The Sheffield SWP are holding a talk at 7pm at the Central United Reform Church this evening which aims to discuss action around fighting racism in Sheffield.
The talk is being held partially in response to an anti-racist and fascist demonstration which took place last month outside a Holiday Inn hotel in Rotheram housing refugees.
Jay Williams, of Chesterfield, a long-standing member of the party said: “Fighting racism is at the core of my being, not simply because I’m black, but also because I want to see an end to exploitation and suppression”.
The format of the event will begin with a twenty minute talk from Mr Williams, followed by a discussion open to participants, posing both questions and active solutions.
The 61 year old who is Black-British said: “What this event will do is clarify people’s ideas about how we fight back against racism.
“That’s not just about talking to black people or politically black people, that’s about talking to everybody. The other aspect is to help organise and participate in wider umbrella groups, like Stand Up To Racism for instance.”
Emma Davis, a SEND teacher from Sheffield, said: “It’s about thinking how as workers and unions we can try and take up the question of racism”.
The party encourages those of all ethnicities and backgrounds to attend the event.
The 36 year old, who is of Jewish descent, said: “I’m white, I don’t experience racism other than the fact that I think it brings us all down when you have a racist attack or a racist incident, when a black person doesn’t get paid as much as they should do or doesn’t get a job”.
The party meets weekly at the Central United Reform Church alongside participating in marches, rallies and picket lines.
Mr Williams said: “It’s all part of the process, I don’t see it as providing instant action, it’s ongoing in the political argument about why black and white need to unite and fight”.
Having also lived in Birmingham and London, Mr Williams said growing up in Sheffield was a very white place.
He said: “At a level of personal interaction racism has gotten a lot better here. It’s much more interracial now than it was then, multiculturalism is a really good thing”.
Miss Davis said: “We can’t fight on our own. It’s about unity. We need to be inclusive of everybody and say that anyone who wants to join, you can”.