Birmingham’s 2035 Global Anti-Racist City Ambition

The hard work and lobbying over the last two years’ is finally paying off. The BRIG ‘Birmingham Race Equality Manifesto’ launched for the May 2022 was underpinned by a call for – ‘Making Birmingham the First Truly Anti- Racist City in the UK’.

Over the last 6 month’s a series of wide ranging public and partnership engagements have taken place to inform its “Shaping Birmingham Together” consultation. The draft summary outcomes (to read click here) approved by the City Council Cabinet on 15th October and will now go to Full Council on 10th December.  

Central to this draft city vision is making Birmingham a leading global anti-racist city by 2035. The aim is to kick start this via a ‘Anti-Racist City’ Commission (ARCC) in 2025, alongside one on ‘Youth People”.

BRIG welcome this development in the hope to make a truly anti-racist city. The timeline presented fits with BRIG’s to create of a 10 Year. The various thematic (criminal justice, employment, education, health, housing, plus others on further education, the voluntary and community sectors and sports etc.) positions papers and their recommendations feeding into the plan will also be submitted by BRIG and their thematic partners to the ARCC.  

The first landmark historic to creating an Anti-Racist Birmingham and West Midlands got place at the Leaders pledging to signing to ‘Work together in creating an anti-racist Birmingham and West Midlands’ at the BRIG Summit – ‘What’s Changed?’ on 30th October.

In creating a functioning anti-racist city it’s crucial that communities impacted by racism are central both to its development and governance to ensure progress is being made. To this end BRIG in 2025 will be working with communities and the signed up Anti-Racist Leaders in public, voluntary and private sectors to explore city, regional and thematic roundtable underpinned by a community auditors programme, who can assess and report progress on behalf of communities.