🔗 Share this article

For a woman of color residing in Northern Ireland, Maureen Hamblin knows full well that racism appears as a multitude of ways. “It isn't just overt acts of vandalism,” she explains. “It is often subtle and unspoken.”

Bystanders who overhear prejudiced statements and stay silent inadvertently intensify the injury, causing the affected to feel utterly abandoned. These repeated incidents left Hamblin drained. “There came a point when I’d lost a lot of faith in white people, in white men.”

Racial unrest in Belfast, Ballymena and other towns during recent times threatened to shatter the last of that faith, but contrarily, Hamblin, a native of Kenya, stumbled upon an unexpected wellspring of hope.

She became involved with an initiative called the Circle for Change, which connects strangers from vastly different backgrounds – wealthy and impoverished, black and white, of different sexual orientations – and engages them in a subversive activity: taking the time to understand one another.

“It restored my hope. It reminded everyone of our common bonds.” – Maureen Hamblin

Each year, a new circle of roughly twelve people comes together and gathers for regular meetings around Belfast to share personal stories and generate donations for charities that champion tolerance and reconciliation.

Hamblin described tales of racist abuse with her circle – its members responded with shock – and learned from their own often difficult stories. Certain members came from privilege, while others had faced hardship and marginalisation. Each person saw a unifying factor: Belfast was their home, and it ought to be a welcoming one.

The Origin of a Grassroots Trust

The aforementioned initiative is the innovation of a non-profit organisation operating from the north Belfast district of north Belfast, an meeting point of Catholic and Protestant housing estates that endured deadly strife in decades gone by. Based at a cultural arts centre, it provides essential aid and assistance to those in need and acts as a focal point for the arts community.

The charity launched the first circle in 2018 with the key objective of tackling polarisation, noted its chief executive. “Our goal is to create a microcosm of Belfast in each group. The purpose is to challenge stereotypes.”

Personal Journeys

One early participant ended up engaging with peers in places, such as an community kitchen in the east, completely different to her comfortable background. “Many places I’d never been to before. The more uncomfortable we felt, the happier they [the organisers] were,” she says humorously.

Another member, hailing from a similar working-class roots, gained a deeper understanding on homelessness after conversations with a peer who had lived on the streets to escape a household with addiction issues. “It helped me understand how lucky I was to have a support system that I could rely on.”

She also describes her shock when another member, from Africa, explained how white youths routinely threw dog excrement at her children. “She wasn't being especially angry, her tone was matter-of-fact. It was heartbreaking.”

The pioneering cohort managed to raise £50,000 for educational activities for black children – an feat that carries greater weight given the later outbreak of inter-ethnic strife. “This region has a tradition here of ‘say nothing’,” the leader commented, alluding to a famous line. “Few people understood at that time how deeply racist we were. But when the violence erupted they were somewhat expected to us because of the stories we'd been told.”

Creating Unity Via Music and Connection

When Maureen Hamblin joined the 2024 cohort, she was disheartened by the pervasive “onlooker apathy”. Even in her local church, which was ostensibly progressive, biased remarks were not confronted. “In moments of silence it’s like being double gaslighted.”

She nevertheless forged a strong bond with peers in the circle, particularly with a author who shared an anecdote about challenging racist comments – even facing a violent response – in a local chip shop. Hamblin, who loves to sing, and her collaborator, an noted peace activist, teamed up to record spoken word and musical pieces for digital channels.

“It was once believed that the violence would never end, that peace would never come. But it did come. Situations can change for the better.” – A Circle of Change Participant

The most recent group chose to raise funds to support a special project called Music Translated, which instructs participants in traditional Irish music to weekly classes carefully balanced between foreigners – immigrants and refugees and long-term inhabitants.

“Artistic expression can overcome linguistic divides and gives a feeling of unity and inclusion,” explained the scheme's coordinator. “One member confided he’d never before understood that individuals of another faith could be so much fun.”

Although this initiative are swimming against the tide – with race hate incidents in Northern Ireland registering the highest levels in years – that is precisely the reason to push forward, its leader says. “That is the reason they’re important.”

The core lesson from these grassroots actions is one of optimism via engagement. Countless ordinary people helped bring about the peace process through small, individual acts, a key figure reflected. “This offers a blueprint. I cannot influence what happens at the highest levels, but I can participate in my community and make a difference at a grassroots level. I am firmly convinced that’s where change comes from.”