| Description | An interview with Ossie, a single man with one son, one daughter, who is a Social worker (young offenders), born in Birmingham and now living in Birmingham. Ossie’s father was a Foundry worker, born in Jamaica and his mother a Seamstress born in Jamaica. In the interview, he talks about …
'Ossie MS2255/2/101 Logged by Lorraine Blakemore
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I was born in January of 1964. Parents born in Jamaica, but met in England. Father left the family. Brought up by stepfather. Large family, many siblings.
1.40 Discusses siblings and their professions.
3.16 Mother worked in factories and as a seamstress.
3.43 My mum is a devout Christian. There’s very few people I see….that I can judge and say they are a Christian in all parts of their lives, how they go about and speak….none of us are as devout as she is, but we’ve all grown up with the same values….
4.28 Attended Sunday school and other church related youth groups.
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The church we mainly went to when I was growing up was in Handsworth, a Methodist church….It was a very mixed congregation, in terms of black and white…
1.07 As I was growing up I saw Handsworth as a very mixed area….most of the people I associated with were of black origin…Even now it’s mixed in terms of black African, black Caribbean, white European and from Asian countries as well.
1.42 Attended a local primary school in Handsworth. Close knit community.
2.30 Memories of teachers.
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Played in Handsworth Park and Sandwell Park as a child. Spent a lot of time on the streets playing.
1.59 Story about being warned about a ‘flasher’ near to the school.
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I went to secondary school in 1975.
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Accepted stepfather as his father.
43” Around 12 or 13 my stepfather’s 2 children came from Jamaica and lived with us….which made things a bit cramped…we lived in a 3 bedroom terraced house…there were 6 of us at home already….
1.33 Some tensions around the arrival of 2 other children.
2.19 Stepfather worked in a foundry. Very long hours.
3.00 No memories of family holidays, but trips with the church and school.
3.53 Entered for 11+ exam which he passed and went to Handsworth Grammar School.
4.19 Although it was in the middle of Handsworth….the school was very sparsely populated with black young people….I do remember that most, if not all, of the black pupils knew each other….
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We were quite a close unit….living in the same community…
37” By most teachers we were treated okay….
1.19 I remember my headteacher, I didn’t like him….quite racist….Elaborates on reasons why he feels this.
2.20 Corporal punishment used at grammar school.
3.20 Reflects on how going to a grammar school may have provided a different circle of friends.
4.05 Scope for accelerated learning.
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Parental encouragement with schoolwork.
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In 1980 we frequented our local ice skating rink in the town centre, Silver Blades….up to 5 times a week….we’d always be together….
1.48 I remember when I was 17-18 a lot of pupils would go pubbing at 18…but I saw it as somewhere my Dad went, not for me or my friends…..I tried a joint when I was about 16 , but just through curiosity….it was certainly never a feature of my normal existence.
3.12 Memories of Handsworth Riots.
4.35 Asked what my opinion of the riots was…was it unrest between black and white or Asian in the community….I believe it was a police-young people thing….
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Continued.
37” It was certainly some kind of harassment issue with police…we could be stopped and searched for what we felt was no reason at all…In mid to late 80s being stopped in a car was certainly a black driver’s experience…at least every week….
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Media coverage of the riots.
1.09 So I don’t see it as a race riot….in a sense of community against each other, but certainly an anti-authority or anti-police….
1.37 I think at that stage I started to be a bit more conscious of the media…at the time I was in USA and I could see how it was being portrayed to the international media….I was worried how the rest of England would view areas like Handsworth and Birmingham….
2.39 And although a lot of the pictures were accurate, the stories behind them were not so accurate…Handsworth was and still is a very deprived area and for years there was no money injected in it….unemployment was an issue for young black people then….
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I left school in 1982 having taken A’ levels….we started to get a bit restless in the sixth form….I went to college for a year to retake….To Warley College in Smethwick….I remember college being a very good experience….but academic study wasn’t for me at that moment in time…
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Asked by local church to be involved in a community church project in the mid 80s. Describes role.
