The Unheard Words of new writers...

1^st June 2007

Amazonian Angst

Black people are affected by "Amazon Tree Frog Syndrome",
according to Shaun Bailey, a youth and community worker and witness for the Home Affairs Select Committee which is currently hearing evidence relating to Young Black People and the British Criminal Justice System. In his analogy, Bailey says:

"in the Amazon if something happens in the ecosystem,
the little green tree frogs die first".

He suggests that black people are the first casualties in societal breakdown. Mr Bailey is amongst the many witnesses, who include young people, activists, youth workers, police and church ministers, called to present evidence at the Select Committee.
The transcripts of the evidence make interesting reading, raising many questions for me as a black woman, mother and sister. I wait in anticipation for both answers

and recommendations that will remedy an "ailing ecosystem" and prevent the death of black hope in British society.

Primarily, I am motivated by strong maternal instinct to ensure the survival of my progeny at any cost. I am raising boys who I hope will be fathers and eventually grandfathers, making their way, building successful, worthwhile lives in this society.

My angst arises from evidence gathered throughout my life - from what I have seen, heard and experienced; in the lives of those around me; in views and stories conveyed by the media. In the cities of London, Manchester and Birmingham for example, we have children as young as 9 dealing in drugs, youth between 10 and 17 who are both victims and perpetrators of gun-related crime. Reaching epidemic proportions over the past year, deaths from such crimes have been reported on almost a monthly basis. In London alone, there have been 8 teenagers killed in gang-related violence since January.

We also have a ratio of 2 black youth in prison for every 1 in university. There is disproportionate representation of black youth in custody and until now, no-one has examined why this is. The evidence also suggests that young black men receive harsher sentences than their white counterparts.

Out on the streets we learn that the gladiatorial-style "fight-to-the death" battles are all about "respect". When we delve deeper, we discover that we are growing a generation of lost youth. Last month’s work of the month described Maslow’s hierarchy. He suggests we have to experience "love" before we can gain "respect". Putting it crudely, are black youth dying due to a lack of love? If respect is not given, it is taken: it is that fundamental.

The undercurrent of racism as experienced by the less empowered (i.e. BME communities) can of course never be ruled out as a negative factor. It's environmental, we also know that those living in inner city areas are disproportionately affected by poverty which reduces life chances; increasing the risk of ill health, mental illness; poor education and unemployment. This cycle of deprivation is easily repeated with teenage parents (my folks used to say "pickney a have pickney fe pickney"), drugs on the street, crime and violence; leading to a loss of hope. My angst arises from resulting loss to families, society and the nation as a whole.

Camila Batmanghelidjh founder of two inner London children's charities sees institutional failings as being significant:

"It is about adult incompetencies, primarily in the social care agencies that are supposed to intervene on behalf of vulnerable children… the unspoken policy has been to wait until a young person commits a crime, rather than intervene robustly, so that they become the responsibility of the criminal justice system"

So does all this add up to a modern version of the child catcher (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), ridding society of black hopes; robbing us of our future?

The problems associated with young black people and the British Criminal Justice System, are multi-factorial. I have briefly touched upon a few issues, but there are many more to unravel. For now I have to put my faith in the Select Committee to do its job; using evidence to enlighten and inform society, initiating a positive sea change in the way black youth are dealt with.

It goes without saying that racism is a contributory factor, but it does not absolve us as black parents, of our responsibilities for raising our children to play a full and productive part in society.

I want to make a selfish plea as a black parent- to my fellow black parents, call it self preservation. I want to secure our survival, ruling out death on the streets or incarceration, at any costs. Nobody can love, understand or nurture our children like we can- we cannot leave it to the State. In building a better future in this society for our children, we must play our full part.

If as black men and women, we do not trust what the State or society has to offer, we need to contribute to creating a model that we find acceptable. If there are concerns surrounding how children are taught, we need more black teachers and educationalists. If there is mistrust in the Criminal Justice System, we need more black police officers, lawyers, barristers, judges and MPs. Remember respect cannot be learnt on the streets, it begins in the home, with loving and valuing ourselves, our relationships and our children.

To find out more about the work of The Select Committee (Young Black People and the British Criminal Justice System), visit

Karen, who also writes as KrPoet, has recently had work published in Sexual Attraction Revealed, edited by Nicole Moore, 2007, and has previously contributed to unheardwords. Former editorial Seasonal Contradictions.

Comments, Answers, Feedback? WriteIn or email editor@unheardwords.com (editor@unheardwords.com)

From: annie marsh (songsatmidnight@msn.com) Date: 01.Jun.07

"Briefly- I found the editorial interesting and applaud the comment that there is need for respect. That is a neglected component in the make up of today's society irrespective of colour, gender etc. To take the point further- true love respects and respect enables true love. These traits when nurtured enable wars to cease. Thanks for such a balanced editorial." -annie

From: Deborah Gabriel (deborahgabriel@hotmail.co.uk) Date: 04.Jun.07

"It is an interesting article. My comments are as follows:-

I think that at present there is a reactionary attitude towards young black people and crime which is to a large degree fuelled by the mainstream media. That is not to say that violence does not exist or that the reported killings did not take place, but I think it is not accurate to describe this in terms of 'epidemic proportions.' An epidemic is something that is widespread - the MAJORITY of black youths do not carry weapons and do not go around killing each other.

The British criminal justice system, much like the system in the US is not even handed in dealing with its black citizens.
Black people are stopped and searched more frequently and Scotland Yard's own research released in 2006 show that black people are more likely to be arrested and charged with drug offences whilst more whites are given a caution.
Black men are three times more likely to have their DNA samples retained on the national DNA register - depsite committing no crime - and 100,000 black males on the DNA register are children under 10.
There is ample evidence that the black community is continually being criminalised by the state - it should come as no surpise that that the term 'criminal' becomes more than a label for some disaffected black youths.

Whilst every individual must take responsibility for their own actions, crime within the black community and among black youth must be examined from a wider perspective.

I think the writer simplifies the impact of racism on the black community. Racism goes beyond prejudiced beliefs and values about people of African descent. British society is characterised by structured and systematic forms of domination of non-white peoples - a better term for this is white supremacy.

This is seen as the writer observes at an institutional level across the board, but crucially within education - the formative years of a young person's life. Black children enter the school system at the age of five showing above average skills and outperforming all other groups - so contrary to what is portrayed, black parents do an excellent job preparing their children for formal education. But after 11 years in the school system they have become the worst performers due to institutionalised racism, low expectations etc etc. It is during these 11 years that young people are most vulnerable to becoming involved in anti-social behaviour. We must remember that a disproprtionate number of them are excluded from school.

In my view therefore, we should not look for simplistic answers and should be wary of what the state tells us about our young people - it is far more complex than 'a lack of love.'

It falls down to a combination of the criminalisation of the black community, white supremacy and instituionalised racism and the failings of the educations system.

As Amos Wilson observes, individuals do not fail or succeed in a vacuum but within a social system -within society, therefore society must be taken into consideration when examining individual members of society."

Best Regards
Deborah Gabriel
Editor
Black Britain
blackbritain.co.uk