What has racial inequality got to do with south Bristol?

Young people in south Bristol have painted a bleak view of the city and lack of opportunities available to them.

“Things get destroyed by other people and they never get replaced. People are burning our facilities down because there is nothing better to do,” said one student at Merchants’ Academy.

He is one of a number of young people from the Withywood school to have spoken out in a video that is a telling reflection of Bristol’s divides.

Produced by Bristol Old Vic, the film was shown during the second in a series of City Conversations, held in response to the Runnymede Trust report that labelled Bristol the most racially segregated core city in the UK.

The students told a tale of a neglected community, where opportunities are few, expectations low and people who feel they are judged by where they are from.

“When I grow up and have kids of my own, I feel like Bristol will have a bad influence on them – I would like to move away to a better place with a better background,” said one student.

Another reflected: “It’s just south Bristol I think – it might happen in other places but we don’t know because we don’t go over there.”

This was the crux of the conversation – that there are parallels between communities on both sides of the city, but little integration.

“There are issues that divide us and divide the city that go beyond race. Everybody has a part to play in the conversation.” said Roger Griffith, chair of Ujima Radio.

Ujima has collaborated with the Bristol Post and Bristol Old Vic to host the citywide conversations to engage people in discussion and debate as part of a bid to address inequalities and change the city for the better.

The event, held at Merchants’ Academy on Wednesday, focused on the question: ‘What has racial inequality got to do with south Bristol?’

“What the young people have shown is that how society perceives you damages your self-esteem. That’s the same for working class and black people,” said one man.

Kerry Bailes, a community campaigner who has lived in Hartcliffe all her life, said there is a stigma associated with the area.

“We are not all thick or stupid or lazy, we are not going to set your car on fire. I have worked here all my life, but where do we go when everybody in the city thinks we are scum?” she asked.

As people spoke of their experiences, clear parallels emerged of the discrimination faced and lack of opportunities for both people in both white working class and black and minority ethnic (BME) communities.

‘How society perceives you damages your self-esteem’

Desmond Brown, chair of the Bristol Commission for Race Equality said: “It seems like we have been dancing around the areas of race and class and sometimes it seems like it’s a competition of who has it the worst.

“The problems we all face is that we were pitted against each other. We need to start thinking about solutions rather than who has it worst.”

Education is key:

Around 4.4 per cent of teachers in Bristol schools are from BME backgrounds (compared to 7.5 per cent of teachers nationally), according to the Runnymede report.

This was highlighted as a key issue, along with the need to change the curriculum so that the history taught in schools is representative and not all focused on “dead white men”.

Manrouf Chanfi, a black teacher in Bristol, said: “I go to primary schools in Bristol and there is so much diversity among the children, but it’s all white middle class women teaching – what kind of message does that send?”

Merchant Venturer Denis Burn came under fire from many people in the room

Representation in boardrooms and leadership:

Denis Burn, a Merchant Venturer and chair of the University of Bristol, spoke of the need to address the current lack of BME people in leadership positions, but claimed it’s going to take “a hell of a long time”.

He came under fire from all sides. A key point raised is that addressing inequality and lack of representation is not a new issue and now is the time for action, not vague promises.

“It does not need to take a long time to do things, you just have to do it,” said Veron Dowdy, one of Bristol’s commissioners for racial equality. “Do not tell us 20 years down the line, because we have been waiting 20 years. We are running out of time.”

Sandra Meadows, CEO of Voscur, agreed, saying: “It’s time to stop striving and start doing, because for me, this is a conversation that has gone on too long.”

The next of four conversations will be held on Wednesday, September 26 at Cotham School.

The ultimate aim is to agree five pledges to make Bristol a better city.

Read more: ‘White people need to step up for a change’