Our racist pasts: a history of racism in the US and UK

Disclaimer: I am white person. What I write below is to educate other white people about their privilege and the disparities in our society, including population, history, representation and social discrimination. 

So far in 2020, we have had severe bushfires in Australia, wiping out large numbers of already endangered species (source: bbc), followed by a deadly pandemic that was started with the human consumption of a bat in a (potentially unsanitary) food market (source: wired), and tragically led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the world. We are currently in month six (it’s June, as I write this). Most countries are coming out of a three month lockdown, which has impacted our economies and in some countries, led to a high number of job losses. In the US, there have been protests,  predominantly by white Americans, on the street with guns (!!!), protesting their right to work and/or get their haircut. This was dealt with civilly by the Police. In contrast, there have been multiple cases of police brutality, some against innocent civilians, resulting in the death of three black people: George Floyd (source: bbc) Breonna Taylor (source: ny times) and Ahmaud Abery (source: bbc). And on top of all of this, their “great” (I use the term, sarcastically) President think’s it’s a good idea to have posted the following on Twitter:

There is so much privilege to unpick here (and Trump is a whole other blog post of concern) but namely that when Twitter – a service that a private company owns and which Trump chooses to use, and of which he would have accepted the “Terms of Service” to be able to use – which, by the way, does include a clause against inciting violence (source: twitter) – put a warning label on his tweet because he broke one of the “Terms of Service”, he became enraged and the following day threatened to legislate against the company. He was incredulous that a (global) company would censor his “freedom of speech” (1st Amendment), in this way, though it resulted from his own violation of their “Terms of Service”. Unfortunately, the US does not have the same sanctions as we do in the UK for “hate speech”, however, there are protections against this in “Common Law” (source: cornell law school).

In response to this situation, a man, far smarter than me, posted this on Twitter, basically summing up racism in America, and the ugly truth that was later disclosed.

*It’s worth re-looking at the date of that tweet – it was before the protests.

I think it would be helpful in this situation to educate some people about US history (though I have very limited knowledge about this myself – I’ll share what I know but, disclaimer, there will be gaps). And I’ll also talk about the history of the UK and the problems we have with racism, here, in the UK.

The racism we have in the UK (though still racism) IS different to American racism. I’m going to explain why. I’m going to explain why both are bad for different reasons and I’m going to explain what we, as white people, should be doing to make this situation better for everyone.

What is modern-day racism?

When we look at racism, we generally want to consider the following four things:

1. institutional
2. structural
3. interpersonal
4. internalised

(source: slow factory foundation)

Each of these four things can be severe or less severe in any country. You could have a country, whose structural dimension aims to cease discrimination (such as the UK) but of which some institutions are problematic and uphold certain value i.e. House of Lords has 6 % representation against 13% of total POC in UK (source: Parliament). We have a large problem, in the UK, with interpersonal (social) racism, largely related to immigration (which I’ll touch on later). We also have other countries, such as the US, who are widely criticised for systemic and structural racism, which occurs in most of their institutions upholding racist policies (which I’ll touch on in more detail below).

Population & Demographics

UK*: In the 2011 census, the population of England & Wales was 56.1 million. Please see ethnicity breakdown below.

White 86 %
Asian 7.5 %
Black 3.3 %
Mixed race 2.2 %
Other 1 %

US: America has more recent figures. In the 2019 census, their population was 328 million. Ethnicity breakdown below.

White 60.4 %
Hispanic or Latino 18.3 %
African American 13.4 % *
Asian 5.9 %
Two or more races 2.7 %
Native Indian American 1.3 %
Native Hawaiian 0.2 %

(You’ll probably also realise that the American officials can’t add up on their census website. I found no reason why their total population breakdown adds up to 102.2%, yet it does. Please don’t blame the person copying the facts from the original source.)

*It’s worth noting that in London, this data is slightly different (as it’s one of the UK’s most diverse cities. Here’s the London figures for completion (disclaimer: I live here).

