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Papers of the Race Relations Board, the Community Relations Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality

The Race Relations Board, the Community Relations Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality.1966-2003
Archives
This collection consists of material which was originally part of the library collection of the Commission for Racial
Equality. It includes papers relating to the work of the Commission for Racial Equality and its predecessor
organisations: the Race Relations Board and its regional Conciliation Committees and the Community Relations
Commission. It also contains reference material concerning race relations legislation and subjects such as housing, immigration and employment in the context of race relations and racial discrimination. In addition the collection includes a number of reports produced by other organisations such as the Runnymede Trust, the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants and the Institute of Race Relations.
Title:
Papers of the Race Relations Board, the Community Relations Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality
Date of work:
1966-2003
Reference number:
GB3228.14
Level of description:
Collection
Custodial history:
On 1 October 2007 the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) merged with the Disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission to create the new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre was contacted by the EHRC in March 2008 offering the former library of the CRE as a donation. The collection was transferred to the University of Manchester in May 2008.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into the following series: 1. Race Relations Board 2. Conciliation Committees of the Race Relations Board 3. Community Relations Commission 4. Commission for Racial Equality 5. Papers relating to race relations legislation 6. Papers relating to housing 7. Papers relating to immigration 8. Papers relating to employment 9. Further papers relating to racial discrimination 10. Additional material 11. Newsletters and publications
Source:
Date of donation: 08/05/2008Donor name: Equality and Human Rights Commission
Access restrictions:
Unrestricted24 hours notice is required to view this collection. Material will then be accessible through Manchester Central Library Search Room, Manchester Central Library, St. Peters Square, Manchester, M2 5PD. Any enquiries relating to this collection please contact: rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk
Use restrictions:
Restricted
General notes:
The Race Relations Act of 1965 was the first legislation relating to racial discrimination to be introduced in the United Kingdom. The Act led to the establishment of the Race Relations Board in 1966. The Race Relations Board was a statutory body appointed by the Home Secretary and assisted by regional conciliation committees composed of people who served in a voluntary capacity. The conciliation committees examined complaints of racial discrimination made under the Race Relations Act. The Race Relations Act was strengthened in 1968 to encompass the areas of employment and housing in relation to racial discrimination. The Community Relations Commission was established under the 1968 Act "to encourage the establishment of, and to assist others to take steps to secure the establishment of, harmonious community relations and to co-ordinate on a national basis the measures adopted for that purpose by others". The Commission was empowered by the Act to establish services for giving advice on community relations to local authorities and other local organisations, collecting information, providing training courses, and arranging and promoting conferences relating to community relations. The Community Relations Commission supported the work of local community councils in administrative and constitutional matters. The councils were independent bodies and worked with local groups to offer advice on community relations matters, and established sub-committees to deal with matters such as education, employment, housing and social welfare. The powers of the Race Relations Act were further extended by the creation of the 1976 Act. This followed the establishment of a Select Committee on Race Relations and Immigration which demonstrated the need for greater legal powers. The Race Relations Act of 1976 broadened the definition of discrimination to include indirect discrimination which disadvantaged a particular racial group. The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) was created by the Race Relations Act of 1976, replacing the Race Relations Board. It commenced its work on 13 June 1977 and included former officers from the Race Relations Board and the Community Relations Commission. The CRE merged with the Disability Rights Commission and Equal Opportunities Commission in October 2007 to form the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Related material note:
There is related material in the library of the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre.
Language:
English
Record number:
8921246
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