User:Zita Holbourne

Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK

BARAC UK was co-founded by Zita Holbourne and Lee Jasper in 2010 because having seen the impact of cuts and relocations on black workers under the previous Labour government and campaigned in the trade union movement and the community, they knew what was to come would have devastating impacts on black workers, service users and communities. BARAC uses the term black in it's political sense to encompass black, Asian and ethnic minority people. June 2020 marks the ten year anniversary of BARAC UK>

The National Chair of BARAC UK is Zita Holbourne, Zita is an award winning trade union and community activist, human rights campaigner, poet, visual artist, curator, vocalist and author. The National Women's Officer of BARAC UK is Donna Guthrie. Donna is a long time trade union and anti racist activist. The Global Justice Officer is Hector Wesley. Hector is a senior trade union activist.

When it was established, BARAC UK brought black trade unionists together with black community activists, setting up city, region and nation BARAC local groups, organised roundtable events, community meetings, established a parliamentary and a legal arm, produced tools and advice to support local communities to campaign, built structures in cities and lobbied government. The Civil Rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson gave support to BARAC  UK and addressed a press conference and public rally against austerity and cuts opposite Downing Street in September  2010.

Recognising that hand in hand with the adverse impacts of austerity, black communities were facing deepening injustice and racism, the remit and scope of the organisation broadened.

BARAC campaigns against racism and injustice faced by black and deprived communities in the UK and globally and against the adverse impacts of cuts as well as for migrant and refugee rights. They have and continue to support family justice campaigns led by families who have lost loved ones at the hands of the State / deaths in custody.

BARAC campaigns against systemic and everyday racism at work, in education, in service provision and in wider society, in the UK and globally.

They co-founded Movement Against Xenophobia (MAX) with other migrants rights groups to campaign against the immigration bill as it was at the time and to respond to the attacks on migrant communities and through MAX launched the  I am an Immigrant poster campaign on train, tube and bus networks across the UK, to demonstrate the positive and valuable contribution of migrant workers to the UK.

They decided when witnessing the impacts on people fleeing climate change, poverty, conflict and persecution and seeking refuge in Europe that as well as campaigning on the links between climate change, dusplacementvand racism that they wanted to provide practical support,  not just symbolic solidarity. For the past 7 years they have coordinated humanitarian aid missions and convoys  to support  refugees in France, raising thousands of pounds through crowdfunding and fundraising events to do this work and provide regular supplies of food, clothes, camping equipment and other essential supplies, with a focus on emergency supplies and  addressing cultural and religious needs. They also campaign on the links between climate change, racism, migration and refugees  working with unions and climate justice groups across Europe.

In 2013 they organised a year long campaign entitled MLK50, Equality in Our Lifetime to mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, campaigning for jobs and justice in the UK.

BARAC is a founding member of BME Lawyers for Grenfell, campaigning for justice and rights for the families, survivors and local community impacted by the devastating Grenfell Tower fire.

Way before anybody acknowledged the Windrush scandal, back in 2012, BARAC warned that it would happen through the provisions of the immigration act. In 2016 Zita Holbourne wrote for the Guardian about it in a story entitled 'How Can 50 people be snatched and deported' referring to the mass deportations by charter flight of 50 people to Jamaica. The Windrush scandal, destruction, human rights abuse and devastation has formed a major part of BARAC's campaigning work over the past few years working together with others campaigning on these issues under the umbrella  of BAME Lawyers for Justice of which BARAC  is a co-founder and which is the sister group to BME Lawyers for Grenfell. Between 2018 and 2019 they organised two conferences and two days of action as part of BAME Lawyers for Justice and in 2019 they organised the Windrush Day of Action, with simultaneous direct actions across several UK cities and with a march in Westminster and a banner drop over Westminster Bridge on National Windrush Day to bring attention  to the ongoing injustice.

BARAC campaigns against the wider discrimination facing black and Asian people targeted for detention and deportation.

BARAC has organised several marches and protests, including outside the Home Office, outside Downing Street and through central London plus outside the USA Embassy in solidarity with black communities in the USA protesting against deaths at the hands of the State as well as supporting and organising actions for families in the UK who have lost loved ones at the hands of the State. In 2013 they hosted the family of the murdered teenager Trayvon Martin at a press conference and public meeting in Central London.

BARAC was part of the Boycott the Human Zoo campaign in the UK and across other countries. BARAC campaigns against racism in the arts and culture sector and are part of the Show Culture Some Love campaign.

In 2017 they launched a 2025 Vision for Race Equality, this was launched at The World Transformed in Liverpool and in the UK Parliament, hosted by John McDonnell MP.

In 2020 BARAC organised protests in Westminster against a charter flight deportation to Jamaica which was shortly before the coronavirus pandemic lockdown and have been highlighting the adverse impacts of coronavirus on black communities, campaigning for protections by employers in the wake of a disproportionate number of BAME people dying from the virus which they attribute to discrimination and poverty amongst other factors.

BARAC UK has been nominated for an award in the 2020 National Diversity Awards and our National Chair Zita Holbourne was the winner of the positive role model for race award in the first year of the Awards. Zita also won the Equality Champion award at the Legacy Gala awards in 2010.

Before there was a black lives matter movement, BARAC UK with others was campaigning to highlight the injustices faced by black communities and the systemic rs ism impacting on all aspects of life so they fully support black lives matter movements across the world.

Now in its tenth year, BARAC will continue to campaign for equality, freedom, justice and human rights. Black Lives Matter.