Who's your best mate?
What about your favourite football player?
What about your teachers / youth workers?

Chances are, one of this lot, if not all of them, have a different ethnic background to yours - whether Black, British Asian (born in the UK), White with Romany Gypsy, Irish or European, or Chinese - or whatever!
It's one of the things that makes the UK so great is all the cultures in the mix!!!!!

“Prejudice is the act of prejudging someone or something, and usually implies judging someone else to be of less worth or value, based on little or no actual knowledge of them. Discrimination is when people are treated badly by others because of prejudice.”

Discrimination and human rights

* People sometimes say that discrimination = prejudice + power
* Prejudice can be about many different things: religion, race, colour, sex, sexuality, language, disability, age etc.
* All prejudice and discrimination goes against the first two Articles of the United Nations

Declaration of Human Rights:
Article 1 All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

What does 'ethnic minority' mean?
An ethnic group is any large group of people who share certain cultural traditions and characteristics. These may be common history, language, religion, or family and social values. An ethnic minority means there are less people of a certain background compared to other groups in a country's population.

What is racism/racist abuse?
It's not about white against black, or black against white. It's about origins, roots, religion, and not being accepted for who you are.
A racist is someone who picks on someone or treats them badly because they view them as different and unequal. Often racists focus on people who are visibly different, for example, Black or Asian people.
Racism can also include prejudice against ethnic, cultural and national differences. Irish Travellers, Romanian asylum seekers, Gypsies and eastern Europeans all experience serious discrimination and racism. They are white but may dress in a distinct way, speak a different language or act differently in a racist's eyes.
Sometimes people who don't consider themselves prejudiced make fun of someone's accent or birthplace. Although it is easy to go along with a joke at someone else's expense, this can make them feel hurt and isolated. If you have to make someone feel small to get a laugh, maybe you just aren't that funny...