Campaigns
Our Campaigns
Windrush
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Political leaders, celebrities and public figures have joined together to back our national Windrush Campaign
As many are aware, the Windrush Scandal began to surface in 2017 after it emerged that thousands of Black Britons who arrived in the UK from the Caribbean after World War II, many of whom were from the ‘Windrush’ generation, had been wrongly detained, deported and denied legal rights.
Despite the fact that the Home Office said it was “committed to righting the wrongs of Windrush”, the government’s compensation scheme that was established to right these wrongs is still continuing to fail the very same generation. Research by Human Rights Watch (2023) shows that as of January 2023, only 12.8% of the estimated 11,500 eligible claimants have been compensated. This lack of action, care, and remedial support is genuinely shameful. The Home Office itself has even revealed that over 20 people have died while waiting for their Windrush compensation claims to be paid.
That is why we have written to the UK Home Office to ask the department to take action by committing to the following steps:
(1) Establish and publish a clear ‘time limit target’ for handling Windrush compensation claims that are currently managed by the UK Home Office
(2) Publish a reformed national strategy that includes steps to hand over the process to an independent body which understands the needs and experiences of communities affected by the scandal.
We also requested a meeting with the Minister, as we would like to discuss the range of policy recommendations made by organisations, legal experts and civil society groups who have first-hand experience of working with the Windrush generation.
Many of the political leaders, celebrities and public figures (listed below) who co-signed our letter are from Black Caribbean backgrounds themselves. This is an issue that is genuinely close to our hearts, and we are incredibly grateful for the support from our co-signatories.
We hope that the Government Minister listens to this call to action. For far too long, Black communities have endured ongoing harm caused by the UK Home Office. It is crucial that more effective measures are taken by the government.
List of co-signatories of our letter to the UK Home Office:
Marsha de Cordova – MP for Battersea
L’myah Sherae – CEO of Enact Equality
Clive Lewis – MP for Norwich South
Dawn Butler – MP for Brent Central
Kim Johnson – MP for Liverpool, Riverside
Bell Ribeiro-Addy – MP for Streatham
Diane Abbott – MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Lord Simon Woolley – Member of the UK House of Lords and Principal of Homerton College, University of Cambridge
Lord Michael Hastings – Member of the UK House of Lords and Chairman of SOAS University of London
Leigh-Anne Pinnock – Singer, Songwriter, and Founder of The Black Fund
Levi Roots – Celebrity chef, musician and television personality
Cashh – Music artist
Paigey Cakey – Music artist and actress
Big Zeeks – Music artist
Remel London – Radio DJ and presenter
Jords – Music artist and songwriter
DJ Nate – Radio DJ and producer
Dean Forbes – Chairman of Forbes Family Group
Dr Les Johnson – Founder and Chair of the National Windrush Museum
Patrick Vernon OBE – Windrush campaigner
Lester Holloway – Editor of the Voice Newspaper
Lisa Anderson – Managing Director of the Black Cultural Archives
Delroy Corinaldi – Co-founder and Executive Director of the Black Footballers Partnership
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
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Quote from L’myah Sherae, CEO of Enact Equality and founder of this campaign: “There are Black communities across the UK who are still experiencing ongoing harm caused by the actions of the UK Home Office. When I launched this campaign, I wanted to highlight the fact that there are so many public figures across a variety of age groups who genuinely care about the Windrush generation, and want to hold the UK Government to account. I myself am 29 years old, and I know that this issue is one that holds extreme importance amongst my generation, and the generations before. That is why so many of us, from a variety of different professions, age groups and sectors, have joined together to collectively state that the ongoing harm can no longer continue. We want the Home Office to act now, to set clear time limit targets for handling compensation claims, and to take steps to hand over the scheme to an independent body. The Windrush Generation must receive the compensation they deserve”.
Quote from Marsha de Cordova MP: This year we celebrate 75 years since the Windrush Generation came to the UK to help rebuild our country and its public services. Their contributions have had a profound impact on Britain and enriched this country. That’s why the Windrush scandal and how successive Tory governments have treated them, including creating the hostile environment, is a stain on our country. The government must urgently act to right the wrongs through setting a clear ‘time limit target’ for handling Windrush compensation claims and a reformed national strategy that includes steps to hand over the process to an independent body.
