At the end of March, the Government's Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) released its long-awaited report on racial inequalities in modern Britain. As one of the report's contributors (in collaboration with Reach Society - www.reachsociety.com, see document attached), we at ACMA were especially interested in seeing its conclusions, and looked forward to what we hoped would be a step forward in our pursuit of a more equitable society.
This is not what we received.
We are shocked, saddened and angered by this report's conclusion that institutional racism does not exist in the UK. In its own words, "[this report] no longer see[s] a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities." This flies directly counter to decades of research that has extensively documented the impact racism- both interpersonal and structural- have had on the lived experiences of ethnic minorities in this country. By refusing to address the existence of structural racism, this report shifts the negative outcomes secondary to racism solely onto the individual, carrying out a grave disservice to all ethnic minorities. In effect, this report has concluded that racism is the fault of the individual.
We will not accept this.
Furthermore, as contributors to the evidence for this report, we are confused as to why ACMA has not been rightfully credited: academic rigour demands it.
In short, this report falls far short of the standards we expect from a commission of such esteemed peers.
We all deserve better.
ACMA UK TEAM
