0Image: London Tower Bridge by Dronepicr via Wikimedia Commons
As a young person in Britain, I feel pessimistic about my future unless change is made. I look at my future through the lens of a British Ghanaian woman who is becoming increasingly scared of what the United Kingdom is becoming. The growing aggression and visibility of the far right, along with their openly racist agenda, make me question where people of colour will fit into the United Kingdom’s future economically, politically, and socially.
Studying Politics and International Relations has provided me with a clear perspective on where the world is heading politically. Political groups across nations, including the United Kingdom, have begun to subscribe to the idea of ethnonationalism, which has created the problem where immigrants and people of colour are increasingly experiencing racism, marginalisation, and inequalities due to a false narrative spread around by political groups.
These groups continue to misconstrue data on crime and employment statistics to a nation that is desperately looking for a sense of direction and someone to blame for its grievances. The result of this has been fear, which I felt when I was too scared to head into London in September as a person of colour because thousands of people had gathered for a protest with a racist agenda. Friends shared that they were being subjected to racial slurs and confronted by strangers telling them to “go back to their country.” Racism is only going to worsen in Britain as the far right continues to grow in popularity, as evidenced by the large-scale protest and the gains they made in the local election.
I remember how out of place I felt when I came to Exeter as a person of colour.
Currently, I do not have much hope for the future of Britain, as it seems that the government is struggling to counter the rise of the far right and protect ethnic and religious groups who are currently being targeted. I remember how out of place I felt when I came to Exeter as a person of colour. Thus, we must make the United Kingdom a safer place for future youth to grow up in without feeling like they do not belong. I dream of a world and a United Kingdom where my children can grow up feeling truly accepted, where multiculturalism is appreciated and not misrepresented as bad. Britain needs to change; people need to be politically educated and challenge and dismantle the biased belief that people of colour, different religions, and immigrants, are a threat to society.
Ria, Print Features Editor, is a second-year politics and international relations student who edits and writes articles with greater depth and length. Her interests are mainly politically centred, but she also enjoys writing articles about lifestyle and mental health.
As a young person in Britain, I feel pessimistic about my future
As a young person in Britain, I feel pessimistic about my future unless change is made. I look at my future through the lens of a British Ghanaian woman who is becoming increasingly scared of what the United Kingdom is becoming. The growing aggression and visibility of the far right, along with their openly racist agenda, make me question where people of colour will fit into the United Kingdom’s future economically, politically, and socially.
Studying Politics and International Relations has provided me with a clear perspective on where the world is heading politically. Political groups across nations, including the United Kingdom, have begun to subscribe to the idea of ethnonationalism, which has created the problem where immigrants and people of colour are increasingly experiencing racism, marginalisation, and inequalities due to a false narrative spread around by political groups.
These groups continue to misconstrue data on crime and employment statistics to a nation that is desperately looking for a sense of direction and someone to blame for its grievances. The result of this has been fear, which I felt when I was too scared to head into London in September as a person of colour because thousands of people had gathered for a protest with a racist agenda. Friends shared that they were being subjected to racial slurs and confronted by strangers telling them to “go back to their country.” Racism is only going to worsen in Britain as the far right continues to grow in popularity, as evidenced by the large-scale protest and the gains they made in the local election.
Currently, I do not have much hope for the future of Britain, as it seems that the government is struggling to counter the rise of the far right and protect ethnic and religious groups who are currently being targeted. I remember how out of place I felt when I came to Exeter as a person of colour. Thus, we must make the United Kingdom a safer place for future youth to grow up in without feeling like they do not belong. I dream of a world and a United Kingdom where my children can grow up feeling truly accepted, where multiculturalism is appreciated and not misrepresented as bad. Britain needs to change; people need to be politically educated and challenge and dismantle the biased belief that people of colour, different religions, and immigrants, are a threat to society.
Ria Brown-Aryee
Ria, Print Features Editor, is a second-year politics and international relations student who edits and writes articles with greater depth and length. Her interests are mainly politically centred, but she also enjoys writing articles about lifestyle and mental health.
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