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Black is a Pro - Carlos Byles (Year 13)

The Fight Against Racism - Britain is guilty​​​​ - Sadie Moir (Year 13)

"Education must be the root of real change. In standing with America, crucially, we must contextualise the legacy of Colonialism and Empire in Britain. It is essential for us to dissect the past in order to analyse the present. In the aftermath of Colston’s downfall and the backlash that act of resistance received, we must ask ourselves why he was left to stand for so long?

Systemic racism is in place on every level of Britain’s infrastructure. It is endemic and a system that continuously benefits those it was built to serve. The intersections of racial injustice in the UK include class, feminism, economics, the Arts, education, gender identity, and sexuality. From housing - 40% of families living below the poverty line are Black while Black British citizens make up only 4% of the population. Only 38% of black Britons are homeowners compared to 68% of white Britons.

To healthcare: Black women are 5 times more likely to die due to complications in their pregnancy than white women and within the UK black and ethnic minority populations have TB rates 3 to 14 times higher than their white counterparts. Policing is, of course, a major point of concern.

Black men are 2.7 times more likely to be arrested, 1.2 times more likely to have a criminal charge brought against them, 1.2 times more likely to get a custodial sentence, and 1.4 times more likely to be placed in a high-security prison than white men. Racism in the UK has been exposed by a global pandemic. The data shows that males categorised as black, are more than 4.6 times more likely to die than their white counterparts from the virus. They are followed by Pakistanis/Bangladeshis (just over four times more likely to die), and then Chinese and Indians (just over 2.5 times). Black people and POC in the UK were also 54 times more likely to be charged with breaking lockdown rules- all of which charges and arrests were found to be illegal. These are just some of the statistics that characterise racial injustice in the UK. Our curriculum and history have been colonised and whitewashed.

"It is life-changing for people to see representation in history and narratives that they can relate to."

Learning about Britain’s past must define Britain’s future and teaching active anti-racism is essential. It is life-changing for people to see representation in history and narratives that they can relate to. It is also important for white Britishness not to be the norm and for stories to be diversified. We’re advocating for change on every systemic level, focusing particularly on education as a force against racism. The legacy of the empire lives on in Britain, with the blanks of Black British identity left unfilled. Until we learn our past we cannot progress."

Sources: @monachalibi, @racisminhealthcare @georgethepoet @fillintheblanks Posters and writing by Sadie Moir Research and links on the document sourced and compiled by Akhera W

I Can't Breath - Maria-Clara Scrivener (Year 11)

"It talks about white supremacy and how I feel towards Racism and white privilege. It also acts as a message to the community as I recommended charities to donate to and petitions to sign to help support the movement. I also included recommended books and films to watch to help educate people more on the matter."