Quote from Leigh-Anne Pinnock (Singer, Songwriter, and Founder of The Black Fund): The trauma people faced, and continue to face, as a result of the Windrush Scandal is difficult to begin to process, and it’s something we shouldn’t ever accept as normal. Every person impacted deserves the compensation they are owed for what they went through, and humanity is at its best when we stand together and speak up for justice.
The UK Home Office responded to our letter on 7th July 2023. Their full response can be found below.
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We are very disappointed with the Minister’s position on the Windrush Compensation Scheme, and we are now working directly with members of the UK House of Lords to push for change.
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Afro Hair Discrimination
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Hair discrimination is a form of racial discrimination, and this urgently requires greater recognition. For far too long, institutional policies have been allowed to push Black children, adults and those of Black heritage to conform and mirror Eurocentric hairstyles, often damaging their natural hair in the process.
There have been many hair discrimination cases here in the UK, and we find the continuing need to convey such cases unacceptable. The repeated failure to understand the issues affecting Black hair is a typical occurrence when dealing with a variety of institutions, and based on this, we launched a national campaign against Afro hair discrimination in October 2021.
We wrote to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ask them to issue official guidance about hair discrimination. The letter was co-signed by many renowned organisations, public figures and political leaders, including Wera Hobhouse MP, Lord Simon Woolley, Emma Dabiri, Ruby Williams, The National Hair and Beauty Federation, The British Beauty Council, GLAMOUR Magazine, The Equality Act Review, Dove, Unilever, Pantene, Proctor & Gamble, Shea Moisture, Enact Equality, The Halo Collective, The Advocacy Academy, EqualiTeach and Diverse Educators.
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Our campaign hit headlines across ITV, Channel 5, Politics Home, LBC, the Guardian, Sky News, GLAMOUR Magazine, the Independent and many more.
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We are pleased to announce that, following the launch of our campaign, the Equality and Human Rights Commission have published new national guidance against Afro hair discrimination in schools. We worked with the Commission to create this new policy guidance.
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Key quotes from the new national guidance, published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, can be found below:
- Hairstyles worn because of cultural, family and social customs, can be part of a pupil’s ethnicity and therefore fall under the protected characteristic of race
- If your school’s policy bans certain hairstyles adopted by specific racial or religious groups without the possibility of any exceptions on racial or religious grounds, it is likely to be unlawful on the grounds of indirect race or religion or belief discrimination. This includes hairstyles such as (but not limited to): braids, locks, twists, cornrows, plaits, skin fades, head coverings including religious based head coverings and African heritage head wraps, natural Afro hairstyles
- We recommend you review any relevant uniform, appearance or behaviour policies in line with [our] decision-making tool
- As schools have a safeguarding obligation to protect pupils from race discrimination and bullying, it is good practice for schools to invest in professional development and training for staff in this area.
The full policy guidance can be found here:
L’myah Sherae, Director of Enact Equality and Founder of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education said:
No child should be sent home from school for wearing their natural hair. We want Black children across the UK to know that they can be genuinely proud of their identity, not penalised for it. I am therefore pleased that this guidance is now being published, and I am proud to have been involved in the drafting process. Schools should be safe and supportive environments for all pupils, and race equality in education should be a priority for all teachers. These new resources are an important step towards ensuring that the next generation of children are better protected, and the generations thereafter.
Kim Johnson, MP for Liverpool Riverside and Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Race Equality in Education said:
This is a really important step forwards in tackling hair discrimination against people with afro-textured hair, and in exposing the shocking reality that Black children are loosing out on their education as a result of their natural hair. I’m proud that together we’ve won recognition that hair discrimination is a form of race discrimination. People should be allowed to embrace their cultural heritage and be treated fairly, and not excluded from school because of prejudice and discrimination. No ones education should suffer because of the colour of their skin or the texture of their hair. I’m really pleased that the EHRC will be publishing new guidance after a successful campaign.
We have since been to the Prime Minister’s Office at No.10 Downing Street to discuss the campaign, and the Prime Minister’s Office formally announced their support of new national guidance against Afro hair discrimination in schools.
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We are now working with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to monitor how the new policy guidance is being used by teachers and educators in schools across England, Scotland and Wales.
