The Brussels So White (or #BrusselsSoWhite) movement is an informal movement denouncing the lack of racial diversity in the European Union institutions in Brussels.

Brussels So White
European Commissioners 2021
Date2017–present
LocationEuropean Union, Brussels
CauseRacial discrimination and lack of ethnic diversity in the European Union institutions

Origin of the term

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The hashtag BrusselsSoWhite first appeared in an article by Politico in 2017 written by Ryan Heath.[1] The article featured a collage of the portraits of all of the 751 Members of the European Parliament accompanied by the hashtag BrusselsSoWhite.[2]

In May 2022, the podcast EU Scream launched a new series dedicated to the issue of BrusselsSoWhite. The first episode of the series dealt with the question of white feminism in an interview with author Rafia Zakaria.[3]

Underrepresentation of people of colour among EU decision makers

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The use of the hashtag on Twitter has emphases the lack of racial diversity in the European Parliament. Ethnic minorities account for more than 10% of the population of the EU, however less than 5% of the lawmakers elected to the European Parliament are people of color, a proportion further reduced to 4% after Brexit.[4] The lack of racial diversity among employees of the institutions of the European Union in Brussels, referred to under the hashtag BrusselsSoWhite, is even more striking because Brussels is a relatively racial diverse city.[5]

The European Commission refused in the past to collect information on the ethnic diversity of its employees.[6]

Discrimination and racism

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The hashtag BrusselsSoWhite has been invoked to denounce manifestations of racism towards people of colour working in European affairs in Brussels.[7] Employees of color at the European institutions are frequently assumed to be cleaning personnel,[8] catering personnel[6] or intruders.[9]

 
Shada Islam and James Kanter presenting the #BrusselsSoWhite initiative at the Press Club Brussels Europe on 15 October 2022

Shada Islam argued that because of the lack of diversity as denounced by #BrusselsSoWhite, whiteness could be perceived as being central to the European identity. In this manner the lack of racial diversity could fuel the arguments of the far-right movements in Europe.[10]

Reactions

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In September 2020, the European Commission put forward an Anti-Racism Action Plan to tackle the structural racism in the EU, including measures to address the lack of diversity of the European decision makers in Brussels, as denounced by #BrusselsSoWhite.[11] The plan and any accompanying announcement by the European institutions have yet to be translated in progress in terms of diversity in the European institutions.[12] Commentators expressed regrets about the absence of response or action from Brussels-based think-tanks[12] and environmental NGOs[13] in reaction to the stated objective of the European Commission to combat racism.

Notes

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  1. ^ Chander, Sarah (19 May 2019). "Why is Brussels so white? The EU's race problem that no one talks about". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  2. ^ Heath, Ryan (11 December 2017). "Brussels is blind to diversity". Politico. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Against white feminism: European edition". EUobserver. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  4. ^ Psaledakis, Daphne (12 June 2019). "Minorities still lack a strong voice in new European Parliament". Reuters. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  5. ^ Azimy, Roxanna (22 January 2020). "Why is Brussels so white?". Euro Babble. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  6. ^ a b Heath, Ryan (11 December 2017). "POLITICO Brussels Playbook, presented by EPP Group: Blockbuster foreign affairs – Brussels so white – Macron lands at Parliament". Politico. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  7. ^ Ryngbeck, Annica (12 December 2017). "3 Things I learned from working with Human Rights". Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  8. ^ Heath, Ryan (11 December 2017). "Brussels bubble reacts to accusations of being too white". Politico. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. ^ Islam, Shada (9 June 2020). "Europeans of colour are finding their voice – it's time 'Brussels so white' listened". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  10. ^ Islam, Shada (17 March 2021). "Meghan Markle, royal racism and the 'European Way of Life'". EUobserver. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  11. ^ Islam, Shada (16 December 2020). "In a messy world, EU's clout depends on respecting values". EUobserver. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  12. ^ a b Islam, Shada (27 October 2021). "'Brussels So White' needs action, not magical thinking". EUobserver. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  13. ^ Mikolajczak, Chloé; Tuokkola, Marianna (16 March 2021). "In Brussels, green still means white". Euractiv. Retrieved 24 May 2022.