Artist seeking Welsh views on race relations
ARTIST Scarlett Crawford is on the hunt for people in Wales who can share stories about how race relations have changed ahead of an exhibition in the Houses of Parliament.
Ms Crawford has been commissioned by Parliament to explore the impact of landmark legislation and will hold workshops as part of a project to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Race Relations Act.
People from all backgrounds are welcome to take part, but Race Council Cymru, which leads a partnership of organisations involved in the project, is particularly keen in hearing from ethnic minority participants with experience of the UK before and after the 1965, 1968 and 1976 Acts.
Ms Crawford said: “Working in collaboration with local communities, I hope to discover the unheard stories of those who were affected by the changes, to honour the contributions of those who led the way, and to inspire future generations of people from all backgrounds to engage with art and politics.”
The Race Relations Act 1965 banned racial discrimination in public places and made it an offence to promote hatred on the grounds of “colour, race, or ethnic or national origins”.
The 1968 Act banned discrimination in employment, housing and advertising.
The Commission for Racial Equality was established with the 1976 Act, which also banned indirect discrimination.
Workshops will take place on June 4-5 at the St Fagan’s National Museum of History in Cardiff and on June 19-20 at Swansea Museum. The artworks, developed as part of the First Waves initiative, will go on display in Wales as part of Black History Month Creative Arts events before being exhibited in Westminster and then coming back to the nation.
Kevin Brennan, MP for Cardiff West said: “This work will tell the story of an important part of Cardiff’s history and it is only right those who lived through this period tell their story. Today Cardiff is one of the best places to live in the UK and a huge reason for that is due to its diversity and creativity.”
Swansea West MP Geraint Davies added: “I am delighted to welcome Scarlett Crawford and the First Waves workshop to Swansea in an exciting community project to explore the impact of race relations legislation in art. Swansea is a community of communities, with diversity at its heart.
“It makes it a fantastic place to live, work or study, so it’s important that we celebrate all the things we have to offer.”
Uzo Iwobi of Race Council Cymru said: “This project will enable us to capture reflections of the journey of race equality over the last 50 years.”
Since its establishment in 1956, the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Art has so far commissioned four portraits of black, Asian and ethnic minority parliamentarians – MPs Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng and Bernie Grant, and Baroness Amos.
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