Almost everyone will have heard of the Oxford Union's aborted racism debate by now. But have you heard of Equality '99, OUSU's anti-racism campaign week? The debate is dead, but Equality '99 is very much alive.
The campaign is being organised by OUSU's rejuvenated Anti-Racism Committee, whose aim is raise the issue's profile among the student population. At the moment, there is a perception that racism is not a problem in Oxford. Nationally, of course, the question of race relations is pressing and immediate. The bomb attacks in south and east London are only the latest in a long line of events that have forced people to think hard about the status of minorities in Britain. After the Macpherson Report on the investigation into Stephen Lawrence's murder, many less high-profile cases of institutional racism are starting to enter the public gaze.
Last term, OUSU supported a march to Downing Street from Brixton (beginning yards from the scene of the far-right bomb attack two weeks ago) to protest against institutional racism in Britain. Organised by a coalition of community anti-racist groups, the National Civil Rights March made a series of demands: justice for the victims of racist violence, fair treatment of asylum seekers, and a series of measures to end racism in the police and other public institutions. For hundreds of people on that march, racism was not a distant, distasteful reality but a part of everyday life, and the atmosphere was startling.
Even for someone from South London it was a strange scene, and the contrast with Oxford was stark. The idea of two nations is of course a cliche, and has dangerous implications, but given the evidence it seemed compelling. Brixton - poor, urban, with a population more than 50% black and its own distinctive cultural mix - is worlds away from the leafy precincts of university Oxford. Is there really any point in making comparisons?
We want to suggest that there are parallels to be drawn. Though racism in Oxford takes a very different form from racism in Brixton, it is a real problem, and one that remains to be dealt with. Overt discrimination in Oxford is largely invisible, and it would be easy enough to pat ourselves on the back and assume that everything is okay. This in itself is a major part of the problem. Discrimination is "invisible" precisely because there are so few students from ethnic minorities here. We may shake our heads at the fact that only 3% of Metropolitan Police officers are non-white (among the population the Met serves, the figure is almost 20%) and that there are less than 20 non-white MPs. But, if anything, Oxford is worse. According to the University's own figures, the chance of success for a white applicant is 40%; for a black applicant it is only 16.5%. Large numbers of overseas students mask what is in fact a massive social imbalance. Combine all this with less than 50% of students from state schools and declining acceptance rates for women, and Oxford's record starts to look less than impressive.
The problem goes further than admissions. Very few students or tutors are overtly racist, but discrimination continues untouched in the rituals and customs of University life. Students from ethnic minorities are much more likely to feel excluded from College society, and sometimes have to deal with insensitivity and ignorance among their peers. A report published produced last year by OUSU's Anti-racism Committee included numerous examples of questions like "No, where are you really from?" This is hardly akin to being brutalised by the police, but it could be quite off-putting for a nervous fresher. Ignorance also extends to religious customs. One tutor refused to reschedule a late afternoon tutorial, forcing a student fasting for Ramadan to sit through it exhausted. Another Muslim student was continually offered alcohol by her tutor, though she declined several times.
From the refusal of the University to reform its admissions procedure to the curious rituals of many of its more exclusive societies, Oxford perpetuates prejudice in a hidden form. Every day, we ignore what is all around us. With a few exceptions, Oxford academics are uniformly white, but almost 8% of ancillary staff are from ethnic minorities. Just six miles down the road, Campsfield House is the symbol of an immigration system that views asylum seekers as criminals and judges your right to enter on the colour of your skin - a system which our "anti-racist" government is quite happy to defend. (If anyone tells you that this is unconnected to the University, remember Alfred Koineh, the Ruskin student being deported to Sierra Leone despite the fact that many of his family have been murdered there). Oxford has a long history of ethnic minorities and a sizeable minority population. Only the parts of the city dominated by the University remain untouched by the modern world. Racism in Oxford is not the same as racism in Brixton, but it is just as real and just as damaging. We believe that Oxford students are overwhelmingly hostile to racism, and that though our particular problems are complex, it is important that we at least try to deal with them. This is the rationale behind Equality '99, a series of events taking place in fourth week. Many students - especially from ethnic minorities - are wary of making race a political issue, and there is much inertia to overcome. But "anti-racism" must be about more than remaining silent. So take part in Equality '99, and make your voice heard.