Add your voice to the call for adequate representation in the proposed Commission for Equalities and Human Rights (CEHR). Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, along with those representing disabled people and others, have joined with Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and others, to express their fears about the plans to abolish the Commission for Racial Equality and replace it with a new multi-equality body - the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights. They are concerned that, unless significant changes are made to the Equality Bill, it will weaken rather than strengthen the fight for racial equality.
The statement calls for Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights to be an explicit requirement written into the face of the Equality Bill. It also calls for the new Commission to retain its national base in London - which is one of the world's most diverse cities and home to nearly half of all Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups living in Britain - in addition to strong regional representation. The statement welcomes the provisions for a Disability commissioner and committee, and calls for similar measures for the other areas that the new body will represent.
The Bill will be in Parliament for a third reading as of the 16th January, so lobbying MPs now is critical to delivering changes to this Bill. More than 100 groups and individuals have backed the statement, calling for guaranteed Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights, including Operation Black Vote; Black Londoners Forum; National Assembly Against Racism; the 1990 Trust; Churches Commission for Racial Justice; Muslim Association of Britain; Diane Abbott MP, Sir Bill Morris and Doreen Lawrence OBE.
1. Sign the statement by filling out the web form below
2. Lobby the Minister for Equalities, and the BME MPs / MPs with large BME constituencies, calling on them to back the call for a race committee, BME commissioners, and similar measures for other equality groups.
This is a full list of BME MPs and MPs with large BME constituencies:
stephen@stephentimmsmp.org.uk
lyn@lynbrown.org.uk
shortc@parliament.uk
wicksm@parliament.uk
gapesm@parliament.uk
gardinerb@parliament.uk
mcnultyt@parliament.uk
godsiffr@parliament.uk
gallowayg@parliament.uk
vazk@parliament.uk
dhandap@parliament.uk
hendrickm@parliament.uk
sadiqkhanmp@parliament.uk
glennc@parliament.uk
afriyiea@parliament.uk
contact@ealing-southall-clp.new.labour.org.uk
ashokkumarmp@parliament.uk
mail@davidlammy.co.uk
mahmoodk@parliament.uk
maliks@parliment.uk
sarwar@sarwar.org.uk
singhmp@parliament.uk
VARAS@parliament.uk
Please CC any correspondence to info@naar.org.uk
3. Lobby your MP - you can click here to fax your mp for free.
4.Lobby Meg Munn, the Minister for Equalities, on
dti.correspondence@dti.gsi.gov.uk
5. The third reading will be on the 16th January.
Text of the statement
'We are united in support for a society, which values, upholds and delivers
equality and human rights to all. We welcome specific equality measures contained
in the government's Equality Bill but are concerned about weaknesses in the
proposal for a Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
'To fulfil the expectations of the diverse communities it will need to serve
the CEHR will need to be rooted in the lived experience of inequality. With
respect to disabled people this would be achieved in the statutory requirement,
already in the Bill, to have a Disability Committee and a Commissioner who
is a disabled person.
'However, the Bill lacks such representative and inclusive provision for
other equality communities. Specifically the Bill would abolish the CRE.
Black and minority ethnic communities have expressed strong support for a
statutory requirement for representation among Commissioners and for a Race
Committee. We believe that equality principles must apply equally to all.
Addressing these concerns is essential if the CEHR is to strengthen, rather
than weaken, the fight for racial equality.
'We are also concerned that the Commission retains a national base in London
(in addition to strong regional representation) – which is home to
nearly half of all Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups living in Britain.'
Sign the statement:
Signatories include:
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
1990 Trust
National Assembly Against Racism
Operation Black Vote
Black Londoners Forum
Reverend Arlington Trotman, Secretary Churches’ Commission for Racial
Justice
Doreen Lawrence, OBE The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
Claude Moraes MEP
Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism (LAGCAR)
Pav Akhtar, NUS Black Students' Campaign.
