Black and Minority Ethnic communities

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 09:01:00 +0100

A new raises concerns about the policing of the pandemic and shows that racially minoritised communities have been most harshly affected - being more likely to be stopped by the police, threatened or subject to police violence and falsely accused of rule-breaking and wrong-doing.

The report, titled A threat to public safety: policing, racism and the Covid-19 pandemic, argues that lockdown conditions, new police powers, and histories of institutionally racist policing have combined to pose a threat to already over-policed communities, and the most marginalised and vulnerable sections of society.

Published by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), and authored by academics from the

Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) based at the University of Ұ��, the report is published in the context of increased scrutiny around policing, particularly following significant mobilisations under the banner of Black Lives Matter and ‘Kill the Bill’ demonstrations against the government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill.

Researchers spoke to members of the public from across England to talk about their experiences of coronavirus policing and found evidence of police consistently failing to use PPE or observe social distancing regulations, with a pregnant woman describing an encounter where officers refused to wear masks when asked. Such practices, the authors argue, completely undermine any public health approach to the pandemic, and highlight how – with regard to the transmission of Covid-19 - the police pose a health risk to members of the public.

The report’s lead author Dr Scarlet Harris said:

‘The Covid-19 pandemic ushered in a period of extraordinary police powers which arrived in a broader context of racist over-policing and police violence. This report draws on extensive conversations with people from racially minoritised groups and communities living across England over the course of the pandemic. The findings dismantle the myth that the police contribute to public safety. Instead, they demonstrate how policing such a ‘crisis’ has reproduced profound harms for those from racially minoritised groups and communities.’

Remi Joseph-Salisbury, another of the report’s authors, said:

‘The evidence in this report really urges us to question the State’s reliance on the police to solve social and public health problems. Despite being central to the government’s handling of the pandemic, policing too often threatens rather than protects public safety, particularly for people of colour.’

Liz Fekete, Director of the IRR said:

‘This research gives a voice to those who have had uncivil, discriminatory or brutal encounters with the police and points to the dangers that the public health model poses for “policing by consent”. The evidence of the over-policed reveals that those who argue that mistrust of the police is based on hearsay, myth-making and a victim mentality, are hopelessly out of touch.’

Gary Younge made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 13:41:19 +0100

Gary has been awarded his fellowship in recognition of his books: and .

Commenting on the fellowship, Gary said, ‘[Literature] gives us the chance of not just sympathy, but empathy and even – arguably – solidarity.’

Gary has recorded a in which he explains why he thinks literature matters and the possibilities that literature creates for readers.

The full list of 2021 Royal Society of Literature Fellows and Honorary Fellows can be found at .

Professor of Sociology shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Journalism 2021

Fri, 28 May 2021 12:05:00 +0100

Award-winning author, broadcaster and columnist turned Professor of Sociology, Gary Younge, has been shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Journalism 2021.

The Orwell Prizes are awarded every year to the writing and reporting which best meets the spirit of George Orwell's own ambition 'to make political writing into an art'. Prof Younge has been shortlisted in the category ‘The Orwell Prize for Journalism’, for political journalism and reporting on social issues.

Gary joined The University of Ұ�� in 2020 from The Guardian, where he was appointed US correspondent in 2003, before becoming their editor-at-large in 2015. He has won several prizes for his journalism, including the David Nyhan Prize for political journalism from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center. He is now an editorial board member of the Nation magazine and the Alfred Knobler Fellow for Type Media.

Gary’s books have received considerable acclaim, with several of his titles either winning or being shortlisted for major literary awards – his book, Another Day in the Death of America, was also shortlisted for The Orwell Prize for Books in 2018.

The shortlist for the prize will be announced in May 2021, with the winner announced on or around George Orwell’s birthday, June 25th.

Gary Younge honoured by National Union of Journalists

Thu, 27 May 2021 11:54:19 +0100

Paying tribute to Gary’s work at the awarding ceremony, Simon Hattenstone, Guardian reporter, said he was ‘fiery, inspirational, motivational’.

Alan Rusbridger, former Guardian editor said Gary was ‘tough but fair always on the side of the troops and he fought their case hard, which he should have done.’

