Prime Time 8. Coursebook plus Semester Self-checks, Schulbuch

UK: Living together separately Different voices What do the following statements made by members of British ethnic minority communities reveal about the experience of being a non-white British citizen? A brief history: The Empire Windrush a) Read the fact file and work out for how many generations the majority of families belonging to ethnic minority groups have been in the UK. b) Discuss possible differences in the way different generations might see both the UK and themselves as individuals. What factors could influence their attitude? 1 “When I was a kid, I was just a Liverpudlian. It was only when I got older that I began to think of myself as a Britishborn Chinese.” “When I was a senior official in the Royal College of Nursing I went to Essex for a meeting, and when I asked to meet the Chief Nurse I was told the place to apply for domestic jobs was around the corner.” „I’d like to identify myself as a martial artist, an Aston Villa supporter, or hiphop reggae person, but when a policeman stops me in the street it has nothing to do with that.“ “None of the political parties truly represents me.” “So many schools have become singlerace schools.” “The day we have a black or Asian Brit presenting and winning Pop Idol will be the day we achieve a hell of a lot more than any antidiscrimination law.” “However I see myself, my identity is partly about how others see me. My race will always be a significant part of that.” 2 Fact file • • 22 June 1948: This day marked the beginning of change in British society with the arrival of the ship Empire Windrush in London with 492 immigrants from the West Indies. At the time all British Empire and Commonwealth citizens had the right to enter Britain because they carried British passports. • • 1950s and 1960s: This period saw the mass immigration of Blacks from the Caribbean and Asians from the Indian subcontinent, the newcomers settling mainly in London and in big industrial towns in the Midlands and north. Although they were needed because of labour shortages in the British economy, the prejudice and fear of white people caused racial tension which sometimes escalated into violence. • • 1972: Political pressure resulted in the restriction of immigration, so that by that time British passport-holders born overseas only had the right to enter Britain if they could prove they had a parent or grandparent who was born in the UK. • • 1976: The Commission for Racial Equality was set up to deal with cases of racial discrimination. • • 2000: New anti-discrimination legislation was introduced after an inquiry into the police’s handling of the murder of a black teenager had found that racism was a problem in some public institutions. • • Since 2004: Although there is still some immigration from former Commonwealth countries, the enlargement of the European Union has resulted in new immigrants now coming mainly from eastern Europe. • • 2016: The enormous influx of migrants from Eastern Europe was one of the contributing factors that led to the Brexit vote. F 51 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv