The Equality And Human Rights Commission

Trevor Phillips, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, does the "Ask The Questions" feature in the Independent:

Q: Isn't there's a real anti-intellectualism in black culture in this country?
A: Are we talking about the high culture represented by Black Britons like Chris Ofili, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Courtney Pine, Grant Marshall (aka Daddy G), Thandie Newton, Lola Young or Stuart Hall? Or the deeply felt belief, strong families and vibrant music of the popular black majority churches? Or do you mean the degraded borrowings from the US which the entertainment industry peddles as "black culture", and which too many white liberals embrace as the "authentic" voice of black communities? The first two voices are seldom heard; the latter is always amplified to paint black people as violent, misogynistic and ignorant.

Q: How will your new combined agency be able to represent the interests of the largest disadvantaged group of all: women?
A: First, by using all of the tools and experience inherited from our predecessors at the Equal Opportunities Commission. Second, our overlapping mandate will help us to focus on some of the specific equality deficits disproportionately facing some kinds of women more powerfully. Third, by focusing on the destructive effect of domestic violence. Fourth, by not treating women as a quasi-minority group who have to be appeased. Instead we will look for ways of making our communities and workplaces genuinely gender-neutral.