County Lines
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OUR TRAPPING MOVIE PANEL DISCUSSION AT THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT. STARRING UK RAP ARTIST ABRA CADABRA
Enact Equality hosted a panel event at the Houses of Parliament to provide a thought-provoking discussion centred on topics relating to county lines, gang violence, drug use and structural inequality. The evening also showcased expertise from a variety of speakers – ranging from actors and music artists, to policy experts in the field.
Speakers included:
Abra Cadabra: Music artist and actor
Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP: Member of Parliament for Streatham
L’myah Sherae: Policy expert, campaigner, and CEO of Enact Equality
Femi Oyeniran: Actor and film director
Ben Lindsay: Author, activist and founder of Power The Fight
Amani Simpson: Filmmaker, speaker and youth coach
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Multiple award-winning and two-times BAFTA and GRAMMY® nominated filmmaker Penny Woolcock, teamed up with production company Fan Studios to create the film ‘Trapping’ – a gut-wrenching portrayal of the distressing reality of county lines in the UK – starring renowned music artist Abra Cadabra.
Fan Studios is the brainchild of British directors, actors and Grime pioneers, Femi Oyeniran (Kidulthood) and Nicky “Slimting” Walker.
‘Trapping’ was filmed between the economically deprived areas of London and Kent and stars upcoming actors Louis Ede (who plays leading character Daz), Aaliyah Gohir (who plays Maryam), C-Biz (who plays Bigger Man), Femi Oyeniran (who plays Wole), Nicky Walker, (who plays Slim Man), and Drill group OFB.
It also sees MOBO award winning British Rapper Abra Cadabra (who plays leading county line gang member, Magic) cast in his first ever acting role. Hailing from the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham London, Abra Cadabra weaves his lived personal experience into his debut acting role to deliver a powerful and authentic performance.
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Penguin Books Partnership
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We have an exciting partnership with Penguin Books and Lit in Colour, to support inclusive reading and to widen access to books written by authors of colour.
We are delighted to announce that we have given out over 100 free books to families with children of primary school and/or secondary school age, and all books have been written by Black and Asian authors
We launched this partnership to address the disparities in inclusive reading. For example, 35% of children in secondary schools are from an ethnic minority background, yet fewer than 1% of children at GCSE level have studied a book written by a Black or Asian author. Furthermore, 34% of children in primary schools are from a Black or minority background, whereas only 8% of children’s books have a Black or Asian main character.
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Arts and Humanities
We previously worked with the Arts and Humanities Research Council to deliver programmes across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales about the intersectionality between the arts and humanities sector, and race and ethnicity.
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We worked to:
- Increase greater diversity of thought in the arts and humanities research sector, led by children from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds
- Generate a deeper understanding of what “arts and humanities” means to children across England and the devolved nations
- Improve the careers pathway into the arts and humanities sector, by engaging with children from ethnic minority backgrounds through early years intervention
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Air Pollution
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Air pollution is not evenly distributed, and its impact disproportionately affects minority ethnic and low income communities. Half of London’s recorded childhood asthma hospitalisations between 2021 and 2022 were from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. Nitrogen Dioxide levels in communities of colour are on average 16 to 27% higher than majority white constituencies, and almost half of all existing waste incinerators are in areas with high populations of people of colour.
That is why we are working with a range of political leaders, public figures and community-based organisations to campaign for cleaner air.
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We are hosting focus groups with Black-led organisations to gain a deeper insight into how air pollution affects our local communities. We are also working to uncover which clean air policies resonate best with people from African and Caribbean backgrounds, and aim to raise more awareness about the importance of building resilience against toxic air.
We pay participants for taking part in our focus groups as we feel it is important for individuals to be compensated for their labour – especially those who have historically been marginalised.
We are a Black-led organisation, and all of our work is led, and delivered, by people from African and Caribbean backgrounds. Representation matters to us.
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We are also working with political leaders to enact change at national level.
We have worked with MPs and Peers to table 16 written parliamentary questions to the UK Government, which can be found below. Each question will be answered by a Government Minister, and the responses will be published on the UK Parliament website.
Questions tabled by Lord Simon Woolley, Crossbench Peer and Principal of Homerton College Cambridge University
Questions tabled by Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Questions tabled by Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Streatham
Questions tabled by Baroness Jenny Jones, Green Peer
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The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is currently leading a national inquiry into Urban Green Spaces.
We have written a paper on race equity, air pollution, and the need for greater access to green space, and have submitted this to be used as evidence by the committee.
The paper will be released shortly.