88 THEME SECTION 4 blackexperience community participation:the The changingfaceof during the1950s. We livedintheslumsofLiverpool, within English mother, intheToxteth Iwasborn area ofLiverpool My nameisDaveClay. ThesonofanAfricanfatherand an Who amI? direct ‘communityparticipation’inthecity. broken agenciesnow upanddispersed, and government Grassroots actionwasslowly eroded asthecommunitywas servants andthoseemployedtobringabout‘consultation’. community participationwasnowinthehandsofcivil concentrated onregeneration andeconomicinitiatives, agencies participation wassettochange.Asgovernment to policeandcommunityrelations –thefaceofcommunity experienced bytheblackcommunity, particularly inregard riotsof1981–theculmination ofallthefrustrations Liverpool BlackOrganisationin1976.However, afterthe led tocampaignsforblackstudiesandtheformationof to protect blackresidents onanewhousingestate,andthis nity mobilisationcameintheearly1970s,whenpolicefailed or afightforbetterservices.Myfirstexperienceofcommu- ‘community participation’haslongbeenareaction toracism community inBritain,concentratedtheToxteth area. Here, The cityofLiverpoolhasthelongestestablishedblack Overview by DAVID CLAY 14 until government legislationwasintroduceduntil government (Race Relations ronment thatmyviewsandopinionsare formed. reside intheToxteth area. Itiswithinsuchamulti-racial envi- question. Suffice ittosay thatthemajorityofblackfamilies mated, andthereal sizeoftheethnicpopulationisopen to 35,848 (8.5%).Thesefigures are withoutdoubtunderesti- tion census2001)withtheblackpopulationestimatedat The cityofLiverpoolhasapopulation403,625(popula- The Liverpoolblackpopulation above). Law-Henfrey, and Liverpool community, mostnotably mation pertainingtothedevelopmentofLiverpool’s black by itsrole inslavery. There isanabundance ofhistoricalinfor- longest establishedblackcommunityinBritain,epitomised walking distanceofthedocks.ThecityLiverpoolhas During mychildhood,racism wasendemic.Itnot by DrRayCostello, Loosen theShackles Liverpool BlackPioneers A History ofRaceandRacism A History by Lord Gifford (see and Black by 89

14 THEME SECTION 4 3 Ten Little Niggers, Ten . It was period when 2 win There is no space here to highlight how the organisation to highlight is no space here There Agatha Christie was one of the most prolific writers in history, whose books have writers in history, Agatha Christie was one of the most prolific Kate by Florence literary character created ‘Golliwog’ is a rag doll-like children's logical implication of this was frightening. ‘Why should our logical implication of This all asked. The answer was easy. kids feel inferior?’ we novel, Christie’s was a period when Agatha primary schools. was available in most Liverpool Black Organisation (LBO) Liverpool Black Organisation of black involvement in trade was little or no history There employed were union activism since very few black people of was no single body that had the interests There in the city. of their agenda. It the Liverpool black community on the top in the This resulted was vital that we organised ourselves. in 1976. formation of the Liverpool Black Organisation became a thorn that in the a participative structure created a like to recollect side of racism. Nevertheless, I would by the work of the late that was inspired successful protest based on His tactics were community activist Saul Alinsky. apathy and showing the community that you addressing could ‘legally’ challenge authority and protest Half Penny The black youth told the organisation that When a 15-year-old he had been accused of stealing a coat while in a top store it was a perfect opportunity to deploy in , had demanded to see the the Alinsky tactics. Security staff the inside of his coat, claiming that it had been taken from The youth was adamant that it was his own coat. He store. It tran- and his coat ripped off. to the ground was wrestled that he was telling the truth. He complained to the spired that, ‘Following a full He was informed via a solicitor. store investigation into your complaints we fully support the actions of our security staff.’ There were a million ways to make black people feel inferior. a million ways to make were There within the school Black studies: we demanded black studies fund black studies curriculum. No, they said, but we will night classes outside of the school curriculum. Consequently in the revolution set up. This coincided with the culture were better were proud’ USA – `black is beautiful’ and `black and alternatives to bleach. Collective community participation black development. to be positive for was proving `little black sambo’ and `golliwogs’ were the order of the day. the order `little black sambo’ and `golliwogs’ were outsold any others apart from the Bible and Shakespeare. The title of this book, one the Bible and Shakespeare. outsold any others apart from name for the US market. was given a different of 80 novels she wrote, Between 1910 and 2001 Upton in the late 19th century based on a black minstrel. a marketing used the character as leading jam manufacturers one of the world’s black people, from tool, giving away golliwog badges. This was despite protests golliwog, had long been used. against whom the term ‘wog’, derived from 2 3 I 1 The changing face of community participation: the Liverpool black experience black the Liverpool participation: of community face changing The The Charles Wootton Centre for Further Education was for Further Education Centre The Charles Wootton I was part of a generation of black kids who were born I was part of a generation of black kids who were The local accent and dialect of Liverpool, also known to outsiders as ‘’. remember reading about a six-year-old black girl, born in about a six-year-old reading remember Liverpool, who tried to bleach her skin white, believing that if her skin was white she would be accepted in the play- The psycho- since she had no language differences. ground, in Liverpool, only spoke Liverpudlian and in affect were black were in Liverpool, only spoke Liverpudlian and in affect ‘scousers’ – a colloquialism for people born in