By
Ginevra House
GINEVRA HOUSE speaks to residents in York about their experience of racism
THE government’s controversial report into racial and ethnic disparities in the UK, published on 31 March, made some surprising assertions. It stated that “we no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”. I wanted to know if this reflected the experiences of York’s ethnic minority citizens, so I reached out on Nextdoor, a social network that connects local neighbours with each other.
I asked my neighbours: do these findings fit with your experiences – of the UK generally and York specifically? What's it like to live in York if you're not white and/or British? Have you experienced casual, day-to-day racism or discrimination? What about systemic racism – for example, from police, in education, or health services? Or perhaps the opposite – have people gone out of their way to make you feel welcome? Is York easier to live in than other parts of the UK? Maybe ethnicity just isn't something that affects you, and your life is much like anyone else's?