My parents came over from Hong Kong in the 1970s, where, facing considerable hardship, racial stigma, and isolation, they worked hard to give my sister and I a better life than the one they had inherited. This is the story of many East and South East Asian (ESEA) families; one of joy, perseverance and obstacles overcome.
My parents worked six days a week at a takeaway which they poured their life savings into. We were regularly reminded how my dad tiled the kitchen floor himself, at one time only had a bed upstairs, and how they were back at work the day after their wedding and didn’t go on their honeymoon till many years later. We would jokingly roll our eyes, but the sacrifice and struggle were real and constant.
Sadly, like our parents and so many other people from different backgrounds, my sister and I were bullied at primary school, so much so we had to change schools twice. I still remember feeling very confused about why we were being treated so cruelly. Through our eyes looking at a class of white classmates, we did not realise from their perspective how much we stood out. Being from two cultures, the effort of trying to maintain and respect the values I was brought up in while trying to fit in, also left a feeling of not quite fitting in anywhere and identity confusion without a sense of belonging.
As experiences shape and end up defining who we are as individuals, it is probably no coincidence that I ended up with a desire to right injustice and to be a voice for those without one. I became the youngest and the only British Chinese school governor aged 25, and the youngest and only British Chinese magistrate across the West Midlands aged 27. I joined Birmingham City Council in 2015, now holding the shadow portfolio for community safety and equalities.
My first few years on the bench were not without its challenges. I vividly remember in my first year being told curtly by one presiding justice that my opinion was not needed because, with the agreement of the other, there was a majority. Later that year, when discussing sentencing, I was robustly informed that this is what they always did, that they knew best, and that I was too young and inexperienced to be a genuine part of the process yet.
Thankfully considerable strides have been made within the judiciary thanks to efforts to recruit from all backgrounds, improved training, and support such as from the Magistrates’ Association, including their young magistrates’ network. The work to understand people’s personal journeys and experiences, and to value those from different backgrounds however is never over.
During Covid-19, hate crimes against ESEA communities increased by over 500 per cent with primary school children and the elderly alike told to f*** off back ‘where you come from’. Alongside the shocking events in Southport, they remind us how important it is for us to celebrate all cultures, how a better understanding of other cultures and individual journeys can help break down barriers of ignorance, and the importance of the judiciary to be seen as reflective of the communities we serve.
Having a better understanding of, and empathy with, the lives of the people we are serving, grounded in the fundamental British principle of justice from your peers, and being genuinely drawn from the local community, representative benches with locally lived experience and awareness, all help to instil public confidence and bolster our legitimacy.
As a proud Brummie lad, I love to tell friends how we have more canals than Venice. We are also classed as a ‘super-diverse’ city with over half of our population from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, home to 187 different nationalities. We are also one of the youngest cities in Europe with over half of our population under 35. However, a quarter of the Birmingham and Solihull bench is from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and only four per cent of us are under 40.
I am also incredibly proud of my Hong Kong Chinese heritage. I urge everyone to take a moment and research the history behind the First World War ‘Chinese Labour Corps’, and the deporting of Chinese seamen from Liverpool after the end of the Second World War. These incredible contributions of a past generation of ESEA labourers for the Allied cause of freedom are a tragically forgotten legacy. Even now many new Hongkongers are leaving everything they have known, fleeing persecution or because they so cherish their freedoms and want to remain free. Their courage is further changing what an ESEA community in Britain actually means, and the rich experiences that it encompasses.
I am incredibly proud to be a part of a diverse and committed magistracy, full of selfless public servants working away quietly to help do what we can for our area and the country we belong to. Recent events are a constant reminder that while great strides have been made, the work is imperfect, remains unfinished and is constantly evolving. This makes the role we have to play in acknowledging and celebrating the value of diversity in Britain more important than ever by sharing all our personal journeys, empathy with other cultures, and embracing how together we can continue to create a judiciary that truly reflects and understands the communities we serve.
