Debate contribution: Racial Equality Legislation

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 13 October 2026.

MLA: Ms Sinéad McLaughlin
Party at the time: Social Democratic and Labour Party
Date: 13 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Opposition Business
Heading: Racial Equality Legislation
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5789948

Text

I beg to move
I am pleased to move the motion as we mark Black History Month 2026. Black History Month has its roots in America in the long struggle for equality, dignity and basic civil rights. It is a struggle that saw people take to the streets demanding an end to racial segregation, discrimination and denial of voting rights. That struggle has particular significance for us in the North because, while people in America were demanding equality, people here were marching for fair housing, equal voting rights and an end to discrimination. There is no doubt that our civil rights movement drew inspiration from the courage of those who stood up against injustice in America. They showed that ordinary people coming together and demanding better could deliver real change. That is something that we in the SDLP understand well. We are a party born out of the civil rights movement and built on the belief that every person deserves dignity, respect and equality.
Black History Month is also an opportunity to celebrate the enormous contribution that black people and ethnic minority communities make to our society. We see that contribution every day in our hospitals, delivering life-saving care, in our businesses, schools and communities and in sectors such as life sciences and innovation, helping to shape our economic future. Those people who have come here to build better lives for themselves and their families while helping to build a better future for everyone who calls this place "home". I am particularly proud that my party colleague Lilian Seenoi-Barr made history as Northern Ireland's first black mayor. We cannot celebrate that progress without confronting what has happened on our streets. Over the past year, we have witnessed scenes that should shame us all: buses burned; families driven from their homes; businesses forced to close; and people being targeted and intimidated simply because of the colour of their skin or where they are from. In the weeks following that violence, party colleagues and I met representatives from across our ethnic minority communities. Those meetings were deeply sobering. People spoke about being frightened to leave their home. Parents worried about their children's safety. Others simply could not understand why they were being blamed for the actions of an individual. The clearest message was that they felt abandoned by the very people who were supposed to protect them. There was anger about political rhetoric in the aftermath of the violence. Above all, there was frustration that words of condemnation were not being matched by meaningful action. That brings us to the central issue of the motion. The Executive's legislative programme for 2025-26 promised racial equality legislation, yet here we are, approaching the end of the Assembly mandate, and that legislation has still not been introduced. When questioned, the First Minister and deputy First Minister point to a review of the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997: I welcome any effort to strengthen protections against racial discrimination, but a review is not legislation and is certainly not a substitute for delivering the commitment that was made. Where is the racial equality Bill? Why has it not been introduced? When exactly do the First Minister and deputy First Minister intend to deliver on their promise? Those are questions that we, as legislators, have a responsibility to ask and have answered. The questions being asked by our ethnic minority communities are much more fundamental. They are asking, "Why am I frightened to walk down my own street?"; "Why should my children worry about being targeted because of the colour of their skin?"; "Why am I made to feel like a second-class citizen in a place that I call home?"; and, "Why are promises not matched with action?". The Executive need to answer those questions. Nobody should live in fear in their own community or be made to feel that they do not belong. The civil rights movement taught us that equality cannot simply be talked about; it has to be fought for, protected and delivered. That was true when people marched in America; it was true when people marched in Derry; and it remains true today. As we mark Black History Month, let us celebrate the contribution of black people and communities to our society, but let us also recognise that celebration means little without action. It is time for the Executive to deliver on their promises and get serious about tackling the scourge of racist violence on our streets.

744 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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