In autumn 2021, shortly after the former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafik went public with revelations about the racism he experienced in the professional game, we took immediate action to investigate the issue here in Bristol. The result of that investigation was our own report. The ICEC was made aware of our findings and we have made our submissions to their call for evidence.
CoRE has taken the lead to support cricket leaders in our region to be open and honest about where it is and where it wants to go.
Since then we have worked with the cricket leaders in Bristol and region (GCCC/GCF/B&DCA/WEPL) to support Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation (GCF) set up the combined EDI working group and are at present acting as an informal conduit between the working group and the ECB in terms of support from CoRE.
Whilst at present the new EDI group focuses on the findings and recommendations/questions put to them by CoRE, this latest report from the ICEC will add further impetus to that work.
Bristol has not waited for the ICEC report to take action. We have collaborated with local administrators of the game who have gone on to take the initiative to ensure that cricket is anti-racist and truly inclusive. Our aim is to see the game help everyone interested in playing to reach their potential, irrespective of their social or ethnic/racial background.
Submission to the Independent Commission on Equity in Cricket
In December 2021, CoRE wrote to the main cricketing bodies responsible for the game in Bristol to begin engagement with them. As part of this letter, we asked them how they propose addressing these concerns as they impact on the game of cricket and how it is administered, governed, organised, and played in Bristol and just how seriously they are taking the issues that are unfolding about racism in the sport.
Bristol CORE responds to the report on the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.
The report defines institutional racism as “applicable to an institution that is racist or to the discriminatory processes, policies, attitudes or behaviours in a single institution” and asserts that if an institution is accused of being institutionally racist, it must be shown to have “treated an ethnic group differently to other groups because of their ethnic identity”. This understanding and definition, does not account for the ways that institutional racism works alongside intersecting inequalities. Read the full response HERE.
Bristol CORE condemns the violence & criminal damage that occurred in the aftermath of the Kill the Bill Protest
Rising tensions in the city that we have witnessed over the last week in relation to protesting have added another layer of discomfort and concern for many. The Bristol CoRE condemns the violence and criminal damage that occurred in the aftermath of the Kill the Bill Protest. We are concerned the violence of this event has overshadowed and potentially undermined the legitimate concerns of so many in relation to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. At a time when we are fragile and so many of us are frustrated we hope we can instead unite to build and protect our communities peacefully.
Bristol CORE denounce racist attacks on Mayor and Deputy Mayor
The Bristol Commission on Racial Equality (CORE) deplores the appalling racist attacks targeted on the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees and Councillor Asher Craig. Sadly, they are reminiscent of the litany of attacks that led to the killing of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and many other civil rights leaders. Words galvanise populations. The virulent attacks on the Mayor and Deputy Mayor should not be isolated and seen as heated anger on the eve of elections.