2.47 During that year the minister thought I had some ability with young people….and the elderly…and encouraged me to go to college to study in that area…I applied to Westhill college and got a place….The course was a Diploma in Youth and Community Work….
3.23 Experience at Westhill College.
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Account of problems applying to Westhill College.
1.58 We were encouraged once we got on the course to start interest groups…..to campaign against any inequalities….Our first task was to change the selection process….
3.18 Socialised mainly with black friends after school.
4.15 At college my friendship group widened again….in terms of race and gender….a lot of Asian friends…
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19” We were friendly with some white students, but through interaction with them, we saw that a lot of them had very bigoted ideas….Elaborates.
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First relationship from age 16-23. Met at Reform Church. She also eventually attended Westhill College.
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I left Westhill College in 1986…. Secured a job in Leicester on a year’s temporary contract with a national youth organisation. Describes role.
1.35 Commuted from Birmingham to Leicester. Then moved to Leicester. Relationship with girlfriend broke down.
2.55 After I left Leicester I got a job in Wolverhampton…as a youth worker…I remember the write up of the area I was supposed to work in….a very racist area….in Bilston called the Rocketpool estate…Describes the project.
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Continued.
1.02 Some of the views of the young people were racist and very sexist….it was about changing attitudes….Account of young boy becoming a police officer.
2.51 Applied for a post as an educational social worker….people who were disaffected from school….in a poorish area….I had a couple of years there….I felt at the time most of the battle was with the teachers….Elaborates.
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Continued.
34” Stories about comments from teachers towards pupils.
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I ceased to be an Educational Social Worker in 1993 and became social worker with an adolescent services team…I remember in the 70s they used to have something called IT (intermediate treatment) through working with young offenders….It’s changed quite a bit over the years….It became a Youth Justice team in 1996 and 2 years ago it became Youth Offending team….it’s a multi-disciplinary team…Elaborates.
3.05 After being a teenager and being stopped by police….I then was put in a situation where I worked directly with police officers…Part of our role ….is to attend police stations as an appropriate adult….just by seeing me would almost assume that I was somebody who has been arrested…I do think the 2 issues were me being young and black…On one occasion I had to make an official complaint to the police…
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Now all workers who attend police stations have some kind of ID….a lot of my experiences up until then had been quite negative…
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I do see a lot of injustices happening within the criminal justice system and with black young people in general….those who do get sentences tend to get longer than their white counterparts….Gives details.
1.40 Those inequalities are probably the same in most towns….in Birmingham maybe even more disproportionate…
2.13 The notion of underachievement….particularly of black young men came to me first when I worked as an educational social worker….I saw a direct link between pupils who were being excluded from school…and pupils who offend….Gives details.
3.45 I wouldn’t put it so much on homes….but my experience has been mainly teachers’ response to young people….Gives details.
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Working with young offenders is quite a high-stress job when a lot of them don’t actually reform or rehabilitate….their life experience is going to be one of underachievement, lack of work….
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Been living with current partner for about 10 years. Has 2 children. Difficulties with access to son who is 10 years old.
55” As far as possible, even if parents are separated, they both have a role to play in the upbringing of a child….over the years it has been difficult…
2.00” Relationship between the 2 children.
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Areas he has lived in.
57” Bought house in 1994 from stepfather.
1.34 There were nosy neighbours, groups of young people on the streets….I heard of a couple of quite serious crimes happening down the road….I certainly did feel unsafe….
2.38 I’m currently living in a neighbouring area…in Handsworth Wood…it’s such a different area…many people are quite old….Describes the environment.
4.01 Birmingham is too vast….But quality of life has been enhanced…
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It’s become quite a cultural centre….diverse….but I don’t tend to socialise in Birmingham…. Discusses musical tastes.
1.46 Part of the experience in mid 20s…clubbing in bars and stuff….we were turned away from places….Lists clubs. You’d expect Birmingham to be more tolerant…but not in my experience.
ENDS. |