Brussels So White movement
| Brussels So White | |
|---|---|
| Type of project | Hashtag, Informal movement |
| Location | Brussels |
| Country | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 446: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Established | December 2017 |
| Website | Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 446: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
The Brussels So White (or #BrusselsSoWhite) movement is an informal movement denouncing the lack of racial diversity in the European Union institutions in Brussels.
Origin
The hashtag BrusselsSoWhite first appeared in an article by Politico in 2017 written by Ryan Heath.[1] The article featured a collage of the portraits of all of the 751 Members of the European Parliament accompanied by the hashtag BrusselsSoWhite.[2]
Underrepresentation of people of colour
The use of the hashtag on Twitter has emphasized the lack of racial diversity in the European Parliament.[3] Ethnic minorities account for more than 10% of the population of the EU, however less than 5% of the lawmakers elected to the European Parliament are people of color, a proportion further reduced to 4% after Brexit.[4][5] The lack of racial diversity among employees of the institutions of the European Union in Brussels, referred to under the hashtag BrusselsSoWhite, is even more striking because Brussels is a relatively racially diverse city.[6]
The European Commission refused in the past to collect information on the ethnic diversity of its employees.[7]
In September 2020, the European Commission put forward an Anti-Racism Action Plan to tackle the structural racism in the EU, including measures to address the lack of diversity of the European decision makers in Brussels, as denounced by #BrusselsSoWhite.[8]
Discrimination and racism
The hashtag BrusselsSoWhite has been invoked to denounce manifestations of racism towards people of colour working in European affairs in Brussels.[9] Employees of color at the European institutions are frequently assumed to be cleaning personnel,[10] catering personnel[7] or intruders.[11]
Shada Islam argued that because of the lack of diversity as denounced by #BrusselsSoWhite, whiteness could be perceived as being central to the European identity. In this manner the lack of racial diversity could fuel the arguments of the far-right movements in Europe.[12]
Notes
- ↑ Chander, Sarah (19 May 2019). "Why is Brussels so white? The EU's race problem that no one talks about". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ Heath, Ryan (11 December 2017). "Brussels is blind to diversity". Politico. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ de Haldevang, Max (15 December 2017). "The EU institutions are unbelievably white. Brexit will make them even whiter". Quartz. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ↑ Psaledakis, Daphne (12 June 2019). "Minorities still lack a strong voice in new European Parliament". Reuters. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ de Haldevang, Max (14 December 2017). "The new balance of power in Brussels after Brexit". Quartz. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ↑ Azimy, Roxanna (22 January 2020). "Why is Brussels so white?". Euro Babble. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Heath, Ryan (11 December 2017). "POLITICO Brussels Playbook, presented by EPP Group: Blockbuster foreign affairs — Brussels so white — Macron lands at Parliament". Politico. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ Islam, Shada (16 December 2020). "In a messy world, EU's clout depends on respecting values". EUobserver. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ Ryngbeck, Annica (12 December 2017). "3 Things I learned from working with Human Rights". Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ↑ Heath, Ryan (11 December 2017). "Brussels bubble reacts to accusations of being too white". Politico. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ Islam, Shada (9 June 2020). "Europeans of colour are finding their voice – it's time 'Brussels so white' listened". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ↑ Islam, Shada (17 March 2021). "Meghan Markle, royal racism and the 'European Way of Life'". EUobserver. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
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