A COALITION of universities in England and Scotland will research Covid-19’s social and economic impact on ethnic minority people to transform public, political and media debates around race and racism.

The Covid race and ethnic inequalities programme, which involves 32 researchers in 10 universities, is led by the University of Manchester and managed by the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (Code).

Code said that the research would provide new data in an accessible format to champion policy and institutional change, by showing where and how racial inequality is present, how it builds and extends existing patterns of inequality and how this is experienced by racial and ethnic minority groups in their everyday lives.

Associate director Professor Claire Alexander said: “Racial and ethnic discrimination and disadvantage is not a one-off event, but a process which happens across the life course and across all aspects of the lives of individuals and communities.

“Poor housing leads to poorer health outcomes. Educational underachievement can constrain employment prospects, leading to higher levels of poverty.

“Poorer areas are likely to suffer from overpolicing, resulting in poorer mental health.

“But it is also important to think about how communities are challenging discrimination and disadvantage, especially in the wake of Black Live Matter, in the campaigns around the history curriculum and the public histories of monuments.”

Code said it is working with leading black, Asian and minority ethnic third-sector organisations, such as the Runnymede Trust and the Stuart Hall Foundation, to ensure that its findings inform and transform public, political and media debates around race and racism.