Produced by Swingbridge Video this anti-racism film mixes music, drama, and interviews to help young white men and women recognise racism and where it occurs as well as take responsibility to challenging it. The film features several groups of black and South Asian men and women talking about their ideas and experiences of racism alongside dramatic sequences featuring a young Robson Green in one of his earliest performances. Racist graffiti written on a brick wall, standing beside it...

Produced by Swingbridge Video this anti-racism film mixes music, drama, and interviews to help young white men and women recognise racism and where it occurs as well as take responsibility to challenging it. The film features several groups of black and South Asian men and women talking about their ideas and experiences of racism alongside dramatic sequences featuring a young Robson Green in one of his earliest performances. Racist graffiti written on a brick wall, standing beside it reading the text a young man played by Robson Green. He turns and talks to the camera to say that ‘most white people aren’t racist’. Title: White Lies Title: Is the North East a racist area? Vox pop with white men and women on the streets of Newcastle, two women don’t believe white people in the region are racist while two young men believe some are. A young black man begins to perform a hip-hop song about racism. Title: What makes a person British? Several young men reply to the question by stating that a British person is someone who was born in Britain, one-man states ‘born and white’. A black and South Asian woman talk about their experiences for racism even though they were born in Britain. Amer Shah speaks directly to the camera about how white people don’t understand that he was from Gateshead. He finishes by saying that ‘I’m not white, but I am British’. Title: Racism can be violent One of the South Asian women seen previously talks about the experience of her cousin being beaten up and knifed by a group of white people. In another room four young black men, one of whom says how he and his friends were once chased by a gang of white youths. The rap song continues about how there is more to racism than meets the eye. Title: There’s more to racism than meets the eye The South Asian woman seen previously says that coloured people can always see racism even when white people can't. She gives several examples of her experiences. Two young white men state that they don’t believe they are racist, but admit they have little experience of non-whites. One of the young black men says that white people are more prejudiced than they let on. Amer Shah again speaks to the camera about what is racism, it is when you have some kind of power. He gives an example of how this works. The hip-hop song continues about the belief the coloured people are taking white people’s jobs. Title: You say we take your jobs One of the young white men talks about the problems of unemployment and how some of those who are out of work need to find someone to blame. One of the young black men says even those in work are not respected and are less well paid. To camera again Amer Shah ask how can coloured people be stealing jobs when people are stopping them getting work. It is also five-times as hard for non-whites to find work. A dramatic sequence follows with Robson Green playing an employer interviewing a coloured person for a job. He is dismissive of the applicant and appears to deny the man the opportunity because of his colour. One of the young black men states that Asians are in the same position as blacks in that there isn’t much chance of finding a job. This is why they go into their own business which makes white people jealous. He finishes by stating that black people have to work twice as hard if they work for a white man. A young white man walks along a road and goes into a Finlay’s newsagents. He comes out with a copy of ‘The Sun’ newspaper, the headlines on the frontpage reads ‘Fury Over ‘So Lazy’ Blacks’. Title: Racism is learned Three young white men talk about how many of them grew up with racism, they learned it at school, or they copied their parents who also hold these views. One of the men says that when you get older you find out for yourself about if these views are acceptable for not. The South Asian woman seen throughout the films makes a comment about why it is wrong for someone to make a joke about Sikhs on television. The hip-hop song continues to say that it isn’t true that white people are better than anyone else. Title: Were here to stay One of the young black men makes mention to the slave trade and how black people no longer must do what the white man tells them. He talks about how this had led to some white people to wanting them to ‘go home’ as in leave the country even if they were born here. A South Asian man talks about how his family were invited to this country to work, while the black youth end the sequence by talking about the chaos that would be caused if countries around the world suddenly asked English people to ‘go home’. Title: National Front – White Lies! Several young white men talk about how the National Front use coloured people as scapegoats for issues such as unemployment. Two of them state that the National Front are now against not just coloured people, but people who speak other languages and art forms such as breakdancing as its something that brings white and black people together. A South Asian man talks about a neighbour of his whose son he describes as being a ‘cracker’ because of his racist views. Robson Green walks down a street, his character is against an Asian family who have moved in next door. He arrives at a tanning salon and before heading inside states how he doesn’t want to be ‘to white’ for when he’s on the beach during his holidays. Title: It’s time to change To camera Amer Shah describes the need for change and how difficult it is to do so. Most of the participants in this film talk about the need for change and be accepted by British culture, but at the same time not to give up their own unique cultural identity. Standing beside the wall with National Front graffiti writing ‘Send Them Back’ on it is Amer Shah who explores the idea that it is as much the thought behind this racist message that is as much of an issue as the writing itself. Speaking to camera he says that if the viewer ignores such writing or walk past then they are part of the problem as much as the induvial who wrote it. If you really aren’t racist, he concludes, then the writing should be rubbed off or you speak with the individual about why it is wrong. Title: Thanks to all the young people who have contributed to this programme Title: Thanks to all the individuals and organisations who have advised in the making of this programme Title: Thanks also to Trinity Centre, Walker Youth Centre, Heaton Education Centre, Newcastle Youth Council, City Centre Youth Project, Barley Mow Community Centre, Brunswick Methodist Youth Project, Kenton Youth and Community Centre, Tyne & Wear Community Relations Council Credit: White Lies Rap by Paul Buamah and Hugh Kelly Music by Hip Hop Music Productions with Robb Allan, Penny Callow, John Sylvester, Amanda Charles-Vincent. Recorded at Cluny Studios Drama sequences by Ronan Paterson and Hugh Kelly. Acted by Amer Shah and Robson Green Camera Pete Woodhouse Additional Camera Steve Colton, Brian Dick Sound Sue Cleaver, Graham Denman VTR Operator Brian McEvoy Lighting Sarah McCarthy Production Assistants Lynne Colton, Sarah McCarthy Offline Edit Hugh Kelly and Gev Pringle Online Edit Steve Colton Director Hugh Kelly Production facilities Amber Films, Trade Films, Audiotracks, Chromotracks Broadcasting Facilities North, North East Media Training Centre Post Production Facilities S.R. Video & Television Productions Title: Funding by Northern Arts, Rainer Foundation, Newcastle City Council, British Council of Churches, Tyne & Wear County Council, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Newcastle University Community Action Week, North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council, Methodist Joint Fund for Multiracial Project End title: © Swingbridge Video 1987