Saadeya Shamsuddin, BBC London, praised how he has ‘really paved the way for other journalists of colour.’

Receiving the honour, Gary Younge commented ‘I’m really delighted. It’s an amazing accolade to be honoured by your peers.’

Watch tributes paid to Gary Younge in the .

Briefing on impact of COVID-19 on older ethnic minority people

Tue, 25 May 2021 10:35:19 +0100

Dharmi Kapadia has written a Race Equality Foundation .

Ethnic minority older people are one of the groups worst affected by the pandemic, with higher infection rates and mortality rates than their white counterparts.

Ethnic minority older people are among the most deprived and excluded groups in society. Well before the pandemic, they experienced worse health and mental health, lower incomes, shorter life expectancy and poorer housing.

There is a lack of evidence to demonstrate the impact of multiple disadvantages on ethnic minority older people, and we are carrying out the largest survey of ethnic and racial inequalities during the pandemic to provide much-needed data and knowledge. .

Read the on the Race Equality Foundation website.
explores the multiple inequalities faced by ethnic minority older people.

Gary Younge presents radio documentary on racial passing

Wed, 12 May 2021 13:51:44 +0100

Gary Younge explores stories of racial passing through the prism of one of his favourite books, . The 1929 novella tells the story of two friends; both African-American though one 'passes' for white.

Passing is a term that originally referred to light-skinned African Americans who decided to live their lives as white people.

The civil rights activist Walter White claimed in 1947 that every year in America, 12000 black people disappeared this way. He knew from first-hand experience. The black president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People had blonde hair and blue eyes which meant he was able to investigate lynching in the Deep South while passing in plain sight.

In a strictly segregated society, life on the other side of the colour line could be easier. But it came at a price.

Gary speaks with Bliss Broyard, who was raised in Connecticut in the mono-racial world of suburbs and private schools. Her racial identity was ensconced in the comfort of insular whiteness. Then in early adulthood Bliss' world was turned upside down. On her father's deathbed, she learned he was in fact a black man who had been passing as white for most of his life. How did this impact Bliss' identity and sense of self?

Gary hears three extraordinary personal accounts, each a journey towards understanding racial identity, and belonging. With Bliss Broyard, Anthony Ekundayo Lennon, Georgina Lawton and Professor Jennifer DeVere Brody.

COVID lockdowns exacerbated racist policing in the UK, say experts

Tue, 11 May 2021 16:39:02 +0100

The nationwide coronavirus lockdowns and enhancement of police powers have disproportionately harmed communities of colour, according to a new briefing paper by the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) at The University of Ұ��.

shows that in response to the pandemic, the UK government introduced unprecedented police powers under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations and the Coronavirus Act (2020). But according to CoDE, the policing of the pandemic reflects historical patterns, resulting in the greatest impact on racially minoritised communities, with new police powers adding to and exacerbating pre-existing forms of racist policing.

“The last year has seen the crisis in policing meet and interact with the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said lead author Dr Scarlet Harris, Research Associate at CoDE. “Emerging research findings point to the dangers of further empowering police forces in this context, and to the impact on racially minoritised communities in particular. This briefing paper sets the scene for our full report, which will be published in July.”

A Collision of Crises is part of CoDE’s ongoing study from the perspective of people ‘policed’ during the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on in-depth online research conversations with racially minoritised individuals, the research asks what the current context means for those at the sharp end of policing in England and Wales.

Racial disparities are evident in official data on the use of force, stop and search, Fixed Penalty Notices and the enforcement of Section 60, as highlighted in widespread media reports of excessive policing across public settings. Campaigners have expressed concern that the widespread misinterpretation and misuse of Schedule 21 has so far had a disproportionate impact on Black and minoritised individuals.

Despite a drop in crime rates as the first lockdown came into effect, stop and search practices ‘surged’, more than doubling in May 2021 compared with the previous year, while a staggering 21,950 searches of young Black men took place in London during the first period of lockdown. Black people in London were ‘up to over 11 times’ more likely to be stopped than white people.

Pandemic is a wake-up call on inequality

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 14:10:00 +0100

She says that 'one of the lessons of the pandemic is that racism and racial inequality kill' but that we are now at a pivotal point where we can choose, together, to make real changes.

