Who Am I?

Coming from Guyana in the mid-1960s, Birmingham was a tiny bit of culture shock for 8-year-old Siobhan. Not only had I no idea I was “black” - in Guyana there are a myriad of descriptions for the multitude of skin shades of our people. “BLACK” was a term I first heard in Calthorpe Park, when set on by a gang of white boys, who punched and kicked my happy-go-lucky little body, without conscience or remorse, repeating the word, which even I could tell through my pain, fear, trauma, and confusion, was not meant as a compliment!

And I had never heard the term “half-caste”. The first time I asked my mother what it meant, I saw her rage and indignation, followed by her explanation of why she disliked the term. She then loving explained, I was “half” of nothing but in fact was and always would be 100% Siobhan!

It may be very different for kids today growing up in a much more diverse and slightly more inclusive Birmingham. Where words like, mixed-race, and half-caste have been replaced with terms like “dual heritage.” And, depending on the neighbourhood you find yourself in or the socio-economic status of your family, the experience, I might argue, of being black in Birmingham, are many and varied as the cultural nuances of our people.

We may not be regularly chased down the street by skinheads chanting “niggers get out” but even one brutal racist murder – like the 14 year old Dea-John Reid stabbing - will have all of our children and young people asking themselves, “who am I, and how do I fit into this messed up society?”

True. today’s Birmingham is a very different one to the Birmingham I saw as a child. It is now a minority majority with over 50% of the population being Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic (BAME). Young people of mixed identity (or dual heritage) make up more than 75% of our schools. Yet many post-covid19 reports identify that a disproportionate number of black youth are suffering with mental health and identity issues, with colleges also reporting the high failure and drop-out rates of dual heritage kids. Suicides, sectioning, expulsions and substance abuse are becoming more frequent as young people struggle with racism and a poor sense of identity.

So, is it that much better?

We know that hostile expressions or racism can traumatise young people and that an insidious combination or racism, sexism, and homophobia can damage our mental health. But there are still too few spaces, where young people can talk about their identity, further damaging them through the suppression of their questions, their concerns and their voices.

This project was designed to give young people the language and the understanding, to help them to navigate this complex terrain and to deal positively, with issues of racism and identity in a sometimes, culturally rich and diverse, or in a sometimes hostile, world.

Throughout 2024, we will be hosting talk-spaces and workshops. We are inviting a range of celebrated guest speakers alongside spoken word, musical and visual artists, to support young people to explore their identity, activism and anti-racist activities in a safe, culturally diverse space.

This is an opportunity for young people to explore identity, heritage, trauma, depression, racism and intersectionality and to use art (paint, creative writing, music, graphics, graffiti, and spoken word) to give them the space and the tools to positively express their feelings and find their voice.

For more information about this project, stay tuned…