Piss on me, But Call It Rain

A Summary Critique of the Joint Committee on Human Rights Report on "Black People, Racism & Human Rights"

Although highly anticipated, the Joint Committee on Human Rights report on “Black People, Racism and Human Rights”[1] (hereby referred to as ‘the report’), almost instantaneously seems to miss the mark on what was both wanted and necessary at this time. In the coming days or weeks, I intend to release a more thorough, in-depth review of the report as a whole, which will address each of the points raised within the report in greater detail. However, for now, I offer this summary on what are some of my central critiques and viewpoints having assessed the report in its totality.

Released in the dead of night as the clock struck 1am on Remembrance Day 2020, the report, in summary says a lot whilst still leaving a lot to be desired. I have titled this critique ‘Piss on Me, but Call It Rain’, for the simple fact that this report fails to highlight, accentuate or bring to the table anything that wasn’t already known to Black people across the country.

It did not require a parliamentary report to discover the fact that Black women lament their treatment when they come into contact with the NHS. They could have, and in fact they did, turn to the 180,000 signature that called for the improvement of maternal mortality rates and health care for Black Women in the U.K.[2]

No report was needed to discover that Black people in the UK lack confidence in the criminal justice system or that they feel over policed and overrepresented in the system. We know that Black people are unfairly victimised by the criminal justice system; we need only look to this summer and the fact that Team GB Olympic Sprinter Bianca Williams’ infant child was placed on a police register following what was a wrongful stop and search of her and her partner while they were driving.[3]

All of which leads me to my central issue and critique with this report. The Joint Committee used over 40 pages to tell Black People everything they already knew about their own existences within the country, but looks to present it as a ground-breaking revelation. What’s worse, is the report does this, only to then highlight that all their cries, pleas & appeals for change have not only fallen on deaf ears, but have been summarily dismissed and brushed aside for years. This report serves as nothing more than an administration pandering and calling it change. They provide us with a façade of advocacy when in reality all this report provides is confirmation. Confirmation that Black people in the UK are treated and viewed as second-class citizens across a wide range of sectors across the nation.

However, when viewed through a less cynical lens, the report does reveal some truths that deserve a semblance of credit. One such aspect which could be (somewhat) commended, is the report’s early and continual acknowledgement that we do not need any more reports. The data is there. The evidence is there. The stories, the testimonies, the experts and sworn statements. They’re all there and available to the government and relevant authorities to act. Now is not the time for more data gathering and report rendering. Now is the time for swift, decisive action in a concerted effort to eradicate racism and anti-blackness from all our institutions throughout this country.

Furthermore, I commend the report for suggesting that the government act upon the countless recommendations of previous inquires and reports which years on have failed to be actioned in any meaningful manner. This report should serve as a damning indictment upon successive Governmental regimes over a great number of years in the UK who have continually failed to effectively implement recommendation from public inquiries and reports into any meaningful action. Moreover, the fact that the report plainly states that ‘where actions have been taken, they have been superficial and not had lasting effect’[4], only serves as a further condemnation of the terrible ‘leadership’ which has been displayed by Government on this issue and is one of the more painful slaps in the face that this report pays to the UK’s Black community. And believe me, there’s quite a few.

The Report looks to focus upon the human rights of Black British people within four specific sectors of society;

  1. Health;
  2. Criminal Justice;
  3. Nationality and Immigration; &
  4. Democracy

This in turn leads me to another issues I find with this report. That being the seemingly glaring omission of an investigation into the education sector. On this front, I can appreciate that the scope, timing and proposed purpose of the report may not have given rise to an exploration into this field. However, the role education and our education system plays in both helping to address racial inequalities and simultaneously enabling, promoting and fostering racism, racial profiling, misinformation and racial inequities is so critical to any conversation of race in this country that it cannot reasonably be excluded from such a conversation.

Further when we consider just how prominent pushes from organisations such as The Black Curriculum, or petitions such as the call to make the UK education curriculum more inclusive of BAME history[5] and the petition seeking to add education on diversity and racism to all school curriculums.[6] No story of racism or the status of the human rights of the Black community in the UK can be told without an assessment on the role of the education system. When we consider how loudly these calls for change have become, in failing to assess this aspect of racism in the United Kingdom this committee fails to appreciate just how important of an issue area this is and has become to Black people and communities across the country.

Recommendations:
Like all such reports, inquiries and tribunals, we will never really know the true importance, impact or significance of the findings provided, until we see what steps and change arise out of the report. The report concludes by providing a mixture of 22 top line concluding points and recommendations focusing upon a range of key points raised within the report. To that end, I do believe the report provides the foundations for some key changes which need be actioned with our country as soon as possible. Thus, I propose the following recommendations in order to begin seriously addressing the disease of racism towards Black people in this country:


No more reports. No more inquiries. No more reviews.

The studies are there. The data is there. The recommendations are there. As we learn in this report, years’ worth of recommendations from previous reports have been left unactioned and dismissed by successive governments and regimes. This is an absolutely unacceptable dereliction of duties which cannot be allowed to stand and continue. The recommendations of previous reports and inquiries need to be thoroughly assessed and their implementation highly prioritized.


Systematic reform to the national education system and curriculum.

The national education system within the United Kingdom is flawed. It plays an exponential role in reinforcing racial disparities, stereotypes and the subjugation of minorities. For generations Black people across every level of the system have lamented the lack of representation in both the subject matter and the personnel present in the education system. It is incumbent upon the government to address this. Listen to the call of the people. Listen to the hundreds of thousands of citizens of all races who have signed petitions demanding that the national curriculum be more representative of the true diverse nature of our population and our history as a nation. The time is now. As failure to do so is clear indication of the disregard that this government has for is Black population.

Protect Black Women.

One of the most harrowing, sickening and depressing findings of this report, is the fact that 78% of Black Women in the United Kingdom, do not believe that their health is equally protected by the NHS compared to white people. Not only this, the report details the fact that Black women are 5 times more likely to die during childbirth than white women. But to add insult to injury, not only is this fact already known and acknowledge by the NHS, there is no target, scheme, policy or plan in place to address it. This is a criminal violation of human rights. Black women, must be free to conceive and birth children without undue to fear that they or their child will be harmed during this process. The government and the NHS need to urgently work on a plan to address this disparity and Protect Black Women.

Enforce Black People’s Human Rights.
A headline which arises out of this report is the fact that over 75% of Black People in the UK do not believe their human rights are equally protected compared to white people. And truthfully, why would they?

Black People in the United Kingdom exist within a nation which facilitates the continual disregard for their life. They exist in a nation which appears comfortable allowing Black Women to die during childbirth at 5 times the rate of their white counterparts. They exist in a nation that lies to them at every level of schooling about their history and positionality within this nation and then forces them to spend over £9,000 per year to research these truths only to discover that we have not even scratched the surface of the abuses this nation committed against their homeland. Going forward, there needs to be a concerted effort by those in power to recognise, acknowledge, and positively enforce the human rights of Black people within the country. They must, as a priority, appoint Black commissioners to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and provide these people with the resources and power to truly advocate and champion the rights of Black people across the country. 

Failure to action these steps and recommendations will only lead to this report becoming a hollow chamber of empty words and once again reinforce the age old notion that Black British people are viewed as second-class citizens in their own country.


[1] Joint Committee Report on ‘Black People, Racism and Human Rights’, November 2020.

[4] Joint Committee Report, ‘Black People, Racism & Human Rights, November 2020, p13 at para 30.


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