The experience of the past year has forced policymakers, politicians and the general public to realise that some groups are much harder hit by the pandemic than others, leading to a much wider recognition of the widespread effects of racism. We are now seeing some major institutions take steps to address these inequalities.

She points to our new understanding of which jobs matter to keep our society functioning as another wake-up call. We learned how much we depended on the nurses, shopkeepers and taxi drivers who kept working despite the risks, and often these people are from racialised backgrounds. These people suffered higher exposure to the virus, as well as carrying disadvantages which pre-date the pandemic, such as poorer housing and insecure employment.

Post-pandemic recovery needs to take account of pre-existing inequalities to truly 'build back better'. The Centre for Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) is carrying out the biggest survey of ethnic and religious minority experience in the UK in order to understand the impact of COVID-19 on minoritised groups.

CoDE response to commission on race and ethnic disparities report

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 16:27:00 +0100

We believe that the report is alarming and unrelated to the facts. It fails to see the considerable and longstanding body of evidence on structural and institutional racism, how this pervades UK society and underpins individual acts of racism and discrimination.

How COVID-19 has impacted apprenticeships for young ethnic minorities

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 16:14:00 +0000

Key points:

Despite some growth in the number of apprenticeship starts by ethnic minority learners, their representation relative to the secondary school population remains low.
Much of the growth in apprenticeship starts in the past decade has been driven by older apprentices.
Ethnic minority apprentices tend to favour certain sectors: health, public services and care; business, administration and law.
White apprentices are more likely to complete the training than their counterparts from ethnic minorities in all sectors except for hospitality.
Following the COVID-19 lockdown, vacancies for apprenticeships fell dramatically, including in those sectors favoured by ethnic minority learners.
The government’s Kickstart programme runs the risk of undermining the push for greater ethnic minority representation in apprenticeships.

Recommendations from the briefing:

All stakeholders should undertake to actively monitor and combat the adverse equality implications of COVID-19.
The Department for Education should renew its commitment to reaching the target of raising the participation of ethnic minority learners in apprenticeships by 20 per cent.
The government should ensure new employment measures have the same targets as apprenticeship schemes for ethnic minority representation.
The government should ensure that the commitment to greater representation in apprenticeship programme decision-making extends to employer bodies.

The briefing is written by Ken Clark and Steve Nolan.

Racial inequality in a time of crisis: recordings now online

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 15:54:00 +0000

‘Racial Inequality in a Time of Crisis’ was a week-long conference exploring the impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority people in the UK. The event was hosted in partnership between Stuart Hall Foundation, the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and the Runnymede Trust.

Day 1: ‘Policing the Crisis’

This panel explored experiences of policing during the pandemic, campaigning and activism in response to this, and the factors that perpetuate policing by force in the face of campaigning.

Day 2: Health and Well-Being

Ethnic minority people have experienced a much higher risk of COVID-19 related death, a stark disproportion that has impacted on all ethnic and religious minority groups. This session explored how these inequalities mirror longstanding inequalities in health and well-being, which themselves reflect deep social and economic disparities underpinned by racism, and the approaches to address them.

Day 3: Employment and Young People

COVID-19 has induced the biggest shock to the UK economy seen in modern times and, without significant government action, the effect on the labour market will be severe. This session explored how existing ethnic inequalities both in employment and in the transition from compulsory schooling through higher and further education into work may be exacerbated by the crisis with negative consequences for poverty and inequality.

Day 4: Culture and Cultural Activism

This panel explored the nature of racial inequalities and the politics of ‘race’ in the cultural industries. It explored the impact of barriers and obstacles (and at times ‘opportunities’) facing racialised peoples in the creative sector, and how movements around access and representation fare in a time of crisis.

Young ethnic minorities continually bear the brunt of recessions – here’s how to stop it

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 15:52:00 +0000

The official unemployment figures that have just been published for the last quarter of 2020 reveal the continued economic impact of COVID-19 on Britain’s ethnic minority groups.

