“[W]e no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities” states a report published by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Minorities in March 2021. Encouraged by, but independent from the UK Government, the Commission was tasked to examine ethnic disparities in the UK in the wake of global protests by the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Minorities Report (“The Sewell Report”) was chaired by Dr. Tony Sewell who collaborated with ten other commissioners whose diverse specialisms aimed to provide a coherent, informed and broad understanding of racism and its consequences in the UK.

Now months later, it is important to re-examine the significance of this research and its impact on national and international communities.

THE SEWELL REPORT’S FINDINGS

The Sewell Report makes 24 recommendations to address ethnic disparities. These touch on education and training, employment and fairness at work, crime and policing, and health. It is grounded in data supplied by the Census, Race Disparity Unit, the Office of National Statistics, and polling by independent organisations.  

Data extracted from British Future Polling suggests that the majority of ethnic minority British individuals agree that race relations have improved over the past 50 years, and that there is “no big divide” between white and minority ethnic individuals.

The conclusion of the report is one of optimism: progress has been made concerning race relations over the past 50 years despite “challenges” that remain. Such challenges were addressed by looking at an intersection of socio-economic factors to conclude that in the majority of disparities most of which “do not have their origins in racism”.

Overall, regarding racism, the report finds that there is no evidence of institutional or structural racism in the UK. While acknowledging that “overt racism” still occurs, it claims that the UK is an exemplary nation moving towards a post-colonial society. This means that the UK is positively moving towards a theoretical society within which it would be free from racial discrimination and prejudice.

CONTROVERSY OVER THE REPORT

The denial of institutional racism within the report has been the focus of controversy. In particular, the report has been accused of fitting the political narrative advanced by the government. This is because the report, similar to the government, condemns “unconscious bias training,” discussions of “white privilege,” and accusations of systemic, structural, or institutional racism. These concepts are all encapsulated by a philosophical movement titled "critical race theory,” which Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch openly condemned in the House of Commons prior to the publication of the report. The significance of critical race theory is found in its use within current anti-racism campaigns and the Black Lives Matter movement, which encourage white individuals to acknowledge their privileged position within a racial hierarchy established through colonialism.

One example, found in The Runnymede Trust’s statement (a race equality think tank), argued that the report was inadequate and insulting to minority ethnic individuals. In particular, its stark comparison between black students and working class white students’ attainment was a redundant comparison for the simple fact that working class white students are not victims of racism—the focus of the report. Such a comparative lacks nuance as it appears to invalidate the lived experiences of people of colour in the world of work and higher education where a 13% minority ethnic attainment gap in universities speaks to social isolation as well as socio-economic factors that stunt success. 

The report’s statement that the UK was an exemplary nation in its work against racism was of course condemned by international bodies. In particular, the UN’s statement against the Commission speaks to the disservice of the report’s statement. Their response argues that the report offers little evidence to support the claims it makes and places blame on people of colour, the very people affected by racism and institutional disparities. They deny the claim made by Sewell that institutional racism is not prevalent in the UK, arguing that his foreword “sanitises” history and devalues the experiences and deaths of millions of enslaved Africans. The international response here summarises the report as a repackaging of “racist tropes”, significant in its stark contradiction to the Report’s claim that the UK was a beacon leading European countries towards post-racism.

IMPACT ON MINORITY ETHNIC COMMUNITIES

Over the past few months, the impact of the report on minority ethnic communities in the UK has been felt within anti-racist movements and the lived experience of ethnic minority individuals. The report’s overwhelming placement of blame on anti-racist movements for advocating unconscious bias training, white guilt, and “dominant” negative narratives of racism within the UK within the media was particularly damaging. This is because it subsequently permits those individuals who intend to delegitimise anti-racism, excusing real racism and racist rhetoric by turning a blind eye or finding scapegoats in the media and contemporary movements rather than resolving the disparities between whites and minority ethnic individuals. Furthermore, the report is patronising to ethnic minority individuals, acting as a disturbing example of the UK’s problem with racism in its ignorance of the realities of racism and white privilege.

Just typing “Sewell report” into a search engine will result with an overwhelming quantity of articles criticising the report for a variety of different reasons. This may be a sign that trust ought to be built by the government and support extended to minority ethnic communities and the anti-racism movements that the Commission appears to condemn.

The Prime Minister’s call for the Commission a year ago acted as a symbol of hope and encouragement for minority ethnic communities. The trust that such individuals had in the Government at this point has been diffused as the outcome of the Commission has somewhat invalidated minority ethnic communities whose lived experience may shed a light on the racism felt by people of colour in the UK. Minority ethnic communities need to be provided with a sense of solidarity, that the Government cares about their interests more than their political agenda encapsulating a “war on wokeness,” which unproductively pits ideologies against each other rather than bringing about actual change.