THE Conservative government’s austerity measures are devastating the most vulnerable in society.

Black communities, women, the elderly, disabled people and our young find themselves disproportionately affected by the cuts. Black women, many of whom are often the sole earners in families, are bearing the brunt of the cuts and increased racism.

Recent studies show that black women in Britain are up to three times more likely than their white counterparts to be unemployed. Our black women workers are concentrated in low-paid, low-status jobs, and even when they are in employment, they are more likely to be working in more vulnerable temporary or part-time positions.

Black women working in local government are being hit disproportionately hard by job losses. These cuts are delivering a heavy cost to the black community, with decades of work to introduce fair employment practices and the resulting diversity of our workforce now being seriously damaged.

Our black communities are full of young people left with little hope as they can’t afford further education and therefore can’t reach higher education to better their chances. Over half of young black people are unemployed and employment discrimination is rife.

This scale of unemployment blights whole communities and fragments our society, and it is a stark rebuttal of claims that race discrimination is no longer a major problem in employment. As a lifelong anti-racism campaigner, trade union activist and national women’s officer of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (Barac UK), I campaign to highlight the double impact felt by black communities and our women in particular and seek to encourage support and engagement of black activists across the country to challenge the governments cuts and the racism it perpetuates.

Barac is a national campaign, with local groups around the country. We work together with trade unions, community groups, public service users and black campaigning organisations. We organise where black communities are and help people to set up their own local groups, enabling black people to have a collective voice.

Part of my work as Barac’s festival organiser is to encourage supporters to come forward and volunteer at the Workers Beer Company initiative at British music festivals. Getting our young black activists to come together with other labour and trade union activists is a good start to building much-needed unity on our side against the government’s cuts.

Having previously volunteered as a festival server, I noticed a lack of black volunteers. I could see the benefit of Barac teaming up to encourage young black workers and students to get involved alongside trade union and labour groups. So after liaising with the helpful team at Workers Beer we had launched our first Barac team to the Reading Festival in 2014. This was the first time that pioneer volunteers, including Barac’s joint chair Lee Jasper, had campaigned at a festival. Last year saw our first Barac team at Glastonbury at what was an amazing experience, being part of a team of political black women.

We shared time debating sexism, homophobia, racism and strategies to build resistance in between shifts at our campsite. At that very same time, a debate was taking place across the US about banning the Confederate flag because of its historic connection to racism and because, in the aftermath of the horrific mass murder of worshippers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, photos were found of the killer posing with the flag.

Barac’s all black woman team of volunteers at Glastonbury Festival had not anticipated yet another campaign against racism in arts and culture while there. But after only one day at the renowned music festival, we were shocked to discover a Confederate flag on display in a nearby Glastonbury staff camping area. We set about using Twitter to contact the Glastonbury organisers and request its removal. When this produced no action we staged a picket outside the area where the flag was situated.

This successfully resulted in its removal by the festival organisers. The team grew in confidence as a result and were able to build contacts with other trade union volunteers, and are now set to return as team leaders for Barac campaign fundraising at this year’s festivals.

We need a mass movement, we need to bring everyone together, particularly those hardest hit. So if you are involved in organising locally please engage with black communities. Involve them — don’t just tell them what you are doing.

Empower them to have their voices heard and to stand up and change what is going on. n For more information on volunteering at festivals for Barac or to join Barac email barac.info@gmail. com or visit our website for up-todate information on activities and events (blackactivistsrisingagainstcuts.blogspot.com) or follow us on Twitter @BARACUK.