WE NEED A BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR

THE ADVANCEMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE

Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

We need a British Association for the Advancement of Black People

In 1905, William E.B. Du Boi and a group of other prominent African Americans gathered
together at Fort Erie, near the Niagara Falls, to deliberate on the challenges and obstacles
facing African Americans in the USA. This gathering led to the formation of the Niagara
Movement, which later metamorphosed into the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. The NAACP mission is to ensure the political,
educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial
hatred and racial discrimination.

In the United Kingdom, the black community also faces many challenges, which contribute to
a continuous increase in the inequality gap between this community and the general
population in most endeavors of life. In response to these challenges, obstacles and
inequalities, a similar movement to the NAACP is needed in the United Kingdom. In short,
we need to create a British Association for the Advancement of Black People (BAABP).

Despite the progress made over the years, the UK black community still faces many
difficulties. Challenges such as educational under performance, health issues, inequality in the
justice system, lack of economic empowerment, discrimination, breakdown of family
structure cut across the spectrum of our community irrespective of age, gender or economic
status.

Black people are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed in relation to the general
population, even when they have the relevant skills and qualifications. The UK
unemployment rate among black people is almost three times higher than the rate for the
white population. In education, students from the black community are three times more
likely to be excluded from school in comparison to white pupils. Moreover, black boys have
the lowest levels of GCSE attainment in the country, with only 27 per cent of black Caribbean
boys and 36 per cent of black African boys achieving five or more good GCSEs compared to
57 per cent nationally.

The situation is no different in the criminal justice system, where black people are over-
represented at every stage of the system. Despite accounting for 2.7% of the total UK
population, black people account for 8.5 per cent of those arrested in England and Wales and
relative to their white counterparts are five times more likely to be remanded in prison, seven
times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police and 50 per cent more likely to be
referred through the criminal justice system. Furthermore, according to the Youth Justice
Board, 9.2 per cent of young black people have been remanded in custody before receiving a
disposal, compared with 4.6 per cent of white young people.

With regard to other issues, black people account for 10 per cent of mental health inpatients
and are 44 per cent more likely to be sectioned under the 1983 Mental Health Act.
Furthermore, the rising trend of teenage pregnancy, absent father figures, single homes,
prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poverty, gang culture and teenage killings continue to ravage our
community.

Currently, there is a diverse range of black voluntary and community groups set up to address
difficulties facing our communities. These organizations have helped to raise awareness of
the challenges and to mitigate their impacts. However, there is a limit to what these
organizations can do individually primarily due to membership and funding constraints.
These constraints partly explain their inability to influence public policy on black related
issues. A broad based organization like the proposed BAABP could help in effectively
mobilizing our community to tackle the challenges we face as a group.
The BAABP could be structured as a broad based civil and political rights organization with
membership open to people within our community irrespective of age, social status or
education. People outside our community who are interested in seeking solutions to the
impediments facing black people in the UK could be granted membership of the BAABP.
Funding of the BAABP could come from individual members and contributions from
corporate organizations, sponsorship and the hosting of special events.

To be effective, it would be important for church leaders, community organizers, artists,

media practitioners, business executives, academics, politicians and other individuals within
our community to lend their support to the BAABP. The BAABP could collaborate and
support other black voluntary groups in advancing the cause of our community. In addition, to
ensure continuity and to meet the needs and expectations of our young people, the BAABP
membership should be fully inclusive and open to everyone in our community, whilst also
engaging young people through mentorship, leadership, sponsorship and educational
programmes. It should also strive to speak out and take action to reduce irresponsible
behavior within our community.

The creation of a BAABP is imperative for several reasons:

• Firstly, an organization that draws membership from a large pool within our community
would give credence to our voice and assist us in developing a united front. This could
potentially enable more attention to be given to the prejudice and inequalities faced by
our community.

• Secondly, the organization would enable our community to draw on its knowledge, skills
and experience, thereby ensuring a collective approach to the solution of our challenges.

• Thirdly, the organization would be able to more effectively use advocacy to advance the
cause of our community and also influence public policies impacting our community.
This is particularly pertinent due to the black community usually being underrepresented
in key policy discussions.

• Fourthly, it would be effective in engaging with government on issues concerning our

community, as the government and other authorities will have a focal point to liaise with
when addressing back related issues.

The BAABP would need to focus on seven key areas essential to our community, which
include education, family values, youth development, economic empowerment, justice,
community development and political participation. This is in addition to tackling other
issues such as educating and engaging the public on perceived misconceptions regarding our
community and dealing with health issues affecting our community.

I would like to address two tools that could be used by the BAABP in achieving its goals
namely media relation and advocacy.

Among some sections of the British press, there appears to be an asymmetric media bias in
reporting news and events concerning the black community. This is evidenced by the
underreporting of news that projects the positive aspects of our community while over-
reporting the negative aspects of our community. This asymmetric bias has a profound effect
on people’s perception of the moral and intellectual compass of the black community. It also
leads to the stereotyping of the black community, thereby potentially preventing people in our
community from realising their full potential. The BAABP could engage in dialog with the
media and take necessary actions to ensure a more balanced reporting concerning our
community. By engaging with the media, it could eventually disabuse the generally perceived
misconception regarding the UK black population.

The second tool that could be used is advocacy. The BAABP could represent the interest of
the black community by advocating our position on political, economic, health, social and
other issues. Currently, the voice of the UK black community is not heard partly due to our
under-representation in politics, media and the justice system. The BAABP could advocate
the interest of the black community through the publication of position papers, white papers
and commentaries on public policies and issues affecting our community. The BAABP could
also engage in face-to-face meetings with politicians, other user advisory and industry groups.
In addition to using advocacy to influence people and bodies outside our community, the
BAABP could use advocacy to educate and influence positive change within our community.

However, despite the positive effects that a BAABP could offer, the creation of such an
organization could potentially draw suspicion from some sections of the media, public and
government. In order to allay such fears, it is important to emphasis what sort of organization
the BAABP should not project. It should not be an organization that focuses solely on racism.
It should not be an organization that suggests that all the challenges facing our community
have been caused by the white community or establishment. This is very important, as a
number of the problems facing our community are often self-inflicted. It should not create an
atmosphere of suspicion of other communities and it should try to engage with other
communities and help in improving race relations with other communities.

Finally, as we celebrate on both sides of the Atlantic the election of Barack Obama as the first
black president of the USA, we should not forget that this historic milestone was achieved
through the collective efforts of millions of African Americans. In the face of slavery,
segregation, lynching, and other degrading attacks, African Americans were able to overcome
through their ability to organize themselves as a collective and united group. At the vanguard
of the struggle were the NAACP and other grass root and civil rights organization, which
addressed these inhuman acts.

Now is the time for the UK black community to be not only united, but to also speak with one
voice. Now is the time for the UK black community to be not only resolute in the midst of our
struggles, but to also seek a lasting solution to these challenges. Now is the time for our
community to not only say that our destiny is in our hands, but to also act collectively. If there
is any time for the creation of a British Association for the Advancement of Black People
NOW IS THE TIME.

Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA

suleao@aol.com