Among all groups, Black African/Caribbean people fared worst, with unemployment rates reaching 13.8% in the period from October to December 2020. The White unemployment rate has not reached that level since the early 1990s and was 4.5% in the same period.

In this new article for The Conversation, drawing on their research on the impact of the pandemic on the employment market, Ken Clark and Steve Nolan show how young people from ethnic minorities are already experiencing worse outcomes. The authors call for decisive action from policymakers to ensure that, as the economic fallout from the pandemic continues, ethnic minority young people do not face even greater inequalities.

UK’s first survey of ethnic and religious minority people during Covid-19 launches

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:21:38 +0000

The UK’s first and largest survey of its kind to document the impact of Covid-19, and the lockdowns, on the lives of 17,000 ethnic and religious minority people has been launched.

The Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS) aims to transform the policy landscape, inform work and campaigns for racial justice, and create a data legacy by providing robust evidence on a comprehensive range of issues facing ethnic and religious minority people during the pandemic. Among the topics to be surveyed are employment, finance, education, economic wellbeing, health, housing, policing, identity and experiences of discrimination and racism.

Led by the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) in partnership with the University of Ұ��, the University of St Andrews and the University of Sussex, EVENS is being conducted by Ipsos MORI and has been translated into 13 languages. The 30-minute survey will target the full range of ethnic and religious minority groups, including Gypsy, Traveller and Roma people and Jewish communities, across England, Scotland and Wales, and will run for three months until May 2021.

Dr Nissa Finney, EVENS’ Lead and Reader in Human Geography at the University of St Andrews, said: “Disadvantages of ethnic and religious minority people have been highlighted and exacerbated by the period of austerity, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning there is an urgent need to act to mitigate growing inequalities. EVENS will give us a unique and authentic representation of the lives of ethnic and religious minority people in Britain during the current crisis.”

EVENS is partnering with a diverse range of Voluntary and Community Sector organisations, including Operation Black Vote (OBV), the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), The Ubele Initiative, the Stuart Hall Foundation, EYST (Wales), Migrants’ Rights Network, BEMIS (Scotland), the Race Equality Foundation and Business in the Community, who will assist with the recruitment drive.

Zara Mohammed, the new Elected Secretary General, MCB, said: “EVENS will benefit society as a whole because it will be a snapshot of people’s experiences and point out where something needs to be done. It also aims to reach out to Muslim respondents to a far greater degree and with a wider range of questions affecting their daily lives than other social surveys. Even before the Covid crisis, the MCB was highlighting poorer health among elderly Muslim women, and for some time now, we have been collecting evidence of Islamophobia. EVENS will provide comprehensive, evidence-based and up to date information to better highlight and address such inequalities and forms of discrimination.”

Ellie Rogers, CEO of Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (Leeds GATE), said: “Gypsies and Travellers have some very important cultural practices that we could all learn from. Especially when it comes to the ways in which communities turn up for each other and the respect they show, especially in death and mourning. During Covid, I have seen some dehumanising responses to people who are in a very vulnerable place due to losing a loved one. Instead of valuing the communities’ assets and working with them, they have been demonised and made out to be criminals. Through the survey, I want people's experiences to be seen, heard and respected.”

Dr Nissa Finney added: “When published, EVENS will help place ethnic inequalities and racism firmly on the political and policy agenda in an enduring manner. The data will be freely available and can be used by anyone, from our VCSE partners, activists and politicians to policymakers, campaigners, NGOs and Experts by Experience in the UK. As well as showing us what the key problems of disadvantage and inequality are for particular groups, we want people to be able to evidence the inequalities and how they should be addressed.”

To take part, register at or call 0808 129 6800. For more information, visit .

Report reveals a lack of progress in reducing ethnic and racial inequality

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 15:33:00 +0000

In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020, the Prime Minister announced an inquiry. The cross-governmental ‘Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities’, would look into discrimination against black, Asian and minority ethnic people in education, health and criminal justice. Over the past 40 years, numerous other inquiries have looked at racial inequalities across British society.

This new review, written by Stephen D. Ashe for the Stuart Hall Foundation in partnership with Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), with additional support from Hollick Family Foundation, summarises the findings of these previous inquiries. The aim, in setting out the story so far, is to ensure that any new inquiry does not simply go over old ground; but builds on what went before.

