Forward Thinking attends the first Community Cohesion Summit at Parliament, 19th July 2016
On the 19th of July 2016, Forward Thinking attended the first Community Cohesion Summit at the Houses of Parliament. The event brought together senior Parliamentarians, police, community, grassroots, faith, sports and other civil society representatives to explore diverse perspectives and practical steps to combat racism, hate crime and xenophobia within communities.The summit was chaired by Labour MP Jack Dromey, and attended by a cross-party panel including the recently appointed Culture Secretary Karen Bradley MP, former co-chair of the Conservative party Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Oona King, Tom Tugendhat MP, Stephen Timms MP and Hilary Benn MP.Discussions revolved around the need to ensure that Britain’s diverse communities are celebrated and encouraged to develop a shared sense of belonging and mattering within society. Communities that feel they neither belong nor matter, risk fueling their own isolation by stopping their active civil and political participation in everyday life. The need for a greater education, collaboration and space for cross community understanding was called for, in order to overcome prejudice and divisive narratives which appear to have come to the fore in the aftermath of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.