Portsmouth councillor Ben Dowling shares his experiences of racism

'I WAS told to "go back to where I came from" by a local resident. This resident had no idea that where I came from was actually Milton.'
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One of Portsmouth City Council's only two councillors from the black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) community shared his experiences with racism - dating back to when he was in primary school.

Councillor Ben Dowling has lived in Portsmouth his whole life. His mum is Vietnamese and his dad is white British, something he said has led to him being wrongly labelled by strangers as a range of Asian nationalities from Chinese to Thai.

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When Cllr Dowling was elected to the council in 2014 at the age of 20 he was one of the youngest councillors in the country.

Cllr Ben Dowling shared his experiences of racism in Portsmouth.
Picture: Sarah Standing (141030-3135)Cllr Ben Dowling shared his experiences of racism in Portsmouth.
Picture: Sarah Standing (141030-3135)
Cllr Ben Dowling shared his experiences of racism in Portsmouth. Picture: Sarah Standing (141030-3135)

Now the former deputy mayor has used his platform as an elected member to raise awareness.

During an impassioned debate at a virtual full council meeting on how the council should show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement he said: 'Only three days ago, I was told to "go back to where I came from" by a local resident. This resident had no idea that where I came from was actually Milton.

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'Racism is real. Discrimination is real. The legacy of our global history is one of great horrors with consequences that are proliferated even still today.'

Nala-Paris Mbah, four, of Milton, with her mum Alexandra Ruddock, 27, on the right. Picture: Habibur RahmamNala-Paris Mbah, four, of Milton, with her mum Alexandra Ruddock, 27, on the right. Picture: Habibur Rahmam
Nala-Paris Mbah, four, of Milton, with her mum Alexandra Ruddock, 27, on the right. Picture: Habibur Rahmam
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During the meeting members unanimously approved a motion – brought forward by Lib Dem Cllr Tom Wood and added to by Labour Cllr Judith Smyth - made up of six key actions to stand in solidarity with BLM.

These included working with black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the city for feedback on the handling of the Covid pandemic, reviewing its engagement with BAME groups and lobbying government to address the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on BAME people.

Following the debate Cllr Dowling opened up to The News about how racism has affected him and how he believes Portsmouth can fight bigotry.

The 26-year-old said: 'The reality is I do receive comments such as these, which are unwelcome - not frequently, but it does happen. Over the years my background has been presumed, people normally think I'm Chinese or Japanese of Thai.

The Black Lives Matter protest and march took place in Portsmouth on Saturday, June 27.

Pictured is: Dante Ellington-Grant, 21, with his girlfriend Rebecca Higgins, 21. 

Picture: David GeorgeThe Black Lives Matter protest and march took place in Portsmouth on Saturday, June 27.

Pictured is: Dante Ellington-Grant, 21, with his girlfriend Rebecca Higgins, 21. 

Picture: David George
The Black Lives Matter protest and march took place in Portsmouth on Saturday, June 27. Pictured is: Dante Ellington-Grant, 21, with his girlfriend Rebecca Higgins, 21. Picture: David George
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'In some ways I am lucky I am a councillor and known in the community because it probably means it happens less to me than other people of ethnic minorities.

'I first remember someone, another child, saying something like this to me at primary school. I think I was fairly aware but I was lucky I was surrounded by friends at all age groups that were actually very understanding and non-discriminatory so comments were limited. But I think name calling is upsetting at any age, so yes it did upset me.

'Now that I work in schools and colleges across Portsmouth and the country I still encounter it and witness it among young people.'

However, the Lib Dem councillor was positive about how things could change.

100s of demonstrators turn up at Portsmouth Guildhall for Black Lives Matter on Thursday 4 June 2020.100s of demonstrators turn up at Portsmouth Guildhall for Black Lives Matter on Thursday 4 June 2020.
100s of demonstrators turn up at Portsmouth Guildhall for Black Lives Matter on Thursday 4 June 2020.
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'A great deal of progress has been made but there's still a long way to go,' he said.

'I would say the largest progress is among young people and schools and colleges and universities because the very nature of education and learning is that you have to have ongoing conversations about everything. So the level of understanding among young people is actually much greater than that in older generations.

'I hope the actions flowing out of the motion can help bring the issues raised into public discussion.

