Mixed race people are not either-or

Sarah Owen MP

@SarahOwen_

I write as one of those people. My mum is one of the thousands of migrants from Malaysia who came to work in our NHS, while my dad is white British and was a firefighter.

Growing up as a mixed-race kid in the eighties, in a predominantly white seaside town, was not always fun. It ranged from the mundane racist playground bullying of overstretched eyes and mocking accents, to the masked kindness of “but how will they ever really know who they are,” to the extreme and outright dangerous. As a teen, a girl brought a knife into school, showed it to my friends and said she wanted to stab me because she "didn’t like it when races mixed".

Thankfully, my friends reported this before anyone was hurt. But what is deeply concerning looking back was that this teenage girl learned that behaviour from someone; no one is born racist.

That was in the 90’s, pre-internet and social media, so it was clearly a close influence that instilled this hateful idea into a young mind. But in a day and age where anyone can influence anyone with a comment or share, the move to counter racism and hatred has to be more robust, stronger and louder.

Unfortunately, the conversation around mixed heritage experience and contributions has been largely unheard — which is at odds with the growing number of us in the UK. According to the ONS national census of 2021, the number of people identifying as 'White and Asian' rose 43 per cent to 488,225; 'White and Black African' rose 50 per cent to 249,596. 'Other Mixed or Multiple Ethnic Groups' showed the fastest growth: up 61 per cent to 467,113.

In diverse and vibrant places like Luton, many people are growing up with mixed heritage, with parents from all over the globe, such is the melting pot of the town I represent.

Mixed-race people need to be part of the conversation. A few years ago, I met Louise Jaunbocus-Cooper and Marcus Shepherd, creators of MixEd, an educational organisation working on improving understanding and inclusion for mixed-heritage people.

I was struck by one of their aims. It’s a simple but surprisingly unrealised vision so far: “Mixed-heritage people are automatically included and considered in conversations on race, identity and racism.”

In 2024, it’s hard that something as simple as not having the conversations about us, without us, needs to be called for. But it is needed and it must happen.

The new Labour Government have pledged to deliver a Race Equality Act, which is welcome news and can’t come soon enough. Many of us know that ethnic minority people, including those of mixed heritage, often facing worse outcomes on health, pay and education. The new law will enshrine full rights to equal pay, but will also strengthen protections against ‘dual-discrimination’ – because sadly, we too often see that racism, misogyny and homophobia can go hand-in-hand.

Ignorant and prejudiced comments like those made by the former US President are nothing new – but need they need to be called out and challenged, on behalf of the millions of mixed-race people who are proud of their background: not either/or, but as the whole person and mix that we are.

In Luton, we have a proud record of challenging divisive ideology and celebrating the integration of our many diverse communities. I know that other parts of the UK shine through in this way too. But if we want national progress – to ensure our society as a whole can embrace our many identities – we absolutely have to involve our large and varied mixed-heritage population in the conversation.

Sarah Owen is the Labour MP for Luton North and a candidate to be Chair of the Women & Equalities Select Committee.

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