Plan B Forum

The term BAME is 'unhelpful and redundant' and should be scrapped, Boris Johnson's racial disparity commission will suggest in a report.

The acronym - which stands for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic - overshadows the fact that people from different ethnic groups have varying life experiences and should not be grouped together in one category, the commission found.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities also suggests that people of ethnic minority backgrounds generally prefer the term 'ethnic minority' over 'BAME' or 'people of colour' to describe themselves.


Mr Johnson announced the establishment of the commission after a series of anti-racism protests on British streets triggered by the death in the US of George Floyd while in police custody.

The 10-person group - comprised of representatives from the fields of science, education, broadcasting, economics, medicine, policing and community organising - are set to deliver a report on race disparity within various sectors.

It is lead by Tony Sewell, who previous said the absence of black fathers is the root cause of knife and gang crime.

The report will claim 'the differences between racial groups living in Britain today are now as important as the commonalities', a source told The Daily Telegraph.

The term BAME will be a key part of the report which was supposed to be published last year but was delayed due to the amount of evidence to go through.

Detractors will likely argue that a clear term such as BAME will help to systematically follow changes in firms' diversity figures.

Losing the clear-cut terminology could complicate diversity efforts made so far.

A source told the Telegraph: 'The commission has taken evidence from across the UK, examined the data to create a rigorous fact-based report on what is often a highly charged debate.

Downing Street has backed the scrapping of the use of BAME because it ignores people from white minority and other white-mixed backgrounds and fails to 'treat people as individuals', it was revealed today.

No 10 says it won't use the umbrella term after Boris Johnson's racial disparities commission said the term Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) should be scrapped in public bodies and companies.

More than 7.6 million people in the UK came under the category of BAME in the most recent census.


But according to the same data, people identifying as 'Other White' has increased by over a million since 2001, taking that total to 2.1million people in 2011 - and is likely to grow again during this year's census.

Scrapping the BAME acronym is one of the key proposals by the panel set up in the wake of widespread BLM protests last year and led by Dr Tony Sewell because officials believe the term is 'unhelpful and redundant'.

Asked about the report yesterday, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'The Government doesn't routinely use the terms Bame or BAME because they're not well understood in user research and because they include some groups and not others, for example the UK's ethnic minorities include white minorities and people with a mixed ethnic background.

'Similarly, we do not use people of colour as it doesn't include white minorities. Our aim is to look and tackle inequalities and disparities wherever they are seen. That's what we are doing through the levelling-up agenda.'

Gob wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:49 am

with what is politically correct to call people.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities also suggests that people of ethnic minority backgrounds generally prefer the term 'ethnic minority' over 'BAME' or 'people of colour' to describe themselves.

TPFKA@W wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 31, 2021 2:14 am

Ask them? Because they are some kind of collective based on? Ask 3 black people what they want to be called and you will probably get 3 different answers. Some want to be called black, a few want to be called African-American, and some, generally in their 90’s use the term “colored”. There is not necessarily a consensus for any group.

Sue U wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 31, 2021 3:54 pm

TPFKA@W wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 31, 2021 2:14 am

Ask them? Because they are some kind of collective based on? Ask 3 black people what they want to be called and you will probably get 3 different answers. Some want to be called black, a few want to be called African-American, and some, generally in their 90’s use the term “colored”. There is not necessarily a consensus for any group.

Context counts, and these are two different things, dear: 1) How the government refers to ethnic minorities collectively for purposes of programs directed toward ethnic minorities, and 2) how individuals identify themselves. For the record, no one I know in these groups is even the least bit picky about using either "Black" or "African American" (and for the most part "Black" is just easier; "colored" only in a humorous or ironic sense) or "Latina/o," "Hispanic" or just generically "Spanish" (although obviously there are huge differences between Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Cubans, etc., so specificity as necessary). But lumping people into a group for any purpose is necessarily stereotyping, and no one likes to be stereotyped. In general, when "race" or "ethnicity" even come up in conversation, I would listen to how people refer to themselves and take my cue from that.

TPFKA@W wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:05 pm

You know, I expect better from you than using "dear" in a belittling manner. Honey, dear, sweetie, all are considered abuse in my line of work. I lose respect for you daily.