Key points

The review reveals 589 different recommendations made by 13 previous race and inequality reports and commissions between 1981 and 2017.
Concerns about the impact of an “inappropriate” schools curriculum on the performance of black (West Indian) pupils date back to 1981.
After several decades of initiatives, inequalities persist across all areas of life: health, education, housing, employment, poverty, crime and justice.
Racial disparities in some areas are growing: for example, the disproportionate representation of ethnic minority people in the youth justice system has increased; from 26% of 15-17s in 2008, to 43% in 2018.
Many recommendations with regard to data-led and evidence-based approaches to decision-making, and the need for new accountability mechanisms, have yet to be taken up.
Concerns around the under-representation of black, Asian and ethnic minority people in senior leadership roles are a key theme.

David Lammy, Labour MP for Tottenham, Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, also responded, saying:

“This report is an invaluable contribution to the struggle for racial justice. Its brilliance is found in its simplicity, documenting the countless recommendations on race between 1981 and 2017 that have been kicked into the long grass. It is a sad reminder that, for too long, empty words have been uttered to absorb our energy, in the hope that we will sit down and forget about the burning injustices these recommendations are meant to eliminate. This report is a reminder that we’ve had the conversation. Now is the time for action.”

New report outlines how government can address COVID-19 ethnic disparity

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:59:42 +0000

A new report from The Runnymede Trust and The University of Ұ��’s Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity has addressed the possible causes of - and offers solutions to – the ethnic disparity of the effects of Coronavirus.

Ethnic minority people experience a much higher risk of COVID-19-related death - a stark inequality that impacts on all ethnic minority groups. Ethnic minorities are also at increased risk of complications and mortality post COVID-19 infection.

There has been much discussion of what might be driving ethnic inequalities in infections and outcomes - these include speculative approaches which question whether inequalities might be due to genetic or ‘cultural’ differences.

There is no evidence for genetic or genetically-related biological factors underlying this increased risk, including vitamin D deficiency. Greater risk is more likely to be the result of pre-existing social and economic inequalities manifesting in the form of chronic illness.

These inequalities reflect increased risk of exposure to the virus because of where people live, the type of accommodation they live in, household size, the types of jobs they do and the means of transport they use to get to work.

Unless racism is understood as a key driver of the inequalities which increase the chances of exposure to and mortality from COVID-19, government and public sector policy responses to the coronavirus pandemic risk further increasing ethnic inequalities in the UK.

The report recommends that the government should:

• Commission further research which identifies how racial discrimination in housing, health services, employment and criminal justice have affected the health outcomes of black and ethnic minority communities.

• Immediately conduct Equality Impact Assessments on all government actions in relation to the coronavirus pandemic, ensure that these include recommendations for action to minimise inequalities, do this in consultation with the groups affected, and act on the resulting recommendations.

• Immediately strengthen the social security safety net to mitigate the impact of social and economic inequalities on the health of ethnic minority people, paying particular attention to the increased risks they face in employment, education, economic security and housing.

• Increase Statutory Sick Pay and widen eligibility for it, including extending it to those who are not currently eligible because of low or intermittent pay and zero-hours contracts and to cover those in quarantine.

• Scrap the No Recourse to Public Funds condition imposed on migrants with limited, or without, leave to remain, in order to ensure that they have access to healthcare and the social security and housing support necessary to allow them to socially isolate.

• Issue a public information campaign to ensure that everyone is aware of the government’s exemption from charging for Covid-19 healthcare treatment and stopping immigration checks as part of their public health response to the pandemic.

• Ensure that all workers have access to personal protective equipment to address the documented greater difficulties that ethnic minority workers have had in accessing this.

• Ensure suitable, secure accommodation and housing for people who live in overcrowded housing and/or intergenerational households, and who need to self-isolate or shield.

• Establish a wide-ranging, well-resourced and independent inquiry into ethnic inequalities in health, which includes COVID-19 in its scope and moves beyond a focus on explanation to one that provides detailed recommendations to address fundamental causes.

The full report is available to view .

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Ұ������ sociologist wins award for her distinguished service