Banbury, Chipping Norton & North Oxfordshire Labour Party Labour party for the Banbury constituency, which also includes Chipping Norton, Charlbury and the villages of North Oxfordshire.
Black History Month, Jewish Culture, Antisemitism and the Intersections of Experience
It’s October and we’ve dedicated this issue of our ARC newsletter and our resources guide to Black History Month. You’ll be able to access media, discussions and education which opens the door to exploring and understanding Black History.
Why not explore the inspirational history of Black Britons starting here: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/blog/12-black-history-pioneers-with-careers-that-will-inspire-you
We also start our conversation about Jewish History, Diaspora and Culture, Antisemitism and the history of Anti-Jewish racism. Anne Cullen, our Membership Officer, one of our four ARC campaign coordinators talks powerfully about her personal experience of Jewish history through the lens of her own Jewish father and grandmother in our October Blog.
Suzette and Anne and completed a course on Antisemitism provided by the Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre via Future Learn, and highly recommend it to all ARC members. They report (further reflections to come!)
“This really sensitive and important work led us to investigate and discuss the intersection between anti-Black and anti-Jewish racism and the elements which connect Black and Jewish experiences. We examined how deeply nationalism, slavery, colonialism and imperialism are interwoven with forms of discrimination against Black and Jewish people. But that both forms of discrimination come with their own separate experiences too.”
BAME Branches- what do they do?
A special message from Suzette Watson, our ARC Lead.
As a woman from a proud mixed minority ethnic background, I know how important it is that we are in the centre of the conversation about race and the diversity of minority ethnic experiences.
With a father who is Black, West Indian, Central American African and French and a mother who was British, Jewish, Hungarian and Roma I understand how important it is to be seen and heard. To have representatives that come from your background. To have the chance to make things better, to change your community. Looking at where we’re going, knowing where we’re coming from. We understand what it means to celebrate who we are as British people, to love our diversity and overlapping cultures, and to also honour the places where our families come from.
I am keen to support members who would be interested in forming a local BAME Branch. Branches are formed by members from a marginalised group, when a large enough number of those members are present in an area or local party.
There are LGBTQ+, Women’s, Disabled, Young Labour, and BAME Branches.
All these Branches are set up by members. This happens via a really simple process. It’s all guided and officiated by the Regional Labour offices. Our Region is the South East.
The Branches exist within their CLP and of course work together. But Branches also operate as their own mini-group, with their own officers and programme of work. Everything goes by the Labour Rules, but Branches have the ability to raise funds, undertake campaigns, and work to influence policy, become representatives.
One of the most important aspects of Branches, is that they work to centre the experiences of their community and their identity, both within the local Party and in reaching out into the local area.
A BAME Branch would provide local BAME members from across all minority ethnic backgrounds a group in which they could come together, share strengths, skills and networks. It gives us a chance to develop more understanding of the individual differences between minority ethnic experiences and to support people locally.
A BAME Branch for Banbury & Bicester gives a strong clear voice to local BAME members’ real concerns and interests.
Want to be part of setting up or getting involved with a local BAME Branch? It’s really easy and we’d love to tell you more about how it works.
Coming Up
Training Workshops
We’re running our first training session and want you to sign up (arcbanburybicester@gmail.com). It’s a brilliant course with learning material provided. Lots of you will have been doing different types of training formally at work, and informally, working for your own better understanding.
Despite some delays getting the training started, we’re glad to be able to present a short course over the month of November.
The content of the training will be made up of a short mini-course of self- directed preparation in your own time over four weeks and finish with a moderated, guided group session on the 30th of November.
We will provide a short series of videos to watch, a set of varied sources, and a moderated comments process, where you can leave your thoughts and notes on each section. The 4 preparation sessions are designed to take you around 15-20 minutes each to complete over the four weeks.
Later at the end of the month, we will come together in a scheduled zoom session to discuss everyone’s ideas and understanding. That session will be two hours long and include a presentation by the course leaders, smaller break aways, and a larger discussion led by the ARC organisers.
Equalities, Diversity, Disabilities and Safeguarding Training
Self Directed Learning Course starts 1st November
Shared Zoom Session 30th November (Time TBC)
Weekend Zoom Seminars/Q&A
We have another Zoom seminar for you coming at the end of October where we discuss Jewish History and Culture alongside the long, terrible timeline of anti-Jewish racism, Antisemitism, and how to fight it.
Email us for the link to the session and also to ask any questions you’d like to have answered in the seminar, at arcbanburybicester@gmail.com.
