It is no secret that prestigious educational institutions such as Cambridge University are severely lacking in the diversity department, especially when it comes to class and race. I will acknowledge that these Universities are trying to improve accessibility to people from minority backgrounds, hence creation of the postgraduate course, however there is something about the criticism Cambridge University received that has really rubbed me the wrong way.
Every time an initiative is set up specifically to aid the progression of racial minorities, the response always boils down to “what about White working-class people?”. Now, it is important that I mention that there is nothing wrong with supporting White working-class people, in fact, I strongly advocate for it. Classism is a deeply systemic issue that has existed in Britain for centuries and has restricted what working-class people have access to. My issue, however, lies in the fact that when we attempt to create opportunities for people of colour, there is a lot of ‘whataboutism’, particularly from right-wing commentators.
By opening opportunities solely on socio-economic factors, we are inevitably erasing the struggles of people of colour, putting them in the same category as the White working class, which are both two entirely different issues. Whilst both groups have difficulty accessing certain resources and institutions, the very real concept of White privilege means that a White working-class person can still thrive should they be given the access and the resources to do so.
Institutionalised and systemic racism operates on people of colour being tied down or limited to certain archetypes created and upheld by White supremacy and therefore means that people of colour need to carry themselves with virtually no flaws (which as we know, is impossible) to be able to reach a certain level of success amongst White people. The conversation of the White working class and White privilege is a topic too deep to delve into at this point in time, but we have to understand that all it means is that race does not serve as the basis of the systemic oppression experienced by the White working class.
Creating a course only on a socio-economic basis makes it seem as though racism and classism are the same thing
So what does any of that have to do with a Cambridge postgraduate course? As I mentioned before, creating a course only on a socio-economic basis makes it seem as though racism and classism are the same thing, when they aren’t. Another worry for me is that this will also hinder the racial and ethnic diversity of people within this course, as it is already common knowledge that a person of colour has to be far more qualified than a White person of any socio-economic status to be even considered for opportunities. Creating a course only for people of colour would mean that there would be little room for racial bias when it comes to applying for and progressing through this course, which in turn gives racial minorities a chance to get a qualification on a semi-level playing field. If it is an issue that White working-class people do not have such a course, another course can be created on the basis of socio-economic factors so different needs can be catered to.
Ultimately, this boils down to right-wing commentators acting as though they care about the working class when in reality, they continue to be the same people that benefit from the wealth gap at the expense of the people they supposedly support. My hope is that Cambridge University will create a course specifically for non-white people, so that racial minorities can benefit from education without some form of worry about implicit racism hindering their progress.
