Racial inequality in a time of crisis: recordings now online

‘Racial Inequality in a Time of Crisis’ was a week-long conference exploring the impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority people in the UK. The event was hosted in partnership between Stuart Hall Foundation, the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) and the Runnymede Trust.

Watch all four sessions on the Stuart Hall Foundation website.

Day 1: ‘Policing the Crisis’

This panel explored experiences of policing during the pandemic, campaigning and activism in response to this, and the factors that perpetuate policing by force in the face of campaigning.

Day 2: Health and Well-Being

Ethnic minority people have experienced a much higher risk of COVID-19 related death, a stark disproportion that has impacted on all ethnic and religious minority groups. This session explored how these inequalities mirror longstanding inequalities in health and well-being, which themselves reflect deep social and economic disparities underpinned by racism, and the approaches to address them.

Day 3: Employment and Young People

COVID-19 has induced the biggest shock to the UK economy seen in modern times and, without significant government action, the effect on the labour market will be severe. This session explored how existing ethnic inequalities both in employment and in the transition from compulsory schooling through higher and further education into work may be exacerbated by the crisis with negative consequences for poverty and inequality.

Day 4: Culture and Cultural Activism

This panel explored the nature of racial inequalities and the politics of ‘race’ in the cultural industries. It explored the impact of barriers and obstacles (and at times ‘opportunities’) facing racialised peoples in the creative sector, and how movements around access and representation fare in a time of crisis.