What’s the Damage?
The R&B kings wax lyrical on hate crime.
| If we’re looked upon as positive role models and can spread positivity, then kids are going to listen to us. |
"Why treat me differently, just because of the colour of my skin?"
That's one of the main messages behind a brand new media campaign aimed at stamping out all hate crime - such as racism, bullying and sexism.
The murders of Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor have dominated the news in recent years. In an attempt to cut back on such horrific crimes, the Metropolitan Police is now targeting 10-15 year olds directly on TV, radio and in teen magazines.
Backed by the Prime Minister and the Commission for Racial Equality, their campaign also has the support of some of the biggest names in the music industry, including So Solid Crew, Blue, and Steps.
At the forefront of the initiative are R and B group, Damage, whose singer Jade told us: "Racism and bullying are a big part of anyone's life, and if we in any way can help sort that problem out then that's what we're here for.
He continued: "If we're looked upon as positive role models and can spread positivity, then kids are going to listen to us. We can have more impact than a policeman going to a school speaking about racism when maybe he hasn't experienced it."
Jade and the other members of the group reckon they understand what young people have to go through, especially black youths.
Said Andrez: Around the same time as Stephen Lawrence was murdered, I was walking home from school on my own and a car full of lads drove past and shouted abuse. It was quite scary as I didn't know whether the car was going to double back or not!"
Russ also experienced abuse as a teenager. "I grew up on a very rough estate and when I went to secondary school I moved out of the area," he said. "People who I thought were my friends weren't. They started heckling me and laughing at me. You have to rise above it and become a better person."
Andrez said if there were more guidance from home and school it would stop people being violent towards each other. "If the punishments are severe it might deter people from committing race crime," he said.
For Jade the solution to racism is integration in the classroom - a stance echoing one of the new adverts, which highlights everyday activities young people get involved in whatever their colour.
"You need to bring different cultures into schools and show how interesting people are," he said. "We're all the same at end of the day."
Deputy Assistant Commissioner, John Grieve, who is in charge of the Met's Racial and Violent Crime Task Force told us the campaign is crucial: "One of the things we've learnt from the Stephen Lawrence inquiry was that people pick up racial attitudes from a very early age. That's why we're aiming this campaign at 10 to 15 year olds.
"Hate crime may start off with name calling or graffiti but could easily end up with physical violence or even murder. Many young people may think it's a harmless bit of fun to call other youngsters names or pick on them. But it's not fun and it's not harmless for those at the receiving end."
He agreed that a lot of work needed to be done to encourage black youths to work together with the police on issues such as racism. A key aspect of his message is that the campaign must not only encourage young people to think about the causes of hate crime, but also the police and people in authority as well.
"Young people have to keep looking at things and saying what they think is wrong and we, the police, have to keep trying to provide the best service for young people."
As young people living in multi-cultural London we think the basic idea of the campaign is good. And with the support of artists such as Damage who help to bridge the gap between the police and young people we reckon there's a good chance it will be successful.
In the short term, the campaign will make people think about their views, and will hopefully lead to greater things. But will it take more than an advertising campaign to change people's racist attitudes?
About the team
This article was produced by Natasha Lytton, 13, Sekai Makoni,15, and Chantelle Symester, 15. It was published as part of Teen Talk, the Children's Express page in New Nation.
