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Is Eastern European considered BAME in University widening participation schemes?

Hi,

When I have been applying for widening participation schemes a lot of the time the key factor in being allowed to do it is your race/ethnicity and it just focuses on black/southern Asian people. My dad is from Russia and my mum is from Tajikistan (former USSR) so would this be considered a national minority? How would looking White mean that I’m not BAME.

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I'm Ukrainian and was not considered a minority.
Reply 2
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Original post by Anonymous
I'm Ukrainian and was not considered a minority.

Really? Which university/participation scheme was it out of interest? I find it absurd that Eastern Europeans aren’t considered a national minority when there are 2.2 million in a population of 57.8 million (2018 figures).🤦*♂️
I’d write to the university explaining to them that you’ve been disadvantaged by your ethnic background and asking for them to confirm how they use information about ethnicity when it comes to widening participation.
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Thank you, that’s very helpful.🙂
Original post by Anonymous
Really? Which university/participation scheme was it out of interest? I find it absurd that Eastern Europeans aren’t considered a national minority when there are 2.2 million in a population of 57.8 million (2018 figures).🤦*♂️

I went to uni a pretty long time ago so it won't be relevant any more.

The schemes are designed to help people who are disadvantaged by their minority backgrounds and being realistic, most white minorities are not.
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,

When I have been applying for widening participation schemes a lot of the time the key factor in being allowed to do it is your race/ethnicity and it just focuses on black/southern Asian people. My dad is from Russia and my mum is from Tajikistan (former USSR) so would this be considered a national minority? How would looking White mean that I’m not BAME.


Tajikistan might be considered BAME?

The thing with BAME is that, they're more likely to face barriers in terms of their skin colour, and are disadvantaged on that front. White people (or white passing) aren't disadvantaged by their skin colour, but could be via socioeconomic factors, e.g. poor, or whatever. Low socioeconomic backgrounds are also covered under widening participation schemes. So, if you're from a low income household, or none of your parents went to university, you're covered. Else, no.
Original post by Anonymous
I went to uni a pretty long time ago so it won't be relevant any more.

The schemes are designed to help people who are disadvantaged by their minority backgrounds and being realistic, most white minorities are not.

In the area that I come from there is a lot of racism directed at Eastern Europe’s and travellers. The language barrier faced by immigrant families can also be significant.

Several BAME categories do significantly better than white people in terms of education, I don’t mean to devalue anyone’s experience of racism by saying that either.
Original post by Cancelled Alice
In the area that I come from there is a lot of racism directed at Eastern Europe’s and travellers. The language barrier faced by immigrant families can also be significant.

Several BAME categories do significantly better than white people in terms of education, I don’t mean to devalue anyone’s experience of racism by saying that either.

I won't tell you how many times I have been told to **** off back to my own country and the stuff my family was put through when I was at school... I still don't count myself as disadvantaged though.
Original post by Anonymous
I won't tell you how many times I have been told to **** off back to my own country and the stuff my family was put through when I was at school... I still don't count myself as disadvantaged though.

I am not going to argue with you about how you feel.
Original post by econhelp525
Tajikistan might be considered BAME?

The thing with BAME is that, they're more likely to face barriers in terms of their skin colour, and are disadvantaged on that front. White people (or white passing) aren't disadvantaged by their skin colour, but could be via socioeconomic factors, e.g. poor, or whatever. Low socioeconomic backgrounds are also covered under widening participation schemes. So, if you're from a low income household, or none of your parents went to university, you're covered. Else, no.

Racism isn’t literally about skin colour though. People with white skin are discriminated against on the basis of their heritage/ ethnic background.
Do back albinos escape racism?
Original post by Cancelled Alice
Racism isn’t literally about skin colour though. People with white skin are discriminated against on the basis of their heritage/ ethnic background.
Do back albinos escape racism?

Sure, I don't disagree with you.
Original post by Cancelled Alice
Racism isn’t literally about skin colour though. People with white skin are discriminated against on the basis of their heritage/ ethnic background.
Do back albinos escape racism?

BAME (which i find kinda weird as it lumps asians and black people as some homogenous group, but i guess its just a term/grouping word) doesn't focus on racism the way you think it is. Most, if not all, eastern europeans are white. its not a fight to see who is a victim of racism, its about reducing racism towards brown/black people, whom have it worse, and cant be "white-passing".
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,

When I have been applying for widening participation schemes a lot of the time the key factor in being allowed to do it is your race/ethnicity and it just focuses on black/southern Asian people. My dad is from Russia and my mum is from Tajikistan (former USSR) so would this be considered a national minority? How would looking White mean that I’m not BAME.

Because BAME is not about minorities full stop maybe? It's about black/brown minorities.
Original post by Anonymous
Because BAME is not about minorities full stop maybe? It's about black/brown minorities.

There was no need to be so condescending about it. Anyway, you're wrong. It stands for: Black, Asian, and minority ethnic. Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, etc. are hardly 'black/brown'. A Tajik would be minority ethnic.
Original post by econhelp525
There was no need to be so condescending about it. Anyway, you're wrong. It stands for: Black, Asian, and minority ethnic. Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, etc. are hardly 'black/brown'. A Tajik would be minority ethnic.

it wasn't so condescending :bebored:

A Tajik would be but russian? Idk. The point is it's focused on non-whites, especially black/brown people.
Original post by Anonymous
it wasn't so condescending :bebored:

A Tajik would be but russian? Idk. The point is it's focused on non-whites, especially black/brown people.

A Tajik is someone from who's Turkic. How are they Russian? They have their own country?
Original post by Anonymous
BAME (which i find kinda weird as it lumps asians and black people as some homogenous group, but i guess its just a term/grouping word) doesn't focus on racism the way you think it is. Most, if not all, eastern europeans are white. its not a fight to see who is a victim of racism, its about reducing racism towards brown/black people, whom have it worse, and cant be "white-passing".

I’ve always found the idea of a racism skin-gradient really odd. You are willingly involved in a fight to try to assert that black/ brown has it worse than Eastern Europe.
Going by your belief that most/ all Eastern European’s are white passing, I find it very hard it believe that you’ve met many people from over there. I don’t know how you are speaking on issues that relate to them with any confidence whatsoever.

If you want to discuss this further, feel free to make a new thread.
(edited 2 years ago)
Original post by econhelp525
A Tajik is someone from who's Turkic. How are they Russian? They have their own country?

Who said they were russian? i was referring to the other parent (who's russian).
Original post by Cancelled Alice
... You are willingly involved in a fight to try to assert that black/ brown has it worse than Eastern Europe
... If you want to discuss this further, feel free to make a new thread.

Who said anything about getting into a fight? I never treated it as a big deal, and I'm entitled to my opinion. Maybe you are referring to youself?

I never said eastern europeans aren't subjected to discrimination. But they are white passing and can easily blend into the majority. Feels weird to say that, having to hide your identity, but i'm saying this becuase black/brown people can evidently not do that. I won't say eastern europeans have it better than black/brown people, but the latter are more likely to be subject to it.

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