Racism in Britain is not a black and white issue. It’s far more complicated
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A report on ethnic inequality reveals that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people are among the most abused.
By Tomiwa Owolade
Something was amiss but I couldn’t say why. I was a sixth-form student and talking to a girl who told me with utter confidence that ‘white people can’t be victims of racism’. Racism is about power and privilege. White people have power and privilege. Black people and Asians don’t. This means that only the latter group can be victims of racism; racism is the exercise of power and privilege against people of colour.
I nodded at the time – she almost convinced me. Almost. I admired her clarity but felt her account was too neat. I liked her passion but thought it was painfully misguided.
It has only been over the past few years that I have been able to say exactly why she is wrong; why her account of racism is provincial rather than progressive; why combating material inequalities should be based on truth rather than distorted narratives.
The year 2021 was a strange...
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