Tameside Council has been picked for the same team as Odd Arts and Show Racism the Red Card to pilot a national anti-racism education programme in five of the borough's primary schools.

The workshops, which are supported by the authority’s community safety and cultural services teams, take place at Micklehurst All Saints; St Mary’s, Droylsden; Dane Bank, Denton; Bradley Green, Hyde, and Arundale, Mottram –  explore racism in sport and wider society, and the ways in which young people can challenge it.

They also feature a production by Odd Arts, a Manchester group that uses theatre to tackle inequalities and increase opportunities for people facing discrimination.

‘Knockout Blow’ explores the life of Len Johnson, a highly skilled inter-war black middleweight boxer from Manchester, who often beat champions but was barred from fighting for British titles as he did not have two white parents. 

Odd Arts use his story as a tool for challenging racial discrimination and celebrating collective history.

Show Racism the Red Card is the UK’s leading anti-racist educational charity. It had organised educational workshops for more than 835,000 young people since it was founded in 1996.

Councillor Leanne Feeley, Tameside Council’s executive member for culture and lifelong learning, said: “I am proud that Tameside Council is taking part in this national pilot alongside Show Racism the Red Card and Odd Arts.

“It’s imperative that we work to eradicate racism wherever we encounter it. 

“I believe the arts is a powerful and effective way of doing this and the story of Len Johnson, who was born in Clayton, just over the border from Droylsden, shows how cruel and destructive racism can be if it is left unchallenged.”

Molly-May Smith, Show Racism the Red Card’s North West manager, added: “We’re honoured to be part of such an important project, and extremely inspired by the commitment Tameside Council have shown for both the arts and combating racism. We look forward to embarking on some important conversations with young people on racism and our collective responsibility to challenge it.”

Tess Farley, applied theatre quality and training lead at Odd Arts, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Show Racism the Red Card and Tameside Council to enable children to learn about and celebrate our collective history, explore racial inequalities, and use theatre as a vehicle to rehearse strategies to challenging racism.” 

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