'We do have a great deal of diversity in Portsmouth but we are also still a predominantly white city, we're not like some of the metropolitan boroughs in London.

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'On the whole I think Portsmouth is very good at welcoming new and different people and we've seen over the years new communities joining Portsmouth's larger community and being openly welcomed.

'Despite the things that have been said to me I'm absolutely confident that Portsmouth as a whole is a very positive welcoming place but it's not immune to the issues we have across all of British society.'

The full council debate inspired contributions from several other members.

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Speaking during the meeting Cllr Hugh Mason said: 'I am a 6ft tall, reasonably intelligent, white, Anglo-Saxon male - so what do I know about black lives?

'Fairly little actually apart from the fact I brought up four black step-sons of whom I am immensely proud. And in the process I saw the racism which is inherent in much of British society even in this city. I saw them being stopped by the police and questioned for no apparent reason. I overheard the racial slurs they were intended to hear but I wasn't.

'We need to stand against racism and that which sustains racism through the whole of this increasing interrelated world. We must make this our crusade.'

Tory group leader Cllr Donna Jones said she believed 'black lives matter' but condemned some of the views of the movement. Two members of the group were recently suspended from the party following allegations of racism.

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She said: 'If there are black people living in this city who feel that their life outcomes are not as strong as mine because of the colour of their skin then something is definitely not working and as community leaders we need to address that.

'However, I agree that black lives matter with a small "b", a small "l" and a small "m" because I don't agree with the abolition of the police, I don't agree with the dismantling of capitalism, I don't agree with the blockade of airports, I don't agree with the abolition of prisons, I don't agree with the abolition of borders and I don't agree with the ending of stop and search powers.'

As part of the motion councillors also agreed to call on government to make urgent changes to policy and guidance to protect BAME communities as a recent Public Health England report requested.

‘We need your help too’

THE discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement at a Portsmouth City Council meeting this week sparked passionate debate from politicians and community members alike.

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Two city residents who have been at the core of the movement in Portsmouth reminded councillors why a dialogue was needed.

Mariam Daniel, an organiser of one of the marches held last month, said it was important the council worked with the public.'While being black and suffering from the clear oppression that black people face everyday I'm also making sure change happens to the younger generation,' she said.

'However, we need your help too. I am currently creating a teacher training docket on how to recognise microaggressions in the classroom while also creating safe spaces for BAME students and I would love to email this across when completed.

'I would also like to know how the council ensures all schools and colleges are taking action on the curriculum, racism faced by students and staff and other inequalities such as exclusions and predicted grades.

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'Showing solidarity is great but we also have a lot of work to do. A cross-party equalities champion to oversee the council's work on equalities, diversity and inclusion is a brilliant idea and a great way to check in with the community.

'I believe the feedback on how black people are given a voice and the support they need in the fight against racism is what they need to ensure we are moving in the right steps.'

City resident Freida M'Cormack added: '"All lives matter", this is the common rejoinder to the very simple and obvious statement of "black lives matter."

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'Why? What more do we need to explain for people to realise that for that statement to be true our lives need to matter too which is all BLM is saying.

'So for the umpteenth time it is clear black lives do not yet matter nearly as much as they should in this country.

'Black and ethnic minority people are more likely to die in police custody or when we are disproportionately dying from Covid-19 or when maternal death for black women is five times higher than for white women or when black babies have 120 per cent increased risk of still birth, 50 per cent increased risk of prenatal deaths.

'Ask yourself do black lives matter when black men are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by police in the UK?

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'The glib rejoinders to this institutional racism such as “black people are more likely to commit crimes” are rendered pointless when we know black people are more likely than white people to be charged for exactly the same crimes and are sentenced more harshly for exactly the same crimes.'

Protests in Portsmouth

THE death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in the US this year sparked protests across the globe.

This was no different in Portsmouth where hundreds rallied together under the Black Lives Matter movement and to make their voices heard.

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One of the high points of the protest happened when four-year-old Nala-Paris Mbah, of Milton, started a chant of ‘black lives matter’ after appearing at the top of the Guildhall steps alongside a speaker.

Once the march reached Southsea Common, a few people stood up to give speeches, talking about their experiences with racism.

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