Last updated:14/02/08
Comment: “This policy promotes an ‘us and them’ attitude and dangerously detracts from the undeniable fact that tackling racism is the concern of everyone.”

Racial politics is undeniably a very sensitive area. Anyone commenting on such issues must take enormous care not to cause offence. The fear of being branded a racist is a common one which only serves to inflame such fears and sensitivity. In fact calling somebody a racist is one of the best insults you can throw at someone these days. If her opening speech at 2007’s Winter Black Students Conference is anything to go by, Ruqayyah Collector, the NUS Black Students Officer, doesn’t shy away from making such accusations herself and appears to favour a guilty-until-proven-innocent approach. So it is with great caution that I make my comment on the attendance policy of this event. In fact, regardless of how carefully and thoughtfully I choose my words, I expect accusations of racism to be practically inevitable.

Major focuses of the Black Student’s Campaign are representation and empowerment. Quite right too. It is also about identity and preserving cultures, but the methods and the policies employed towards these aims promote an ‘us and them’ attitude and dangerously detract from the undeniable fact that tackling racism is the concern of everyone, not just black communities.

Ruqayyah Collector opened the Black Students Winter Conference with a wide-ranging speech that can be read in full at the NUS Officer Online website. During the speech she stated: “The claim that black communities are segregating themselves is a lie and giving credence to such baseless myths can only fuel further racism.”

To deny attendance to those that want to get involved because of the colour of their skin is doing exactly that; giving credence to claims of segregation. As she recognized in her speech, this can only fuel further racism.

In her speech Collector also stated that sections of society and the media are: “trying to blame us for supposedly ‘isolating’ ourselves.” If white people are seen to be excluded from such immensely valuable debates these accusations will continue to arise.

So why does the NUS allow this misguided attendance policy? Is there really a belief that involving white people in the conference will dilute or damage the representation the campaign aims to build? Will involving white people who wish to take part actually challenge the cause and slow progress? Quite the opposite, surely.

The notion of a Black Students Officer and a Black Students Campaign is also, I believe, a misguided matter of semantics.

Why are they not called Racial Equality Officer and Racial Equality Campaign? I would consider this to be far more appropriate, accurate, politically correct and polite. Racism and the effects of racism are felt by everybody, this is not merely a concern of black people and will only successfully be tackled if we all work openly together.

We should all be wary of filling racial equality debates with emotion, and referring too much to the past history of race relations as these attitudes are detrimental to recognising and sustaining the great progress that has been made.

As I stated above, everybody must take great care not to offend and alienate - unfortunately I think Ruqayyah Collector has failed to take this care, she does not seem to feel that it is her responsibility, and I myself am hugely offended by the Black Student Campaign’s ‘our issues’ attitude.

This is why I strongly feel that to exclude potential delegates at a campaign conference based on skin colour is a terribly misguided and damaging policy.

by Andrew Phillips