An Islington councillor has said that racism continues to define the UK’s black community.
Claudia Webbe, councillor for Bunhill, made the comment while taking part in a BBC Radio London debate on Black History Month on Sunday 20 October.
She said: “In all walks of life in our society, there are still levels of injustice against black people. We remain a black community divided from white people because of racism.”
Ms Webbe has pioneered hard-hitting campaigns to tackle the disproportionate effects of gun crime on black communities as part of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation, Trident.
She said that the black population in Britain still faces prejudice from the police force: “You would think that decades on, we wouldn’t still be faced with a generational inequality and discrimination when it comes to policing, but stop and search is still rife.”
“We remain a black community divided from white people because of racism.”
Ms Webbe also stated that the label “black community” would continue to have meaning while racism remains prevalent in British society.
“The subjugation and regulation of black people in this society defines us as a black community and defines our presence,” she said.
“We have, as a community, claimed the word ‘black’ and we have done so in the face of racism, as a positive thing, in order to move forward.”
