Multiculturalism works

The tabloids are never shy of expressing their (usually negative) views on multiculturalism as was highlighted in last week's Housing Today (HT, 7 May, page 18). What always surprises me is that more relevant sectors, such as the police and housing organisations, are not more vocal on the matter.

I grew up in an inner-city area made up of people from different backgrounds, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity and religious beliefs. It is a multicultural community with much to celebrate and admire.

Multiculturalism has taught us so much valuable knowledge, and it needs our support now more than ever.

Of course we have to accept that diversity brings complications. There's no doubt that the achievements made for equality and mixed communities in the early 1980s are still overshadowed by the fact that so many people live in deprived conditions, and the tensions that can arise from that.

But this is not a failing of multiculturalism, rather of the public agencies who should be breathing the life into racial diversity.

Segregation does not result from multiculturalism but from a mixture of factors including economic, social and educational problems. As society grows increasingly complex, the lessons of multiculturalism will become more, not less, relevant.

Housing has a pivotal role, and not only in the building of sustainable communities; it must go beyond its traditional remit and show greater leadership in the breaking down of barriers and the creation of inclusive communities.

You can not have real integration and inclusive communities without the acceptance of multiculturalism.

There is, of course, no one solution for moving things forward – but housing must strive to empower different communities by encouraging them to participate in decision-making processes.