North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood will this evening speak of the “need to build a cohesive community and integrated society in Wales in the 21st century” when, as North Wales based NWAMI’s Honorary President, he sponsors and addresses NWAMI’s second Annual Celebration of International Integration Day being held in the Assembly.
NWAMI (Networking for World Awareness of Multicultural Integration) is a non-profit community interest group, based in Colwyn Bay, that is run by board members and volunteers from diverse backgrounds. Whilst NWAMI is the group’s registered name, its operational name is the Centre for Cultural Engagement.
Mr Isherwood, who last November spoke at NWAMI’s Diwali celebration in Colwyn Bay, attended and spoke during June at both NWAMI’s 2nd International Panel meeting at the Cardiff University Student Union Building, and their Windrush Day event in Colwyn Bay, and last month gave the vote of thanks at NWAMI’s “Inter-Culture Festival 2019" in Colwyn Bay, this evening sponsored and spoke at their 2nd Annual Celebration of International Integration.
He said:
“In May, I spoke in an Assembly Debate on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
“The Convention covers the rights of all people to enjoy civil, political, economic and social rights, without discrimination on grounds of race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which the UK ratified in 1969.
“Quoting the Chair and Founder of NWAMI, Dr Sibani Roy, I stated: ‘Some of the people think that when you talk about integration, you mean assimilation. We have to explain to people that integration is not assimilation. We have to respect the law and culture of the land.’
“She added ‘What we need to do is educate people and say we are all human beings, we're friendly and we should try to understand each other's culture. When they learn about other cultures, then they will possibly become friendly. Change will happen very slowly, Tit for tat is not the way to change people.
‘By talking to people and educating people - eventually by convincing them that human beings are not all bad. It doesn't matter - it's individuals’.
"And that is what I've always believed myself: that we treat them as individuals - it doesn't matter what the background is, their faith or colour”.
Mr Isherwood added: “We must recognise the vital work been carried out by frontline community and third sector organisations to promote multicultural integration in Wales.
“We need to build a cohesive community and integrated society in Wales in the 21st century.
“To achieve this we need to promote an understanding and respect of this country’s diverse cultures through cultural engagement and interaction, education and training.
“As I have said many times, this is about celebrating our glorious diversity together.”