Ruqayyah Collector, Student Assembly Against Racism
Aliyyah Balson, National Black Students Alliance
Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London
Henry Guterman MBE
Barbara Cohen, Discrimination Law Association
Peter Herbert, National Chair, Society of Black Lawyers
David Ruebain, Levenes Solicitors
Muslim Association of Britain
Emmanuel Argo, Global African Diaspora Coalition
Sylbourne Sydial, Jamaica UK Diaspora
London Pakistan Network
Consortium of Bengali Associations
Greater London Forum for Older People
Halkevi Kurdish and Turkish community centre
Fedbir Kurdish Federation in UK
Kurdish Community Centre
Croydon Kurdish Community Centre
London Gypsy and Traveller Unit
Scope
Independent Living Alternatives
National Centre for Independent Living
Disability Awareness in Action
David Morris, Chair, London Inclusive Transport Alliance
Action Disability Kensington and Chelsea
IMAAN
Bryan Teixeira, Naz Project London
Black Lesbian UK
Newham Asian Women’s Project
Tayyaba Sajid, Kiss Group for LBT South Asian, Middle Eastern and North African
Women
Tracey Hylton Coordinator, Black & Equality Merseyside (BEM) Network
Foluke Akinlose, Precious Online The Interactive Magazine for Women of Colour
Dr Pennie Blackburn, Refugee Service, Traumatic Stress Clinic
Ada Maduakoh, Chief Executive, ProDiverse (UK) Ltd
Priti Paintal, Artistic Director, ShivaNova
Emir Feisal, Head of Finance, The Sunday Times
Cllr Trevor Cope, East Devon District Council
Peninah Achicng, Finance and Monitoring Officer, Bristol City Council
Tesfai Berhane, Team Leader Youth and Play, North Lambeth Town Centre
Valerie Grant, Head of Equalities, Luton Borough Council
Dipak Mistry, Senior Social Inclusion Equalities Officer, Northamptonshire
County Council
Raj Nayer, Policy Officer, Luton Borough Council
Makhan Bajwa, Greenwich Council for Racial Equality
Omar Ismail, Director Watford Racial Equality Council
Derma Ioannou, Haringey Racial Equality Council
Florence Adeyemi, Race and Hate Crime Development Officer, London Borough
of Tower Hamlets
Lorraine Gilbert, Race Equality Partnership Kensington and Chelsea
Shelagh Maher, Information Officer, Race Equality First
Mary Pearson, Vice President Birmingham Trade Union Council
Carl St Paul, Chair Black & Ethnic Minority members (B&EMM) Fire Brigades
Union
Michael Nicolas, NEC Member, B&EMM Fire Brigades Union
John Perry, Secretary Race Equalities Committee TGWU (London, South East & East
Anglia)
Doug Thorpe, Branch Secretary UNISON Local Authority Associations Branch
Brian Debus, UNISON Joint Branch Secretary
Phil O'Reilly, Brent UNISON Local Government Branch
Angelika Teweleit, UNISON Joint Branch Secretary
Fevzi Hussein, Policy Advisor, Equal Opportunities Department, Communication
Workers Union
Paul Haughton MBE, Chair of RESPECT, HM Prison Service
Ian Johnston, Director, British Association of Social Workers
Tamina Mir, Enterprise Agency Co-ordinator, Enterprise Agency of North Kent
Helen Hintjens, The Hague
Raphaelita Irving, President Red Alert vzw, Belgium
Dan Rebellato, Senior Lecturer, Royal Holloway, University of London
Jude Bloomfield, Research Associate, International Cultural Planning and Policy
Unit, De Montfort University
Balvir Dhillon, Assistant Principal, Coleg Powys
Dr Ajit Kumar, Institute of Vedic Studies
Harsh Srivastav, President, University of Sheffield Students' Union
Claire Haslam, Vice-President, Rochester Students' Union
Seleena Kaur, Bajwa Vice- President, King's College Sikh Society
Kainde Manji, Equal Opportunities Officer, Stirling University
Sanchia Smithson, NUS Black Students Committee
Bell Ribero-Addy, Race Relations Officer, University of Bradford Union
Rachel Earlington, Communications Officer, University of Bradford Union
Phoebe Rowell, Education and Welfare Officer, Lancaster University Student's
Union
Ben Soffa, Post Graduate Students’ Officer, Lancaster University Students'
Union
Wing Yee Li, Student, Edinburgh University
Mark Drybrough, Student, Newcastle University
Ben Pitcher, Student, University of East London
Genevieve Abeydeera
Adil Ahmed
Lisa Anthony-Rigsby
Laila Bana Ahmed
Sarah Cartin
Kuljit Chuhan
Julie Cordice
Anwanyu Donatos
Rosemary Galli
Revd Dr Roswith Gerloff
Pat Haughton
Doreen Henry
Nneka Ikedife
Mohsina Khan
Dave Manneh
Robert Maycock
Michael McCleod
Kate Moger
David Odunukwe
Afolashade Olatidoye
Pamela Powell
Naomi Quinlan
Salim Ullah Kahlon
See the 7th December 2005 press release here