Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside

A still from University of Leicester's Rural Racism project film by Feel Good Films.

Last year I was invited to be part of a major new University of Leicester study entitled The Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside (2023–2025). 

Led by Professor Neil Chakraborti, Professor Corinne Fowler and Dr Amy Clarke, it challenges dominant depictions of rural England as peaceful, neutral and apolitical. 

It investigated the realities of racism experienced by minoritised ethnic individuals and communities in rural spaces, in order to understand how racism is expressed in rural areas.

I was interviewed about my experiences of growing up in rural Cambridgeshire, and I contributed a blog. 

Remembering my earlier years through this lens was weirdly cathartic. I'd buried many experiences in order to get on with life. And I had it easy compared to many other people of colour. 

Another distant memory that has popped up whilst writing this...I once threatened to sit on a boy at school for making 'fun' of me and the only other Black girl in the school of 700 - I was a 'well built' 13 year old girl and he soon stopped his jibes. 

Click here to read my blog which I wrote for the project.

Sadly the stories in this study aren't quite as amusing. But please take a look if you want to engage better with your diverse communities and workforce outside of the large metropolitan areas.

Or if you want your eyes opened to life experienced by Global Majority communities.

The study's reports and summaries, film inspired by people's stories, and other blogs, are all on the University's website here.

If you're struggling with any aspect of engaging with people of culturally diverse backgrounds, contact me for a chat: hello@elmaglasgowconsulting.com.