In a bizarre development the French National Assembly has decided that the best way to improve race relations in France is to abolish the term “race” http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/rendezvous/2013/05/17/france-fights-racism-by-outlawing-race/.
UK Government research shows that people with non-English sounding names have to make 74% more applications to get a job interview than those with English-sounding names, even though they have similar qualifications, experience and CVs. Because of this some organisations have developed a procedure for “blind applications”.
Sadly all three major parties are running scared of UKIP after the recent Eastleigh by-election. The level of discussion about race and migration is becoming more shrill and harsh by the day – and we are still two years away from a general election. The Tories and the Coalition Government are determined to get net migration down to under 100,000 even if Britain’s business, financial, universities and other parts of the economy suffer irrevocable damage in the process.
I am hugely pleased and proud to take up my post as Chief Executive at ROTA. I follow in the footsteps of two very influential and inspiring black women: Dinah Cox and Elizabeth Henry, who not only put Race on the Agenda but also put ROTA on the map. As a small strategic and policy organisation we focus on challenging race equality in London and beyond. Our work has national implications and is led and directed by our membership of organisations and individuals concerned about issues of race and their impact on policy, legislation, service delivery and inclusion.
