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Episode 2

We Are Black and British Series 1
Episode 2 of 2

The other three members of the group reveal their stories as they tackle breaking down barriers at work, whether race matters when it comes to love and where mixed-race people fit into black identity.

Six black Britons from very different backgrounds and viewpoints are coming together under one roof at a time when race and racism in the UK have sparked a nationwide discussion about what needs to change. They grapple with tough, unsettling and emotional questions about being black and British in search of a way forward. Each of them has a deeply personal story to share about an event that proved to be a seismic moment in their life. They confront their differences, hoping to find answers from each other and from those who are trying to change Britain.

The most radical of the group, university professor Kehinde, set up Britain's first black studies degree. He believes it's time for a fundamental change to Britain. He has a revolutionary idea to reveal to the group which could prove divisive - black-only workplaces. Although recent years have seen black leaders taking the top jobs at some big companies, at the latest count, there wasn't a single black CEO in a FTSE 100 company. At the other end of the pay scale, however, black people are overrepresented in lower-paying jobs. The group meet someone who won one of the UK's biggest race discrimination payouts in recent years and debate whether taking companies to task or race-based quotas could be the way forward. One of the panel from last year's controversial race commission report also drops in to discuss whether or not racism is still the most significant barrier holding back progression for black people in Britain.

29-year-old NHS doctor Raphel has matters of the heart on his mind. He's at a stage in life where he's looking to settle down and feeling the pressure to marry within the black community, so he wants to ask the group whether race should matter when it comes to love. Black men in Britain marry outside their race far more than white and Asian men, but black women are statistically more likely than black men to be in same-race relationships. To find out more, some of the group head off for a night out at a diverse dating event in the West Midlands to meet other single people dealing with the same dilemma.

Last to reveal her story is 34-year-old property and litigation contractor Lin with an extremely personal experience that is born from her mixed heritage. 1.2 million people in the UK are mixed-race, and the numbers are growing. Lin's experience of racism from both sides of her extended family has led her to question where mixed race people fit in when it comes to being black. It strikes a chord with many in the group, raising fundamental questions about what it means to be black.

6 months left to watch

59 minutes

Last on

Thu 10 Mar 2022 01:40
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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:02

    Anna Ternheim

    What Have I Done

  • 00:03

    Amy Winehouse

    Just Friends

  • 00:12

    Apo & the Apostles

    Bb Kind

  • 00:13

    Ghostpoet

    Survive It

  • 00:16

    Ghostpoet

    12 Deaf (feat. Dave Okumu)

  • 00:20

    VV Brown

    I Love You

  • 00:20

    Irigy Hónaljmirigy

    Midtro2

  • 00:37

    Stereo MCs

    Deliverance

  • 00:38

    Wiley

    F*** It

  • 00:41

    Amy Winehouse

    Love Is A Losing Game

  • 00:50

    Weevil

    On Wires

  • 00:56

    Stereo MCs

    We Belong In This World Together

  • 00:57

    Wiley

    Wise Man And His Words

Credits

Series Producer Becky Clarke
Executive Producer Narinder Minhas
Executive Producer Maxine Watson
Production Company Cardiff Productions

Broadcasts

Explore what it means to be black in the British healthcare, economic, education and criminal justice system

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