Racism and Ethnic Origin

1. Racism and Ethnic Origin • Know the characteristics that contribute to ethnicity. • Understand the meaning of racism and discuss the problem of racism in the UK and in school. • Suggest some possible ways of reducing racism. • Look at how the media can provoke emotions.

3. Stephen Lawrence Age 18 Murdered in a racially motivated attack in 1993.

4. Anthony Walker Age 18 Murdered in a racially motivated attack in 2005.

5. James Waite Age 14 Murdered in a racially motivated attack in 2004.

6. Racially Motivated Murder • The murder of Stephen Lawrence was not the first racially motivated murder. • It was, however, one of the most high profile racially motivated murders because the police made major mistakes in their investigation which led to them never being able to prove that the suspects committed the crime. • Investigations shown that the police were ‘institutionally racist’. • There have been 68 murders with a suspected or known element of racism since the death of Stephen Lawrence in 1993.

7. Racism makes me feel

8. Racism • We clearly have a problem with racism in the UK. • People of all ethnic groups are affected by racism every single day. • Racism is the belief that one ethnic group is superior or inferior to another.

9. What is an Ethnic Group? We are all members of one ethnic group or another. An ethnic group is a collection of people who share certain sets of characteristics: Geographic: they may have the same country of origin, often many generations ago. Racial: They may come form the same human racial group with distinctive features. Religious: They may share the same religious beliefs and customs. Linguistic: They may speak the same or similar languages

10. In My Own Words Q. What is an ethnic group? • An ethnic group is a group of people who share certain characteristics such as……. T. You must mention 4 sets of characteristics.

11. Ethnic Groups • Ethnic groups do not have to share all of the 4 sets of characteristics mentioned but it would be unusual for them not to share most of them. • Within a country there is usually one ethnic group who form the majority and the rest are minority groups. • Many ethnic groups each live side by side each keeping their own identity. • Sometimes there is tension between ethnic groups but this can often be managed by good will and patience.

12. Categories of Ethnic Groups • The Office for National Statistics gives the following categories of ethnic groups: • Black – Caribbean • Black – African • Black – other • Indian • Pakistani • Bangladeshi • Chinese • Other Asian (non-mixed) • White • Mixed ethnicity • Other Make a note of the categories. These are currently the correct ways of describing ethnic groups.

13. Racism in School • Do you think that there is racism in school? Give reasons. • Do you know of any examples of racism in school? Give details but do not use peoples names. • How do you think the school could reduce racism?

14. Problem Areas • In many of the areas that have problems with racism the different ethnic groups do not mix with each other. • They go to different shops, different schools and live separate life's. • They never get to know each other, this separation can lea to conflict. • In parts of England there has been rioting and conflict between Asian and white groups who live separate life’s in the same town e.g. Oldham.

15. Possible Suggestions Make sure that all schools are racially mixed Replace poor quality housing and make sure that new housing schemes are racially mixed. Create opportunities for different ethnic groups to mix. • Write out the statement. • Say if you think the statement is a good or bad idea and why. • Give your opinion about how well you think the idea might work. Create more job opportunities for all people who live in the area. Put a big effort into teaching the English language to ethnic minority adults and pre-school children.

16. In 2001 Walter Chamberlain, age 76, was attacked (for no apparent reason) by a group of male Asian youths whilst walking home in daylight. The youths did not take any of his belongings. The local newspaper, The Oldham Evening Chronicle, reported the attack as being racially motivated. The attack stirred up racial tensions in Oldham. Many of the ‘white’ community were outraged by the attack particularly because of its racial element. Many of the ‘non-white’ community particularly the South Asian members were infuriated with the response to the attack. Whilst the majority said the attack was very wrong they were annoyed because they felt that the local news paper only focused on ‘Asian on white’ attacks. They argued that Asian people were assaulted on a regular basis by white people but that the stories were never reported in the press. Despite the fact that Walter’s family said that the attack was not racially motivated the story did not go away. According to Walter’s family the boys who attacked him made no reference to his skin colour. The story soon become national news. For many reasons the racial tensions in Oldham resulted in riots not long after this attack.

17. The Newspapers • Do you think that newspapers have a lot of influence upon people? • Do you think that newspapers should take more responsibility for their actions? • Is everything in the newspaper true? • What is the difference between act and opinion? • Do newspapers provide fact or opinion?