Being a woman of color living in this part of the UK, Maureen Hamblin knows full well that racial discrimination manifests in various guises. “It goes beyond public displays of violence,” she states. “It is often covert and unnoticed.”
Onlookers that hear racist remarks and say nothing inadvertently intensify the injury, leaving victims to feel alone and isolated. Such persistent encounters left Hamblin drained. “There was a time when I’d lost much of my faith in people of a different ethnic background.”
Race riots in Belfast, Ballymena and other towns in recent years might have extinguished her final hopes, but instead, Hamblin, who hails from Kenya, stumbled upon an unexpected wellspring of hope.
She became involved with an initiative named the Circle of Change, which connects strangers from diverse backgrounds – affluent and disadvantaged, from various racial groups, gay and straight – and involves them in a subversive activity: taking the time to understand one another.
“It restored my hope. It reminded everyone of our common bonds.” – Maureen Hamblin
Every twelve months, a fresh group of a small group is formed and meets at scheduled sessions across the city to exchange experiences and generate donations for charities that champion inclusion and understanding.
Hamblin described tales of racist abuse with her circle – its members reacted with shock – and in turn listened to their own often difficult stories. Some had lives of privilege, while others had endured poverty and isolation. Each person saw a powerful commonality: Belfast was their home, and it should be a welcoming one.
The Creation of a Grassroots Trust
The this unique program is the innovation of a non-profit organisation located in the historically divided community of north Belfast, an border area of Catholic and Protestant housing estates that witnessed deadly strife in decades gone by. Operating from a former Presbyterian church, it provides essential aid and assistance to vulnerable people and acts as a central point for the arts community.
The charity started the first circle in 2018 with the primary goal of addressing division, explained its chief executive. “Our goal is to build a small-scale model of Belfast in each group. We want to confront ingrained biases.”
Transformative Encounters
One early participant found herself engaging with peers in places, such as an local food bank, a world away from her middle class, Catholic upbringing. “A lot of places I’d never been to before. The more uncomfortable we felt, the more pleased the facilitators seemed,” she recalls with a laugh.
Another member, with a working-class Protestant background, developed a new perspective on homelessness after hearing from a young member who had experienced rough sleeping to escape a difficult home life. “It dawned on me how privileged I was to have a family network that I could depend on.”
She also recalls her horror when a fellow circle participant, from Africa, revealed that white youths regularly targeted her children. “Her tone wasn't especially angry, her tone was matter-of-fact. It was heartbreaking.”
The first-ever group managed to generate fifty thousand pounds for educational activities for African and Caribbean youth – an feat that feels all the more poignant given the troubling rise of racial tensions. “This region has a tradition here of ‘stay silent’,” the chief executive observed, quoting a famous line. “Few people understood at that time how deeply racist we were. But when the riots came they were somewhat expected to us because of the testimonies we'd listened to.”
Building Bridges With Shared Arts
When Maureen Hamblin entered the fifth circle, she despaired at the pervasive “bystander effect”. Even in her local church, which was ostensibly progressive, biased remarks were met with silence. “When people are quiet it’s like being invalidated twice over.”
She managed to build a close connection with peers in the circle, particularly with a peace activist who recounted an experience about speaking out against discrimination – potentially inviting a physical confrontation – in a fast-food outlet. Hamblin, who loves to sing, and her fellow circle member, an noted peace activist, teamed up to create audio vignettes for online platforms.
“We used to think that the Troubles would never end, that peace would never come. Yet it finally emerged. Situations can turn around.” – A Circle of Change Participant
The latest cohort allocated its resources to support a innovative program called Music Translated, which teaches folk music from Ireland to weekly classes split between people from overseas and long-term inhabitants.
“Music transcends communication hurdles and gives a sense of cohesion and belonging,” explained the scheme's coordinator. “Someone involved mentioned to me he’d never realised that individuals of another faith could be such good craic.”
Although this initiative are bucking a troubling trend – with racially motivated crimes in Northern Ireland reaching the most significant numbers recently – that is precisely the reason to continue the work, organisers believe. “That is the reason such programs matter.”
The underlying message from these local initiatives is one of optimism via engagement. Thousands of ordinary people contributed to the peace process through small, individual acts, one organiser reflected. “That inspires optimism. I have no control over what happens at an international level, but I have the power to participate in my community and do what I can at a personal level. I am firmly convinced that’s where change comes from.”
