Rumourless Cities Final Online Event
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These two events mark the culmination of the Rumourless cIties (RC) Transfer Network. RC has been funded through the URBACT programme and its goal was to support the transfer of good practice in countering negative stereotypes of discriminated groups. RC involved the cities of Amadora, Hamburg -Altona, Messina, Cardiff, Warsaw and Alba Iulia. Since April 2018 the network has been engaged in helping each partner to develop local strategies for addressing negative stereotypes. of discriminated groups (e.g. migrants, LGTBI, women, Roma).
To share the work undertaken by the network and to undertake a concluding reflection on how Covid has impacted on migrants we are holding two online sessions on 19 and 20 May.
Join the meeting here
Meeting ID: 969 4382 4402
Passcode: 704397
Background Note
The work of the network was substantially impacted through Covid as it stopped many of the face to face peer exchanges that were planned. However, what Covid also did was to provide an x-ray image of what and who is essential to maintaining our current lifestyles. What Covid has exposed is that the least-esteemed professions were essential and that the most prestigious were mainly parasitic. What Covid has also exposed is how its impact has disproportionately been felt within migrant communities. The reasons for this are related to discrimination and inequality.
What Covid has also exposed is that migrants play an essential role in enabling our current lifestyle. There is a moral case for rethinking inequalities considering what we have learnt about who is truly essential for society’s functioning.
Like an x-ray of society, it has further exposed the strong association between race, ethnicity, culture, class and pervasive structural inequalities including health outcomes, the labour market, education and the media. ENAR the European Network Against Racism has been mapping the impact of Covid on the fundamental rights of racialised groups in Europe showing how the pandemic is aggravating pre-existing structural racism and injustices including racist speech and violence. The pandemic has also highlighted how migrants and refugees are part of the global workforce of frontline workers keeping society going through this pandemic particularly in low waged precarious occupations and as healthcare professionals.( see https://www.odi.org/migrant-key-workers-covid-19/) Meanwhile, the right-wing politicians and press have exploited the situation, particularly through apportioning blame and scapegoating minority groups and migrants for their supposed flouting of social distancing and lockdown measures.