White 59.8 %
Asian 18.5 %
Black 13.3 %
Mixed race 5 %
Other 3.4 %

Summary:

• In UK: Black people make up 3.3 % of total (2011) population, which means the black population of the UK is approx. 1.9 million.
• In US: Black people make up 13.4 % of total (2019) population, which means the black population of the US is approx. 43.9 million.

There are a very large number of African Americans (or self-identified “black” ethnicities) in the US. 13.4 % of the total population equates to roughly 43.9 million people. That’s over 1 in 7 of people. Theoretically speaking, and assuming proportional representation, in a classroom of 30 kids that would include 4 black kids. If you worked in an office with 500 people, you would (theoretically) have 71 black colleagues.

In the UK, 3.3 % of the UK population are (self-identified) black ethnicities, this equates to roughly 1.9m people. This is 1 in every 30 people. In a classroom of 30 kids that would, (obviously) theoretically, and assuming proportional representation, be 1 black kid in a class of 30. If you worked in an office with 500 people, you would (theoretically) have 3 black colleagues. Of course, we know the systems aren’t as simple, or as fair, as that.

A Brief History of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a Kingdom, and a country, of immigrants. Great Britain was established in 1707 when England, Scotland and Wales came together under the “Treaty of Union”. England itself is a very old country (thought to exist for approximately 800,000 years) and long before we started to “properly” measure time. British history is pretty gruesome and complex, so I will try to summarise in a few short paragraphs.

The original Britons were thought to be Celtic, followed by a Roman invasion (in 43 AD), followed by Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) migration in the 5th century, followed by Viking (Scandinavians) raids in the 8th century, followed by the rule of monarchies: the Normans (William The Conqueror) from 1066, the French from 13th century (Lancaster, York, Beaufort families) and this line of succession was overthrown in the “War of the Roses” (between 1455 and 1487), ending with the famous Tudor (Welsh) and Stuart (Scottish) families ruling England from 1485-1653. They were overthrown in 1653 by a military dictatorship, after the Civil War (see: Oliver Cromwell). The monarchy was restored in 1660 by Charles II but there were lots of wars between families wanting to secure the throne. In 1689, one of our most constitutional documents “The Bill of Rights” was passed which restricted the Monarchy’s power, which included not being able to overrule laws passed by parliament, levy taxes without parliamentary consent, raise army during peacetime without parliamentary consent and unduly interfere with elections. The Industrial revolution followed in 1820-1840, which (loosely also) gave us the colonial British Empire (16th-18th centuries). In 1913, The British Empire had 23% of the world population under its rule, including Canada, Thirteen Colonies in what is now the United States (see below), and other countries such as India, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Zanzibar, etc (source: Brittanica).

The British Empire was decolonised in the 20th century, mostly due to loss of power in the World Wars. Most of the British Empire‘s overseas territories became independent countries but immigrants can still remain subjects to relaxed immigration rules. Most of the countries that were previously colonies under The British Empire became part of the 54 Commonwealth countries, which was established as recently as 1949 (source: the commonwealth). The Queen still rules in 15 “Commonwealth realms“, including: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia & Tuvalu (source: the royal family).  The Commonwealth has also previously included British colonies such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Jamaica, etc, etc.

England joined the United Kingdom in 1707 (source: historic uk) and the UK joined the EEC (now known as the EU) in 1973 (source: parliament).

When you look at the make up of UK immigrants, they mostly come from EU and Commonwealth countries. It is useful to know that the UK today (that 86 %) is mostly made up of descendants of Anglo-Saxon and Vikings, as well as the more recent immigrants from the EU and (now) Commonwealth countries. A lot of UK racism is aimed at “immigrants”; we have a strong media influence, which tends to stoke the conflicts between UK born and migrants. (It’s worth noting that many black or POC people are now 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants and were actually born in the UK.)

Britain and the Slave Trade

Britain was, of course, involved in the “Slave Trade”, which is something our history teachers like to gloss over (source: national archives). In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain led global exploration, colonising large empires overseas. The English, French and Dutch also began to establish colonies and trade networks in the Americas. Part of these trade networks included the sale and transport of “slaves” to the Americas. In the interests of total transparency, England was dominant in the sale of human slaves between 1640 and 1807 (that last date is the year the British slave trade was abolished).  It is estimated that Britain transported 3.1 million Africans (of whom 2.7 million arrived) to the British colonies in the Caribbean, the Americas and to other countries (source: national archives).

