Closed petition Undertake an equality impact assessment on the use of the label BAME

In line with The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) we want an evidence-based Equality Impact analysis of the growing use of the label BAME that considers its impact on those that fall within and without the category, and how it intersects with other structures of inequality including class.

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The label BAME can creates issues as its use can:
- allow institutions to misrepresent the advances of some ethnicities as attainment & progress for others.
- exclude those not within BAME facing discrimination.
- disguise discrimination between groups in BAME
- promote routine use of terms such as ‘our BAME community’ which suggests ownership & infantilization which is damaging for equality and self respect
-problematize the people within the group rather than addressing the interlocked barriers they're facing

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Ministerial statement on the report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities

On Tuesday 20 April, the Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch MP gave a statement to the House of Commons on the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

The statement follows the Government's publication of the report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities

Watch the statement here: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/b586787a-eb7f-409b-b20e-9cb31d21ddd0?in=13:38:40

Read the transcript here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-04-20/debates/1502466F-D06B-402A-B7C0-03452FFB1DA9/CommissionOnRaceAndEthnicDisparities

Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House. Find out more about them here: https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/statements/

What did the report say about language?

The Commission said that use of the term BAME, which is frequently used to group all ethnic minorities together, is no longer helpful and it was time the term was dropped. The Commission recommended that the government move away from the use of the term ‘BAME’, to better focus on understanding disparities and outcomes for specific ethnic groups.

Read the report's comments on the use of the term "BAME" in the introduction and recommendations [recommendation 24 is about use of the term "BAME"] here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities/foreword-introduction-and-full-recommendations

What is the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities?

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) has been set up by the Government to review inequality in the UK, focusing on areas including poverty, education, employment, health and the criminal justice system. The Commission, which is independent of the Government, will look at outcomes for the whole population.

Find out more about the Commission here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities