Councillor reveals children hurled racist abuse at her

St Helens Borough Council debated a motion at full council on Wednesday evening, which called for several actions around tackling racism in schools.

The motion was brought by Cllr Bisi Osundeko, who is the first black councillor to ever be elected on the council.

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During the meeting, Cllr Osundeko, who represents Parr, shared a personal story of an incident that occurred in St Helens town centre.

Cllr Osundeko said: “On a typical working day, as I walked to the post office in our town centre, a group of children who looked like they were simply playing, attacked me and yelled a manner of racial slurs at me.

“These children were actually less than age 10.

“While I appreciate that parents have a part to play when it comes to instilling the right morals and anti-racism education in their children, we also have to acknowledge that our children spend quite a considerable period of their lives in primary and secondary school.

“As our borough is becoming increasingly diverse, we must never shy away from these important discussions on race and the fight against prejudice.

“Hence this is an ample opportunity to introduce our children to the right message of equality, respect for others who might be different from them, and race education.”

Cllr Bisi Osundeko was elected to represent Parr in the 2019 local elections

During the debate, Cllr Jeanie Bell, cabinet member for community safety, said there were 326 reports of hate crimes in St Helens in 2019-20 – an increase of 33 per cent on the previous year.

Cllr Osundeko told councillors than in April, there were 17 reports of hate crimes in St Helens, 10 of which were classed as racial.

This increased further in May, with 33 reports of hate crimes, 17 of which were racially motivated.

Cllr Osundeko said the recent murder of George Floyd, whose death sparked protests across the world, and her own experiences of being racially profiled, is evidence that racism is “very much alive in this current climate”.

She said St Helens Council can lead the way by ensuring that children are adequately equipped with the right message of tolerance and respect, irrespective of colour or background.

Labour’s Robyn Hattersley said it is “vital” that the council takes a strong stand against racism and promote discussion about racism within schools.

Cllr Hattersley said: “As a trainee teacher, I often think about how I would approach a situation of racism, hate or discrimination within my classroom.

“The decision of what to do in these situations shouldn’t be down to teachers as individuals.

“There should be robust racism policies within our schools to help guide school staff to respond to racism within our schools.”

Cllr Teresa Sims, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council, said she supported the principle of the motion, but said she was a “tad concerned” that it did not reflect the work currently going on in schools to ensure children are well educated on the issues of race and equality.

The Eccleston councillor did say, however, that she could only speak for the school she is a governor of, which is De La Salle School.

Cllr Donna Greaves, from The Independents, said anti-racism education in schools needs a “real overhaul” to bring it up-to-date.

The Rainhill councillor said focus also needs to be put on challenging “vile posts” shared on social media.

Labour councillor Mancyia Uddin said a true picture of Britain’s past needs to be taught in schools.

The death of George Floyd has sparked demonstrations around the world

Cllr Uddin said: “British history, colonial history, our involvement in slavery, has substantially shaped our discourse around race which has been formed through centuries of believing black and brown bodies were inferior and backwards.

“Colonial history was a violent endeavour and has been described as ‘the most complex and traumatic relationship in human history’. This history needs to get taught adequately in our schools. We need to know where we came from to know where we’re going.

“We cannot undo the damage that has resulted from colonialism and the practices of violence within that, and we cannot negate the impact this has had on BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities so far.

“However, we can alter the way we move forward, we can better engage with marginalised groups to amplify their voices because they are the voices that have been consistently missing and finally, by doing this, we can create a more inclusive education system.”

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The motion, which was passed following a vote, asks the council’s chief executive to write to the Secretary of State for Education asking them to ensure that school teachers are well-equipped with the right resources that will help them to educate children on anti-racism; ensure schools have an up-to-date policy on tackling racism among children and finally to ensure that schools understand how to report incidents of racism and hate crime.

Here is Cllr Osundeko's motion, in full.