There were “Thirteen (British) colonies” in the British Empire (and as they are now):

1. Maine
2. New Hampshire
3. Connecticut
4. Rhode Island
5. Delaware
6. New York
7. New Jersey
8. Pennsylvania
9. Virginia
10. Maryland
11. North Carolina
12. South Carolina
13. Georgia

Slaves were mostly used in the Colonies and not so much in Britain itself, though some of the rich merchants did return to England with their own slaves (source: historic England). It’s worth knowing this because the British did substantially contribute to the enslavement of millions of Africans.

A Brief History of the United States

The history of the United States is essentially that it was stolen from the Native Americans, who were the early settlers. In 1492, Christopher Columbus (an Italian explorer) started the European Colonisation of the Americas, which was generally led by the Spanish to create the “New World”. Britain was also involved in the colonisation (see above). England’s first permanent settlement in America was founded in 1607 in Jamestown, led by Captain John Smith and managed by the Virginia Company. There were colonial fights between Dutch and English merchants for ownership of the States and the plantations for many years (source: the history channel).

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Africans were kidnapped from their homeland, trafficked and forced into slavery in these colonies – exploited to work on British, Spanish and Dutch-owned plantations to produce crops like tobacco and cotton. The 1864 Kansas-Nebraska Act, unfortunately, opened all America’s territories to Slavery. Opposition in the North, surprisingly, led to the formation of the Republican party, who opposed the extension of slavery into the western territories (this was potentially quite a different Republican party to the one we see today). The northern colonies became important for industry and manufacturing and agriculture was limited. However, the southern colonies profited from large scale farming, which wholly relied on slave labour. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected and it caused several of the southern states (South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas) to break away from the Americas and form the “Confederate States of America“.

The Civil War started in 1861, after decades of tension over slavery, rights and expansion. “The Union” victory (supposedly) freed all slaves in the “rebellious states” from January 1, 1863. The “Confederate Surrender” ended the Civil War in 1865 – the same year that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The south was left in ruins but the nation’s slaves were (supposedly) freed (source: the history channel).

Though African-Americans were supposedly liberated in the late 19th and early 20th century, a collection of state and local statutes, known as “The Jim Crow laws“, legalised racial segregation. These were “Black Codes” which specified how, when and where former slaves could work – and for how much compensation. These laws took their rights to vote and controlled how they lived – even seizing their children for labour.

Eventually under the 14th Amendment, African-Americans were granted the right to vote and were allowed birthright citizenship, which extends to descendants of freed black slaves and immigrants even today. That’s not to say there wasn’t tension between white and blacks during this period; “Knight Riders” (did you know this term was racist? I didn’t!) went out at night and burned the (self-owned) homes of African Americans. Southern, wealthy, white democrats (!!!), attempted to roll back the freedoms ensued by the “Confederate Surrender“.  The Ku Klux Klan, originating in Tennessee, was originally a private club of white “Confederate” veterans, which grew into terrorising black communities: their legacy, unfortunately, still exists today – associated with far right, fascist groups.

When we talk about “Systemic Racism”, this is what we mean. There were laws (“Jim Crow laws“), which specifically worked against black citizens and the American legal system, which was often run by “Confederate” veterans now working as police and judges, upheld these laws and ensured black people would not win court cases to determine their freedoms. These codes also worked in operation with (prison) labour camps; those incarcerated were (again) treated as enslaved people. Black offenders typically also received longer sentences than white equals (as many would argue is the case still, today). Many of them died in the prisons (source: history channel).

These “Jim Crow laws” continued to be in operation well into the 20th century. It was only after the second world war (1945) and “Civil Rights movements” (of the 1950s & 60s) that things improved. As late as 1964 (which, by the way, was only 56 years ago), President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which ended the segregation and allowed both votes and ownership of homes.

