Anti-racist activism has been a core part of Jagwant’s cultural upbringing, forged in the campaigns and alliances of the Indian Workers Association (GB) fighting racism and fascism since the 1950s. The quest for racial equality has been integral throughout his working life in local government, community service and social justice activism.
Jagwant is one of the co-founders and current Secretary of the Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG) dedicated to creating an anti-racist Birmingham. In the mid-90s he led the Birmingham ‘All Different, All Equal Partnership’, set up the Birmingham Race Action Partnership (now Brap) and co-founded the Black History Foundation.
He is a former Constituency Director, Corporate Initiatives Manager and headed up the Community Development function of Birmingham City Council’s Race Relations Unit. He has participated in and chaired a range of local and national campaigning groups including the National Black Voluntary Sector and the Security Industry Authority. He is a trustee of the Community Development Foundation and non-executive director of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations.
Although now supposedly retired, he continues his activism as the Secretary of the Shaheed Udham Singh Welfare Centre, chair of Witton Lodge CIC, governor at Wilson Stuart School and as a committee member of Stand Up to Racism, Birmingham.
Jagwant believes that Birmingham must have anti-racism at the core of its vision, which in turn has anti-racist education at its heart.
Jagwant says:
You need to work inside the institutions if you want to bring about change, but when the call comes, when the fascists are on the streets, you’ve got to go and stand your ground to defend your communities.
‘Do anti-racists retire?’ We don’t have the luxury of retiring because racism doesn’t retire.