Saturday 31st October 2pm: Jewish History and Culture
Pop-up Chats: Insta Livestream & the ARC Facebook Forum
This season we dedicate a live space to talking through tough topics and give you a moderated forum where you can post, share and discuss antiracism.
Over at teamsuzette on Instagram, we also feature a packed media list of resources you can click back through. Loads of podcast, series, books, essays and more- all to get you thinking and to stay informed. Check out the “Antiracism” IGTV series and the Highlights feature!
How do you challenge and confront racism? What does a successful action look like? How can we make the change we want to see in the world actually happen? Join the ARC Forum via our Facebook Page and find like minded antiracism campaigners who want to learn more and work together to tackle racism.
Antiracism is very much the work of listening, sharing and connecting.
At its heart, antiracism is about humanising- it has to open people’s hearts and their eyes. We work to bring together people across our community and to dissolve divisions. This winter we keep talking about how we can use the art of storytelling to start that humanising process- how we can reach out and connect across the divide and stop racism from growing.
Support
This edition links to some challenging material and educational discussions. Please take care of yourself and be safe. After this very sensitive edition, we especially welcome Black and Jewish members to get in touch to discuss concerns, questions, ideas and ways to be centred, supported. We welcome your contributions to our ARC work. Please get in touch via our website, social media or by email (arcbanburybicester@gmail.com).
We Recommend
This month we examine the importance of and also the problematic nature of a range of subjects including origins of racism, White privilege, Anti-Semitism, Black Studies, Pan-Africanism, intersectionalism diversity, segregation and integration.
Education Resources
Future Learn (Free Online Learning) – Antisemitism Course
Trace the history of antisemitism – from antiquity to the present. What is antisemitism? How has it changed throughout history? Why can it be found among so many diverse cultures, and even among opposing ideologies? What happened to antisemitism after the Holocaust? How is antisemitism expressed today, and what are the main spheres in which it can be found? This course examines different periods and societies, exploring the development of antisemitism as well as its changing nature over time, place and culture.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/antisemitism
Future Learn (Free Online Learning) – Slavery in the British Caribbean Course
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/slavery-in-the-british-caribbean
The Black Curriculum
https://www.theblackcurriculum.com
Films & Documentaries
The Lammy Review: Seminar & Discussion
https://www.prisonerseducation.org.uk/2020/09/in-conversation-with-david-lammy/
British Film Institute
Powerful, rebellious and heart-breaking, these timely films tell stories of Black experience from across the world. Online and in cinemas across the UK.
https://www.facebook.com/31429161950/posts/10157319914681951/?extid=0&d=n
Podcasts
FEATURED BLACK HISTORY PODCAST
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” — Marcus Garvey
Check out the featured podcast and suggested reading which thinks about Black Radicalism, celebrating the lives of Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and W.E.B DuBois, the enormous influence they had and still have on the Black diaspora and on driving change in Western culture.
Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, discusses his 2018 book, Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century, and offers his opinions on a range of issues including Black History Month, reparations for slavery and the state of history education in the UK
The lie that invented racism (TED Talk)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4PxWR4ytDG0equGqH7cHD0
Inspiring Black Britons today
https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX1vs7QLeLNer
Rethinking Black-Jewish Relations
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6E9Dx2vT5CaKMBemHNYPHb
Are Jews White?
https://open.spotify.com/episode/10PgiloyL2Ncoau8Z3q7aV
The Origins of the Jews
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LDVEc7676hKhhcmY1dMp3
Legacies of the Holocaust
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3D6jHuIY0i7j4RfPAORShT
Ideas From Members
Get in touch- whatever you’re thinking we’re here to listen, act and learn together.
This month thanks to Stuart B in Bicester, we’re looking into ARC merchandise- first off concentrating on some simple posters and stickers.
Making the message visible and positive is HUGE. Having visual tools, media as conversation starters can also be really helpful in spreading the word in a way people feel more comfortable about.
Antiracism is tough stuff. Being confrontational doesn’t help to educate people. We want to bring people on our side not strengthen the divide.
Let’s find ways we can use positive language, powerful visuals and humanising news stories from real life to help people in our own networks to understand what racism is and why we want to stop it.
We have to take the time to build trust with people around us if we want them to listen. We have to teach people with respect, using language they know, and sharing stories they can see themselves in. That starts with positive messages and powerful symbols- that’s what we are working on here in our ARC.
Give us your ideas and share your concerns- our strength is in our antiracism community, working together. The success of our campaign will come from our diversity and our unity.
Let us know what YOU think and how you want to help – arcbanburybicester@gmail.com.
Best wishes and stay safe,
Suzette & the ARC team
#staysafe #stayhome #stayinformed 