Today

It’s worth noting that rich families operate as dynasties that hand material wealth, and the freedoms associated, through the generations. 56 years ago (probably the age of your parents or grandparents) African-American families were not allowed to own homes. So your grandparents (or great grandparents) would have been unable to own property. Those of us who aren’t from those dynasties (as most of us aren’t) tend to rise in the class system, as we accrue material wealth from our own jobs or endeavours. And this is true for some African-American families – they have received a good education (often from extended social mobility, educational policies or scholarships which have actively encouraged participation from African-American communities), worked in well-paid jobs and eventually managed to rise from the poverty to which they were, too often, born. The most prolific example of this is the Obamas: Barack was born in Hawaii to a white mother and a Kenyan father; Michelle was born in Chicago to black parents and one of her great grandparents migrated from a southern plantation to the city of Chicago. Michelle was (proudly) raised on the “south side” of Chicago – a neighbourhood that she describes as a largely African-American community. They both went to “Ivy League” universities (Harvard & Princeton) and both worked in (comparatively) well paid jobs in law and public service (source: Becoming by Michelle Obama). And we all know the fate of Barack Obama – who became the United States’ first black President!

A study taken in 2017 (three years ago), showed the median income of white homes in the US was 10 times that of black households (source: the guardian). And the reason is largely to due with social mobility, education and access to well-paid jobs, which has only been recently extended to African-Americans.

When we look at the history of both the UK and the UK, it is probably shocking to British citizens (both black and white) the measures these white “Confederates” took to ensure their “supremacy” but still in the UK, of the 50s and 60s, white landlords would put up signs in their windows, such as “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish”, discriminating against immigrants (source: each other).

In the UK, we often consider ourselves to be very tolerant of immigration and we have laws that, specifically, exist to protect citizens from discrimination (see above). But even in our country, most of these rights didn’t come into effect until the late 60s. In 1968, parliament passed the Race Relations Act and people have been able to prosecute against discrimination since then (assuming, of course, they have the funds to do so). The more recent Equality Act 2010 has merged most of the original discrimination laws, including:

• the Equal Pay Act 1970
• the Sex Discrimination Act 1975
• the Race Relations Act 1968
• the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
• the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
• the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
• the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
• the Equality Act 2006, Part 2
• the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007

(source: equality & human rights commission)

Many of you who grew up under New Labour (as I did) may remember the proliferation of social policies and educational support (including scholarships) specifically for POC or from lower income households. This wasn’t coincidental. It was an attempt to redress the balance and provide social mobility for young people to digress from the poverty they may have been born into. Growing up, we didn’t understand this push to offer POC places at top universities or in employment graduate schemes – it seemed unfair that (white) people from poorer backgrounds weren’t offered the same support. When I asked a teacher about this at my school (I had to be taught too), they explained the difference between equality and fairness. I think the below image summarises this quite well – and shows us our own (inherited) privilege.

We do still have a culture of racism in the UK. It’s largely from poorer families, upset by social mobility policies that excluded them, or “internalised” discourse passed down from the older generations, who somehow believed they were more deserving of rights because they were born in this country. Holistically speaking, we are all, of course, human and many would argue (myself included) there are many basic human rights that a person should be afforded regardless of where they live or where they were born. To live a life free from discrimination, anywhere in the world, should (arguably) be one of them.

I also just want to very quickly touch on the subject of the economy. Our economy was built on cheap imports from lands occupied by the British Empire and our economy has substantially benefited from the use of slave labour. That is British history. If people (of any creed or colour) live or are, even more importantly, born here then they should be given the same rights as our (white) citizens. No question.  Many black and Asian POC are second and third generation and should without any doubt (or argument) legally be given the same freedoms and rights, as their white counterparts. Immigrants (one of which I am a descendent of to be completely transparent) who have been given the “right to remain” (a legal status comparable to UK citizenship, but without the right to vote) should be given the same human rights, as any other person in our society. None of these people should face any sort of discrimination. But, of course, we don’t live in a perfect society and we know we have social issues with racism in the UK. We need to actively work to rectify the social (often unconscious) racism in ourselves, and in others.