Cordova Return Drop BAME, says Labour’s

LABOUR MP Marsha de Cordova believes the party should “really move away” from using “a blob of the term BAME” to describe minority ethnic groups in the UK.

At an online Labour meet last Sunday (20), the shadow women and equalities secretary said the blanket categorisation under “BAME” (black, Asian and minority ethnic) reflected a “hierarchy of racism”, and failed to truly represent minority communities.

“Whilst I recognise there are instances where the term is necessary, I’m thinking the use of such a term really does mask our identities and our differences, both racially, culturally, and so on,” said De Cordova. “And for me personally, as a black woman, it is a term that I don’t use – in fact it is a term I very much reject. The frequency and the use of the term also, in my opinion, indicates a level of complacency.”

The Battersea MP added that she would prefer term “black” rather than BAME “in the political context”.

For instance, a young black man and a young Chinese woman will be “very different”, she noted, adding that they cannot be clubbed under “the same label”.

“It’s important to understand that we’re absolutely more than just labels.

“If you ask me ‘Are we done with the term BAME?’, I’m going to say – possibly.”

De Cordova also noted that health secretary Matt Hancock dismissed criticism in June that there were no black MPs in the Cabinet by highlighting that there was sufficient ‘BAME’ representation.

“The ones he mentioned – thy were all Asian,” De Cordova said.

“We do need to really move away from just wanting to use a blob of the term BAME to describe us,” De Cordova told the panel, which included minority activists and leaders such as Runnymede Trust director Halima Begum, deputy London mayor Rajesh Agrawal and Hackney councillor Patrick Vernon.