Discrimination in UK universities.

www.telegraph.co.uk

The BBC announced this morning that according to research, ethnic minority students are less likely than their white British peers to receive offers from UK universities.

50,000 would-be students took part in a 2008 study set by the London School of Economics and Political Science. Degree applications from 12 minority groups were significantly less likely to result in an offer.

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www.telegraph.co.uk

The results showed that despite taking into account academic achievement, family social background and the type of school a student attended, most minority groups were still much less likely to win a university place.

Universities UK said institutions were actively addressing the complex and challenging issue. See the BBC news article in detail.

I find this shocking. We claim to live in a prejudice-free society. All people should be born free in this day and age. The fact that this doesn't happen in some countries should make us more determined to get it right. At least western cultures can grant equal opportunities to people of different origins.

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In my co-written dystopian novels, the world suffered a Great Flood. Most of those who survived were physically strong and generations evolved from mixed races. That's the way I see it. Just consider our greatest athletes.

Here's an excerpt from Knights in Dark Leather. You'll get the picture.

Cerridwen opened her eyes. Other people occupied the round room. Some sat on the cots, some stood by a central fire. The woman helped her to a sitting position. She crossed her legs and reached for the stone bowl. With a sudden raging hunger, she sipped the hot liquid.

"I'm Deidre," the woman said. "I think your fever is fading. Would you like bread?"

"Yes." Cerridwen cleared her throat. "Yes, please."

Deidre walked to a shelf by the fire. The woman of about thirty summers, with her blonde hair woven together in a clever twist hanging down her back, wore an old-style cloth dress over her soft, shapely body.

Cerridwen sipped more broth. About thirty white people stared at her but no children played amongst them. Although her hands might tremble with nervousness if she didn't clutch the bowl, she managed a tentative smile.

When Deidre returned with a hunk of bread, Cerridwen asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

"To keep you safe. So few of us survived." Deidre passed a piece of the bread.

"But I've been perfectly safe all this time."

"Where did you come from?"

Cerridwen swallowed her grainy morsel. "Red Roof. I left home more than a moon cycle ago."

"It's amazing you survived. Are you on your own?"

"No. There are three men travelling with me."

Deidre leaned forward, excitement shining from her eyes. "Are they white too?"

"No." Cerridwen sighed. "Well, Trevly's light brown."

Deidre's face lost all lustre. "I guess they kept you safe for themselves."

"No!" Cerridwen's heart hammered. What did they think of her? "We're on a journey."

The tall man approached. "I'm Eric. I couldn't help overhearing." He faced Deidre. "You don't mind if I butt in, do you?"

"No," Deidre said. She raised her eyebrows. "Go ahead."

"You should remain with us," Eric said. "There aren't many of us left. We need to procreate or we'll die out altogether."

Cerridwen's cheeks burned. "I'm saving myself for a special person. I have no wish to mate."

Eric, about the same age as Deidre, leaned forward, eyes glowing. "I could make you wish ..."

Deidre nudged him. "Leave her alone, Eric."

With a sour expression under his shaggy black hair, the tough man veered away and slouched off.

"Thanks," Cerridwen said. "I should get back to my friends. They'll be worried about me." Escape plans spun around her head if only in bits and pieces which wouldn't fit together.

"Rest," Deidre said. She patted Cerridwen's arm and joined the women around the cooking fire.

No longer hungry or thirsty, Cerridwen lay back, anxious about whether she could walk out of this earth house without anyone stopping her.

Before she made an attempt to leave and find the mural with her friends, she needed to gain strength. She must go back and find the place the auras illuminated.

Here's a few lines from Melting Pot by Blue Mink:  

What we need is a great big melting pot
Big enough to take the world and all it's got
And keep it stirring for a hundred years or more
And turn out coffee colored people by the score


Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/blue-mink/melting-pot-lyrics/#vpRMZihbfZYtsTck.99

I like the idea of a giant melting pot. What are your views on racial equality? 

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