Boris Johnson has been accused – one year after George Floyd’s murder – of being too slow to develop policies to improve life for black Brits.
Figures from business, education and sport insist little has changed at the very top since the death that shocked the world on May 25 last year.
Rohini Kahrs, from the Runnymede Trust – a leading think-tank on the issue of race – said: “Since George Floyd’s murder, the number of FTSE 100 companies with ethnic board representation jumped from 52 to 74.
“We’ve seen the most diverse Oscar nomination list in history. The previously labelled #BRITSoWhite awards was hailed for its diversity.
“Although we are not there yet, clear strides have been made towards ending institutional racism.
“The question remains, where are the policies to reflect this change?
“Our Government has been slow to understand how and where to make the changes that the public, corporations and campaigners are instead initiating themselves.
“Britain can and should follow President Biden’s lead, initiating an honest conversation about what needs to be done for racial equality.”
Youth empowerment worker Mark Prince, who lost his son to knife crime 15 years ago, said: “The change that we want, that we’ve always wanted, hasn’t happened. Let’s be honest, it’s called equality. It’s not difficult.”
Early years teacher Liz Pemberton, who has been in the education system for nearly two decades, said: “There is still a misunderstanding about what child development might look like through a different cultural lens.
“If, for example, a white practitioner is caring for a black child of Caribbean heritage they may not be accustomed to some things specific to that culture.
“You have to have an understanding of cultural nuance – but that is lost when you are, sort of, flat-packing education for children.”
In sport, highly respected Queens Park Rangers technical director Les Ferdinand said: “People talk about small victories we’ve had but I want to know what those small victories are.”
Lord Simon Woolley, who set up Operation Black Vote in 1996, was made chair of the Government’s Race Disparity Unit in 2018.
He said: “Sadly this Government
has set itself full square against the greatest conversation our nation had for some time with faux culture wars.”
But he hopes signs of unity from last summer “when the million or so black and white protesters took the streets” bode well for the future.
“I’m with them 100%,” he said.
