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Dr Masimba Mavaza

It is a painful truth that almost all black British and black children have experienced racism at school. Most of the racism is from the teachers and fellow students.

The New YMCA report finds 95 percent of black students in the United Kingdom are exposed to racist language and physical attacks for having a different skin colour.

In short the facts are:

• The vast majority of young black British people have experienced racism at school, with one in two feeling that racial stereotypes hinder their academic achievement, research shows.
• Teachers hardly give any attention to black children. In most cases teachers discourage the black children from doing courses which will be paying.
• They want to keep the black children as perpetual slaves. Children are taught to make choices without having their parents involved and this is mostly the black children.

The other painful way of racism is when teachers describe black person’s hair as unprofessional and dirty. They force the black children to cut their hair and implant an idea that black man’s hair must be kept short.

The teachers suggest that black afro-textured hair is ‘untidy’ and ‘needs to be brushed’, while young Black men spoke of hair policies at school being ‘just another form of racism’ by not being inclusive of young Black people. In some ways religion has been used to oppress the blacks.

The black man’s culture is classified as satanic demonic and evil. So long black hair is regarded as thuggish criminal and dirty.

The whites are intimidated with black man’s hair so they want to keep it manageable.

It’s a shame that even back home in Zimbabwe schools despise the African hair and force the kids to keep their hair short.

Any for of tiding your African hair like dreadlocks is viewed as demonic and thuggish. The beauty of our blackness is regarded as demonic.

The United Kingdom was gripped with the most diabolic act of racism when outside a school gate in the town of Surrey a black child was hanged up by 10 children who were being urged on by their parents to beat up the black girl.

She had her pulled and kicked several times in the face with parents of the white children urging their kids to kick the poor black child in the face.

The poor girl tried to fight back, but she was overpowered. Onlookers who were all white looked on and hooted in celebration.

The headmaster of the school is seen strolling slowly in no hurry at all as the black child is kicked in the face several times.

The video is distressing and traumatising.

If it was a gang of black children attacking a white child it would have been a serious outcry, but who cares it was just a black child.

If it is of some comfort, the police later arrested few people. We must indeed applaud the Surrey police for stamping in and arrest the culprits. We still hope the headmaster in his unapologetic attitude will resign in shame.

Black children face this kind of racism every day. They are likely to be accused of things they have not done simply because they are black.

John Matenga of East London, England, narrates his nightmare when his 11-year-old son was accused of sexual assault.

The child was accused of having touched the breast of a classmate eleven.

The girl said as she squeezed through the door during a rush hour break she felt her breast being touched. She said she looked and saw this black child a distance away and straight away she realised that touch was a black touch.

The young boy was taken through horror when teachers grilled him for hours before they referred him to the police. It took the police three weeks to clear the young boy who was by then being called a paedophile by other classmates while the so-called victim’s name was kept private.

This stigma will live with this black child for a very long time.

Research also reveals that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of young black British people do not trust the police to act fairly towards them, while more than half (54 percent) do not trust officers to act without prejudice or discrimination.

A similar number (55 percent) worry about being falsely accused of a crime. 70percent of young black British people felt the need to alter their hair.

The experience of young black people in the UK reflects that of their peers in other parts of the world.

In the US, a 14-day study involving black adolescents in Washington DC showed that they dealt with an average of five racial incidents a day, which can negatively impact academic performance.

Sarajevo-born education expert Melisa Erkurt told Metropole that cultural biases and systemic racism within the Austrian school system were limiting migrant children from learning proper German.

Bias and barriers chip away at and ultimately shape the life experiences of young black people in the UK, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

Many black children are discouraged to take courses which have no challenge in their lives.

Important courses are sold to the white children who are encouraged to do law, medicine, sciences and banking.

The only reason why black people excel in sports is because the ground is level and is played in the open.

Otherwise if soccer was played in private no black person will ever be a best soccer player. The discrimination of black children is deeply depressing and totally flabbergasting.

The Minister of State for Equalities by Command of Her Majesty, March 2022 presented a Command paper number: CP 625.

The minister started by saying: “If there is one thing at the heart of this government’s agenda, it’s that anyone in this country should be able to achieve anything, no matter where they live or come from.

As a black woman, a first-generation immigrant and the Minister for Equalities, I passionately believe in this idea too. It is my lived experience.

“I also know, however, that not everyone in this country has had this experience.”

Britain has shown that many people believe certain systems are flawed or actively rigged against the black people,– be it in the workplace, in education, or the criminal justice system blacks are always discriminated against.

Whilst there have been many advances and worthwhile initiatives led by campaigners and people drawing attention to disparities and injustice, there is clearly a need for a more systemic approach on the part of government which is informed by a coherent overall analysis and philosophy.

While there is a serious government effort to deal with racism we can unpick properly other numerous factors behind disparities, including socio-economic background, educational failure and family breakdown.

The painful factor is that racism does still exist in some areas and does still require action to overcome it. Mark Morrisons a black Zimbabwean in the UK said

Another sad story was told by Chenai Maringaseni who said: “I was driving with my parents from Peterborough to Stevenage. Our car was hit from behind by a speeding car driven by a white couple.

“I was thrown out of the window unconscious, when the ambulance crew arrived they all rushed to the white couple. I was told that I lay unconscious for 10 minutes before passers-by voiced their disgust. It was then I was attended to and I can tell the story. If only my parents were white they may have been alive now.

“Racism is rife and it disgusts. The government is doing all it can to contain the situation but it is hard.”

As Dr Sewell said in his report on Racism in the UK: “Put simply, we no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities. The impediments and disparities do exist, they are varied, and ironically very few of them are directly to do with racism.”

“Inclusive Britain sets out a raft of measures that translate the findings from the Commission’s report into concrete action.”

Dr Sewell went on to say: “We do not agree with those who think that lack of opportunity should be seen solely through the prism of ethnic minority disadvantage. We do not believe that any group is less intrinsically capable than any other – ability is spread across the population. But opportunity is not.”

Zimbabwean children in the UK pray that every action be crafted to deliver an unwavering commitment to ensure that everyone in Britain no matter their background, gender, sexuality, creed or colour – has the opportunity to go as far in life as their ambition will take them.

Better schools and colleges, better job opportunities, better health outcomes all have a role to play. A lot has to be done to build black people’s trust in the institutions that are central to public life.”

It is true that Britain is one of the fairest countries in the world, but it continues to strive to go even further to give people the best chance of success in life.

A person’s race, social or ethnic background must not be a barrier to achieving their ambitions. Children must have the eyes which see no colour.

Children look up to the government to ensure equality and fairness,to ensure that prejudice and discrimination have no place in our society. No exceptions. No excuses.

We must achieve this by tackling discriminatory behaviour where it might exist, and adopting policies that build trust and promote fairness.

The UK is an open, tolerant and welcoming country, with a great history and great people.

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