Brussels So White
 European Commissioners 2021 | |
| Date | 2017–present |
|---|---|
| Location | European Union, Brussels |
| Cause | Racial discrimination and lack of ethnic diversity in the European Union institutions |
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 of the term
[edit]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]
In May 2022, the podcast EU Scream launched a new series dedicated to the issue of BrusselsSoWhite. The first episode of the series dealt with the question of white feminism in an interview with author Rafia Zakaria.[3]
Underrepresentation of people of colour among EU decision makers
[edit]The use of the hashtag on Twitter has emphases the lack of racial diversity in the European Parliament. 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] 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 racial diverse city.[5]
The European Commission refused in the past to collect information on the ethnic diversity of its employees.[6]
Discrimination and racism
[edit]The hashtag BrusselsSoWhite has been invoked to denounce manifestations of racism towards people of colour working in European affairs in Brussels.[7] Employees of color at the European institutions are frequently assumed to be cleaning personnel,[8] catering personnel[6] or intruders.[9]
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.[10]
Reactions
[edit]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.[11] The plan and any accompanying announcement by the European institutions have yet to be translated in progress in terms of diversity in the European institutions.[12] Commentators expressed regrets about the absence of response or action from Brussels-based think-tanks[12] and environmental NGOs[13] in reaction to the stated objective of the European Commission to combat racism.
Notes
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ "Against white feminism: European edition". EUobserver. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ Psaledakis, Daphne (12 June 2019). "Minorities still lack a strong voice in new European Parliament". Reuters. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ Azimy, Roxanna (22 January 2020). "Why is Brussels so white?". Euro Babble. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Ryngbeck, Annica (12 December 2017). "3 Things I learned from working with Human Rights". 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.
- ^ Islam, Shada (16 December 2020). "In a messy world, EU's clout depends on respecting values". EUobserver. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ a b Islam, Shada (27 October 2021). "'Brussels So White' needs action, not magical thinking". EUobserver. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Mikolajczak, Chloé; Tuokkola, Marianna (16 March 2021). "In Brussels, green still means white". Euractiv. Retrieved 24 May 2022.