Further to our social media statement of solidarity with our BAME students in March we wanted to share some further thoughts with you.
Chester Students’ Union wholly condemns the findings of the Sewell Report (2021), which we feel completely ignores the institutional and organisational difficulties people from BAME backgrounds face. The report’s suggestion that the U.K. ‘should be a model of racial equality’ ignores and twists the experiences of our BAME population, and shifts the blame to the people, rather than acknowledging the pivotal role institutions play in upholding and reinforcing racist attitudes, stereotypes and actions.
As an organisation, we committed to becoming explicitly anti-racist in summer 2020. Our work since then has included running a SU Challenge group with BAME students, a series of events for Black History Month, staff training on race equity and anti-racism and the creation of an anti-racism library of books amongst CSU staff members, which we will make available at CSU community hubs post-pandemic for students to read.
Chester Students’ Union dedicates itself as an organisation to being a support network and a safe space for all our BAME members. Day-in and day-out we hear testimonies of the harrowing, real-life experiences of our students who have endured all kinds of institutional racism. Students who are stopped and searched without reason. Students who face discrimination in the workplace. Students who face discrimination in education. We want to make it as clear as possible – none of these are acceptable. We stand with you all, and we take this time to reaffirm our commitment to fighting for you and your rights.
As an organisation, we echo the voice of our students and both urge and challenge the Government to reassess the findings of the Sewell report and acknowledge the role that racial discrimination plays in the socio-economic disparities that it discusses.