Liverpool. established during the 1970s in the Toxteth area. During the area. established during the 1970s in the Toxteth early 1970s, a new housing estate had been built in the area, known as the Falkner Housing Estate. Bigots took exception black. The to the fact that the first families to move in were estate was attacked on two consecutive evenings. I was part and accused the police of failing that protested of a group They told us that it was their duty to the residents. to protect night of attacks we took the the estate. After a third protect barricades to protect situation into our hands and erected The community mobilised. Despite the incident the residents. with the Liverpool police, the escalating into a confrontation attacks stopped. This was my first experience of the commu- nity standing up against both the racism of the perpetrators of the attacks and the racism of the police. A community fights back the been far from The Liverpool black community has never race riots. Return-headlines. In 1919, Liverpool experienced come to terms could not War the First World ing soldiers from had jobs in munitions facto- that black people with the reality had and relations ries, and the number of mixed marriages people descended on the Mobs of white visibly increased. of Charles in the murder resulting of Toxteth, black area in the who was drowned a former black sailor, Wootton, . Act, 1965) that direct discrimination was made illegal. In discrimination was made Act, 1965) that direct was that you could for example, the only difference, reality, that ‘no blacks need apply’. not state in a job advertisement people. Inadequate housing, simply did not employ black You institution- low employment, overt racism, police brutality, underachieve- and educational alised racism, gang warfare black people in Liverpool. It is for ment have been the reality was usually then of no surprise that community participation to racism or a fight for better services. The city of a reaction and resistance for its working-class Liverpool is renowned a militant local council during the epitomised by militancy, has been hidden 1980s. But the history of black resistance for many years. 1 14

90 THEME SECTION 4 David Clay changing faceofcommunityparticipation." scope ofthe Terrorism Act, epitomisingthe the PublicOrder Act, orcomeunderthe would nodoubtcontravene Section5of "Today, real communityparticipation with regard topoliceandcommunityrelations. experienced bytheblackcommunityinLiverpool,particularly The Toxteth riotswere theculminationofallfrustrations 1981 Toxtethriots ronment, MichaelHeseltine, wastoseethedevelopmentof community. nity participationinregard toLiverpoolandtheblack tant here ishowtheriotswere tochangethefaceofcommu- nity actionhadachievedavictory. equal opportunityemployers.Alldemandswere met.Commu- ing reimbursement fortheyouthandapledgetobecome wanted. We presented thestore withalistofdemands,includ- day. twohoursthemanagementaskeduswhatwe Within tion. Thiswasalegalprotest thatwouldhappeneverySatur- A solicitorandavicarwere atthedoortodealwithanyreac- Basically, justcausinginconveniencetoshoppersandstaff alike. would purchase goodsacross theeighttillswehadidentified. lous aswellfun.There wouldbeahalfpennygroup who ping time,Saturday Theplanninghadbeenmeticu- morning. that iscrucial.Itwasdecidedtovisitthestore atthepeakshop- brings aboutareaction. Itwashowyouplanforthereaction fundamental principlesofAlinskytacticswasthateveryaction you paidyourbusfare with120halfpennies.Oneofthe can imaginethedifficulties thatwouldariseif,forexample, Britain. Infact,youcouldlegallyspendupto60pence.So Email: [email protected] UK SW75HD 165 Queen’s Gate Wellcome Wolfson Building Science (BA) British AssociationfortheAdvancementof David Clay CONTACT DETAILS 4 officers injured, 500peoplearrested, andatleast70buildings demolished. attempting toclearcrowds, and(according tothepolice)there were 468police days, duringwhichonepersondiedafter beingstruckbyapolicevehicle They were oneofthemostseriousseriesriots everintheUK,lastingnine The eventsof1981are well documented. The arrivalinoffice oftheSecretary ofState fortheEnvi- At thisparticulartimehalfpennieswere legaltenderin 4 What isimpor- 5 past historicalevents drink asanoffering use oftenrelates toagod.Itsmodern totheremembrance of to impactonthefuture ofthecity. takes placeatthecitydocksasblackcommunitycontinues mony involvingthesacred act ofpouring–seepicture inset) as BlackHistoryMonth.AyearlyLibationceremony (acere- of Octoberwasofficially recognised role intheslavetradeand month Liverpool Councilapologisedfortheir achieved somerewards. In1999 fruits ofgrassroots strugglehave nity participation. the Terrorism Act,epitomisingthechangingfaceofcommu- Section 5ofthePublicOrder Act,orcomeunderthescopeof real communityparticipationwouldnodoubtcontravene you thatthere are countlessagencieswithsuchastake. Today, a stakeinToxteth andyouhadbetterbelievemewhen Itell today wecanviewaKuKluxKlanoutfitdowninthegallery. Culture label.Yesterday wecouldnothaveblackstudies,but our historytocoincidewiththe2008European Capitalof to forgetourhistory’.Inreality itisnowconvenienttoexploit building anumberofslavegalleriesinmuseumstellingus‘not built ontheslavetrade,andcityinvestedinslaveryagain, diversity andinclusionstatements.Liverpool’s earlywealthwas Act furtherputanobligatorydutyonauthoritiestoproduce now runbythisgrowing housingsector. TheRaceRelations a role instiflinglocalprotest. Neighbourhoodschemes were destroyed underthebannerofregeneration. community wasbroken upanddispersed.Socialoutletswere consultation. Grassroots actionwasslowlyeroded asthe hands ofcivilservantsandthoseemployedtobringabout economic initiatives.Communityparticipationwasnowinthe principle of‘consultation’. Force. neighbourhoodpolicyrevolved Government around the numerous agenciessuchastheToxteth governmental Task ‘Libation’ comesfrom anancient Greek word referring tothe ritual pouringofa Despite thesedevelopments,the Community participationisnowledbyanyagencythathas The growth ofhousingassociationsinToxteth alsoplayed The next20yearsconcentratedonregeneration and 5