Social justice, Jews and the refugee experience in Britain

Vivienne Jackson •  Jewish Council for Racial Equality • London

Race, asylum and immigration are visibly high on the UK political agenda. Europe is witnessing the greatest refugee crisis within its boundaries since the Second World War. Anti-immigration arguments are palpable in sections of the national press, and appear to have lain behind some of the votes for Brexit. As we try to make sense of so called ‘home-grown’ terror attacks, the experience of many Muslims in everyday life is of overt and subtle forms of discrimination and racism. In such circumstances, what do Jewish people have to contribute to debates about migration and racial discrimination, and is it distinctive? This talk will evaluate how Jewish voices have contributed to race and asylum debates in the UK. The talk will invite discussion about what, if anything, a future Jewish voice on race and asylum should sound like.

Dr Vivienne Jackson works for the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE) which is 40 years old this year. JCORE has campaigned for racial equality and building bridges between different minority communities in the UK, as well as running practical projects to support asylum seekers and refugees. Vivienne is the project coordinator of JUMP (the JCORE Unaccompanied Minors Project), which pairs trained befrienders with young asylum-seekers and refugees here on their own. She has worked in NGOs and academia in the field of asylum, race and migration since 2002. She was youth outreach office for Student Action for Refugees (STAR), before completing a PhD about Filipino migrant workers in Israel at the University of Bristol.  She has contributed to research for the Children’s Society on various topics relating to child and young refugees, and worked for Right Track in Bristol, a charity aiming to support Black and ethnic minority children at risk of trouble with the law. This talk is part of the Journey to Justice travelling exhibition in Bristol. (see http://journeytojustice.org.uk/projects/bristol/ for more details)