Black community leaders in Luton welcome council's efforts to stamp out racism and hate

The proposal asks Luton Borough Council to address the "historic structural and systemic racism that exists" and to adopt ten points to counter it.

Transatlantic slavery and African colonisation are acknowledged as a "holocaust" against those of African heritage, the report to councillors stated.

"This year, the local authority formally supported young people and their stewards in holding a peaceful and respectful Black Lives Matter demonstration at the Town Hall.

"It showed civic and community leadership by lighting up the town hall in purple in response to international events.

"The raising of the Windrush flag will now be an annual civic event for Luton," added the report.

The Better Together Network wants the motion "to make a substantial long-term difference to the lives of and opportunities for those of African heritage living and working in Luton".

The organisation was formed after several pastors and community leaders in the town "created a forum to discuss concerns over longstanding inequalities".

It said: "Younger black professionals and mentees were consulted to devise a list of concerns to put to the council to seek agreement for a comprehensive programme of action."

The ten key commitments include:

> Working with London Luton Airport on minimum representative employment aspirations;

> Workforce monitoring of the proportion of black staff within the borough council;

> Support via the airport company’s charitable foundations for charities working on black community issues, and to seek a commitment to contract through black businesses;

> Regular reviews of the appropriateness of the educational curriculum;

> Full recognition of culturally historic dates;

> Pressing the government to act on a range of important national reviews, from Macpherson (1999) to Windrush (2018).

The Reverend Dr. Trevor Adams, of the Better Together Network, said: “This motion is a significant first step towards addressing the inclusivity and equity issue for the black community.

"We're under no illusion that years of exclusion and marginalisation will be eradicated.

"The most important thing is that it now gives our economic, employability and educational needs visibility.

“We now have a point of reference in our town's pursuit of the relief of poverty."

Group member Alexzina Brooks agreed, saying: “It was great to see the council give unanimous approval to our Black Lives Matter-inspired motion.

"It’s a step in the right direction to tackle the systemic racism the black community face, especially within the work force and education.

"As Luton is such a multicultural town, I look forward to seeing this reflected within the local authority as we strive to see much fairer representation within this institution.”

Other community organisations were involved in talks with the council, including the African-Caribbean Community Development Forum, which has worked on various projects in Luton for more than 20 years.