1960s Case Study 2

Racism in the 1960s

Two years on from arguably the most racist election campaign in British history, people were continuing to shun their new black and Asian neighbours.

Smethwick, in 1966, was a community divided. Landlords would not let their houses to them. Churches closed their doors to well-dressed families, so as not to upset the white congregation. Even haircuts were off limits as racist barbers refused to let immigrants into their salons.

"They should live in a district by themselves. They're not clean," one young mother said at the time.

Another man complained: "They're a nuisance when you've got to walk past them in the street, they won't move. They're a nuisance at work."

Another claimed: "They're content with Kitekat [cat food] and dog food, instead of ordinary meat."

About 75,000 immigrants a year were arriving in Britain in the mid 1960s and yet there had been precious little information given to natives or newcomers about what either could expect.

At the 1964 election, Conservative MP Peter Griffiths infamously won the Smethwick seat after a campaign employing the slogan: "If you want a n***** for a neighbour, vote Liberal or Labour".

Immigrant families would arrive for church services in their Sunday best, only to be told by clergymen to come back later so as not to upset the congregation. They were often forced to worship in their own homes.

Interracial relationships were very frowned upon.

Racism like this, unfortunately, still occurs, although we are mostly accepting and diverse now.

What it would have been like to be black at the time:

-Constant racism

- Unwanted aggression

-Seclusion and segregation from places (hairdressers, buses etc.)

-Stereotyping about character

-Injustice in crime (More likely to be convicted without doing anything)

-No right to vote (gained the right to vote until 1970s)

-1965 US, 1981 UK black people had the right to vote.

-Didn't get job opportunities

-Only had equality when Obama was president 2009-2017

-We have had no dark skinned political leaders in the UK (the only Black leader in America has been Obama).

-Interracial relationships were no longer illegal, but still socially unacceptable