On Tuesday, images emerged on Theresa May’s Twitter of the prime minister, at a podium, speaking down to a sea of black faces. Alongside, a shot of a group of young black people, most appearing to be in their late teens and early twenties, stood outside Number 10 clutching booklets brandished with the title “future leaders”. “I am proud to be a supporter of #BlackHistoryMonth”, read the tweet’s caption, “and to celebrate the immense contribution of African and Caribbean people without whom our country wouldn’t be the country it is today.” Despite May’s self-proclaimed pride and support, a conflicting narrative emerged from a Twitter user and attendee of the Black History Month reception, who called the event “terrible”, and nothing more than a “photo opportunity”.
Although many who saw their complaints on Twitter were unsympathetic or unsurprised, the statement makes a clear point: much of Theresa May’s investment in black people’s livelihoods is performative. In light of this publicity, and each of the government’s diversity and multiculturalism PR initiatives (from Eid, to Carnival, to Pride), it’s key to remember that the stark truth is that black people have died and will continue to die under the many of its policies. This year we saw the Windrush scandal deport and deny healthcare and basic humanity to families similar to mine — and others removed from the country during the scandal have so far lost their lives.
This is not the first time May’s rhetoric on racial justice has failed to reflect many of the events of recent years. Earlier this month we also saw a speech from the Prime Minister that preached and proclaimed the importance of black people to this country, entirely overlooking the racial nature of austerity and the deportation of people of colour we’ve seen this year, all to a cheerful soundtrack of applause and ABBA.
A number of cases leap out from the Windrush scandal, the Home Office’s recent failure to protect the rights and lives of black people who were rightful UK citizens, as refuting the messages Theresa May put forward yesterday, and at the Conservative party conference. Dexter Bristol, who died earlier this year following the scandal, was said by his mother to have become unwell when he lost his job due to not having the right paperwork. Bristol’s fatal heart attack came just months after the news – and Mrs Bristol blamed the scandal on his death. Three further victims of the scandal have also died while they while still abroad, waiting for the Home Office to resolve issues with their documentation.
We must remember that people of colour and immigrants are among austerity’s primary targets – Black households in the lowest fifth of incomes have seen the biggest average drop in living standards under cuts to benefits and public services. Grenfell Tower also serves as a grim reminder of the government’s failure to protect the lives of black people in Britain. The tragedy is too often portrayed as an unfortunate and random event unconnected to politics – but it wasn’t a natural disaster, the maintenance and safety of the building was dependent on government regulation and funding. Consequently, it should be read as an issue of class, but it is also largely an issue of race, as a disproportionate number of those who lived in the block that overlooks the grand white-pillar buildings of Kensington were people of colour. The government allowed through negligence the deaths of 72 people, many of which were black and minority ethnic, and were widely described as “avoidable”, and preempted almost to the letter by Grenfell Action Group campaigners. Cross-referenced against the government’s greatest failures in recent years, the Prime Minister’s alleged investment in black and minority ethnic people just doesn’t seem to hold up.
May’s shallow display of solidarity also touches on a broader issue regarding how immigrants are commonly viewed and portrayed as earning a place in Britain. The “good immigrant”, a trope popularised by writer Nikesh Shukla is play here once again –– a version of multiculturalism that sees immigrants as worth only as much as their “contribution” to a country that structurally disadvantages them. The young black people stood outside Downing Street are portrayed by May, similarly to the way the Windrush generation have been framed, as worth supporting both socially and economically because they are useful.
Yes, black people’s contributions to the foundation of this country are notable, and also frequently overlooked; as academic Kehinde Andrews pointed out to Piers Morgan’s dismay Good Morning Britain this week, modern Britain was built on slavery, and the Windrush generation were instrumental in rebuilding the country in the post-war effort. But beyond celebration of “achievement” within a narrow framework of success, what about the average black person who is trying to make ends meet under austerity measures? Will we see an extension of support from the Conservative government to those with a greater struggle to overcome structural disadvantage?
PR pushes like those of yesterday embody a continuing throughline of the current Conservative government — performance of surface-level investment in “diversity” and “inclusivity”, but none of the tangible policy or historical track record to back it up. Caring about the lives of black people goes further than a photo opportunity, and captures a broader demographic than a group of young people who might be “future leaders” in the eyes of Tory MPs; it also encompasses increased attention and funding towards those most likely to be overlooked, and those who might not be “leading” in their sector, but instead struggling to survive.
From dancing her way through negotiations to making comedy cameos on daytime television, we have seen the Prime Minister increasingly turn towards a PR strategy based on memefication – the right images, with the right framing, have increased May’s popularity and have the potential for huge reach. But as the current leadership pushes supposed values of multiculturalism, meritocracy, fairness and equality, we must continue to think about how the government acts, not just how it looks.
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