2002: Against the backdrop of the riots in Burnley, Bradford and Oldham, Channel 4's season of hard-hitting films in 2002 investigated the reality of racial conflict in Britain.

2006: Racism – it ain't what it used to be
In June 2006 Channel 4 held a debate, chaired by journalist Jon Ronson, exploring how racism has changed over the past 30 years.

2007: The Race Debate
"In the old days it was Paki-bashing that was the norm," writes Anila Biag, feature writer, The Sun, "now it's 'multiculturalism' that's being stalked and beaten over the head". Anila shares her experiences of growing up in 70's Bradford as a Pakistani Muslim on Channel 4's new website The Race Debate.

But what is racism? Why are people racist? What are your experiences of racism? These are just some of the questions posed on the site, which offers an open platform for the public to debate issues around race and what it is to experience racism.

On the UK, Anila writes; "I love its quirkiness: the fact that girl in a headscarf can get a job on a paper which has Page 3; that reality TV can spark a huge debate about race; that the underdog is always supported."

The site combines clips from Channel 4 programmes with talking point video interviews and authored features to trigger discussion. The interviews include PChannel 4 news presenter, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, young black British musician, Lethal Bizzle, and Shameless actor Chris Bisson.

About the 2002 C4 programmes
Love in Oldham follows an Asian man and a white woman falling in love while street battles rage. Black on Black unveils the hidden hostility between Africans and Caribbeans. I'm Not Racist But… reveals the truth about white attitudes to living in a multicultural society. Brown Britain looks at how people of mixed race define themselves and find a place in society.

On this website you can:
explore your own attitudes to racism >
find out if you're guilty of stereotyping >
see if you can recognise a racist comment >
learn about the language on the street >

Presenter Sorious Samora discussed the issues raised by the Black on Black programme at 23 Sept 2002. Read the web chat transcript.

Credits

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