BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Is Liverpool a uniquely racist city?
THE racist murder of black teenager Anthony Walker sent shock waves across the world.
THE racist murder of black teenager Anthony Walker sent shock waves across the world. Ordinary people, black and white, could not comprehend that an 18-year-old student could be axed to death because of the colour of his skin.
Anthony's family has begged for his death not to have been in vain and have pledged to tackle racism in Merseyside. The devout Christian's death sparked a long line of events in his name; concerts, vigils and sporting tournaments, to hammer home the message that black or white, we are all human beings.
Anti-racist campaigners are now questioning whether his death has made any fundamental change to our attitudes and fear there could soon be another Anthony Walker.
Merseyside is not the only region to be hit by such attacks, with the Stephen Lawrence murder in London still a source of deep anger for many.
Campaigners say just because Anthony's killers were caged for 42 years between them, it does not mean that justice has been done and we can sit back and relax.
In the Huyton community where Anthony lived, black and Asian people are still suffering torment at the hands of bigots and racists.
The number of racial incidents reported to Merseyside Police rose by 87% in the month after the July 7 bombings in London.
Politicians have refused to accept that Liverpool is not the world in one city and Merseyside Police are adamant that the problem is indicative of racial issues across the country.
The Daily Post asks, is racism in society more prevalent in this region than anywhere else in this country?
NEXT YES: The case for >>>>
I can say I do not feel welcome in my home city>
YES SAYS Gloria Hyatt, a founding member of the Campaign Against Racial Harassment
YES SAYS Gloria Hyatt, a founding member of the Campaign Against Racial Harassment
BLACK people suffer daily disadvantages in this city, particularly in education. I say this from my experience as an education consultant for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Liverpool's first black headteacher.
Black children continue to underachieve disproportionately in Liverpool, in their GCSEs and A-Level results and SAT tests.
The universities in the city have expressed concerns they do not have enough black students who are from Liverpool.
Teachers in general have a lower expectation of black children, so it is hardly surprising that Liverpool's black children underachieve when you look at the diversity in the city's teaching population.
There are 5,500 teachers across Liverpool and about 40 of them are black. Seven of them are Liverpool born.
Speaking as a black person from Liverpool I can say that I do not feel welcome in my home city.
There are "no go" areas in parts of Merseyside for black people.
Black people tend to live in Toxteth and the south of the city, because they feel more welcome there and experience racism if they move outside.
If you look at statistics of race-related incidents, particularly after the London bombings on July 7, the incidents doubled in Knowsley where Anthony Walker was killed. In the last two months, there have been 25 attacks on racial minorities in Huyton, where he lived.
In the week before he was killed, the Knowsley Race Hate Steering Group raised concerns about racial tensions in Huyton.
Sefton has one of the highest reported rates of racial bullying at school in the country.
Liverpool is also inherently racist in terms of cultural diversity.
As a black woman, I cannot easily find a hairdressers to have my hair cut, but I can in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham or London. There are hardly any shops, where black people can buy African food.
When friends stay with me, they will ask me to take them to a club where they can listen to Reggae or R&B music, but all those types of clubs have been closed down.
The only time people can see a black show or film or listen to black music is during Liverpool Black History Week. We should not have to wait for a designated week to be able to access parts of our culture.
I cannot buy black literature like The Voice magazine, yet I can buy it in Tesco in other cities.
Liverpool has not responded to the needs of its black community and it feels alienated.
If you are in Toxteth and certain areas of the city centre, people's attitudes towards black people are fantastic, but other areas of Liverpool are very ignorant.
People hoped that the tragic death of Anthony Walker would make a difference and change people's attitudes, but I am sad to say I don't think it has.
Liverpool is a racist city. Politicians and officials deny there is a problem. They say it is the same here as it is in Manchester and Birmingham and London. But how do they know? I am a black person and I have been to these places and I have seen it.
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People are learning what is offensive and avoiding it>
NO SAYS Vinny Tomlinson, chairman of the Merseyside Black Police Association
NO SAYS Vinny Tomlinson, chairman of the Merseyside Black Police Association
I WAS born in Toxteth, but spent most of my childhood outside Liverpool. I have lived in Kirkby and Frodsham in Cheshire.
I have travelled around playing football and with my work. The one thing I have learnt is that you encounter racism everywhere. Yes, it is prevalent on Merseyside, but it is prevalent across the country also.
People think being racist is like being pregnant, you either are or you aren't.
But everybody, whoever you are, has the potential to be racist, including me.
Racist murders are very rare, but the hate that would lead to such a crime is less rare.
Recently I went to a conference of the Scottish equivalent of the Black Police Association. The chairman, an experienced sergeant, said he does not go into pubs on his own when he is wearing civilian clothes.
When a high profile crime is committed, how many hope the suspects are not white? A lot of black people will think, "I hope the suspects are not black". They are examples of so called "white privilege". Things that would not even occur to most white people.
The problems you encounter in Liverpool, I have encountered everywhere.
In Liverpool, a North and South divide has been identified. A week before Anthony Walker was murdered, I remember talking to a Union representative about why we have black communities such as Toxteth or Moss Side in Manchester or Brixton in London etc.
One reason is that black people feel safer there. There is less chance they will be singled out because they are black.
Most black people live in south Liverpool, namely Toxteth and surrounding areas such as Wavertree.
Fewer black people live in North Liverpool, and are more vulnerable as a result. Racism can be encountered anywhere. The economic make-up of an area can influence the dynamics of how it manifests itself.
Black people face everyday disadvantages. Statistically, they are more likely to be stopped by the police, twice as likely to be unemployed or be in a poorer state of health etc. They face additional challenges in school and in work. Ask yourself why?
Within Merseyside Police, racial language is improving and force policy on race hate crime has definitely improved.
People are learning what is offensive language and avoiding it. But is this because their attitudes are changing, or because they want to keep their job?
I think there is a difference between a bigot and certain racists. Bigots need to be held to account, but some racists need education. Racism can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes or behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance and thoughtless racist stereotyping.
It doesn't necessarily mean that people who are racist are deliberately discriminating against people because of their colour. It can be due to ignorance.
And that is a national problem.
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