This ambitious first-in-kind research project is designed to investigate a significantly neglected area of contemporary British society, namely the shifting valences of Black British identities.
The Black British Voices Project is an innovative research collaboration between the Department of Sociology, I-Cubed and The Voice Newspaper, with the goal of delivering an authentic community-driven narrative on how it feels to be Black and British. The first phase of the project consisted of a groundbreaking national survey and public campaign supported by M&C Saatchi and The Jamaica National Group. Combining over 10,000 voices from Black communities across the UK, the first project report launched at a House of Commons event on 29 Sept 2023, hosted by Abena Oppong-Asare MP and supported by the Black Equity Organisation. The second phase of the project, which is currently in planning, is supported by funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Findings
The first BBVP report provides a nuanced and comprehensive account of the experience of being Black in Britain, combining a national survey of 10,000 Black Britons with in-depth interviews of leading Black British commentators, including politicians, celebrities, writers, journalists and businesspeople. Amongst many important findings, some of the headline statistics are:
- Just 3% feel supported by the Government in relation to the challenges they face
- Fewer than 2% feel fairly treated within the healthcare system
- Fewer than 2% think British educational institutions are taking the issue of racial difference seriously
Core team (Phase 1, report)
- Dr Kenny Monrose (Wolfson College, University of Cambridge)
- Maggie Smith (I-Cubed)
- Paula Dyke (The Voice)
- Professor Sarah Franklin (Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge)
- Joseph Cotton (Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge)
Core team (Phase 2, workshops)
- Dr Kenny Monrose (Wolfson College, University of Cambridge)
- Maggie Smith (I-Cubed)
- Mya Imadojemun (Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge)
- Elmira Kakabayeva (Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge)
Project details
Research theme: Politics and Inequality
Funding: The Jamaica National Group, Black Equity Organisation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Project duration: 2020-25
Project website: www.bbvp.org/