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As a black woman residing in Northern Ireland, Maureen Hamblin is acutely aware that racism manifests in many forms. “It isn't just the smashing in of shop windows,” she explains. “It can be covert and unnoticed.”

Onlookers that witness discriminatory comments and stay silent inadvertently intensify the injury, causing the affected to feel completely isolated. This recurring experience wore Hamblin down. “I reached a stage when I’d lost much of my faith in people of a different ethnic background.”

Race riots in Belfast, Ballymena and other towns over the past two years threatened to shatter that remaining trust, but contrarily, Hamblin, originally from Kenya, stumbled upon a new sense of hope.

She joined an initiative known as the Change Circle, which brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds – wealthy and impoverished, from various racial groups, LGBTQ+ and heterosexual – and engages them in a subversive activity: taking the time to understand one another.

“It gave me back my optimism. It made us all see our shared humanity.” – Maureen Hamblin

Each year, a different cohort of about a dozen strong assembles and meets at regular meetings around Belfast to share personal stories and generate donations for groups that promote tolerance and reconciliation.

Hamblin described experiences with racist abuse with her circle – its members responded with shock – and heard their own varied stories. Certain members came from privilege, while others had experienced hardship and marginalisation. All recognised a fundamental shared truth: Belfast was their home, and it must become a welcoming one.

The Creation of a Local Charity

The this unique program is the brainchild of a charity based in the north Belfast district of north Belfast, an interface of sectarian housing estates that endured deadly strife in the past. Based at a repurposed place of worship, it provides clothing and support to vulnerable people and acts as a focal point for the arts community.

The charity launched the first circle in 2018 with the primary goal of addressing division, noted its chief executive. “We aim to build a small-scale model of Belfast in each group. The purpose is to confront ingrained biases.”

Transformative Encounters

One initial joiner found herself connecting with others in places, such as an community kitchen in the east, a world away from her middle class, Catholic upbringing. “Many places I’d never been to before. The greater our initial discomfort, the more pleased the facilitators seemed,” she remembers, laughing.

Another member, hailing from a similar working-class roots, acquired a fresh insight on homelessness after hearing from a peer who had lived on the streets to escape a difficult home life. “It made me realise how privileged I was to have a support system that I could turn to.”

She also recalls her horror when a mother in the group, originally from an African nation, stated that white youths regularly threw dog excrement at her children. “She wasn’t overly upset, her tone was calm and factual. It proved to be heartbreaking.”

The pioneering cohort managed to generate fifty thousand pounds for educational activities for African and Caribbean youth – an accomplishment that carries greater weight given the subsequent eruption of inter-ethnic strife. “This region has a tradition here of ‘stay silent’,” the CEO commented, alluding to a well-known phrase. “Many were unaware at that time just how racist society could be. But when the unrest occurred they were somewhat expected to us because of what we had heard.”

Building Bridges With Music and Connection

When Maureen Hamblin joined the 2024 cohort, she was disheartened by the pervasive “bystander effect”. Even in her local church, which was ostensibly progressive, prejudiced comments were met with silence. “When people are quiet it’s like being double gaslighted.”

She nevertheless forged a close connection with peers in the circle, notably with a author who recounted an experience about confronting prejudice – potentially inviting a physical confrontation – in a local chip shop. Hamblin, who loves to sing, and her collaborator, an acclaimed author, joined forces to record literary readings and songs for social media.

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

The 2024 circle chose to raise funds to support a unique scheme called Melodies Shared, which offers weekly classes in traditional Irish music to regular sessions evenly divided between newcomers to the region and local people.

“Music has the power to cross communication hurdles and fosters a shared identity and community,” said the scheme's coordinator. “Someone involved mentioned to me he’d not previously known that people from different backgrounds could be great company.”

Although this initiative are bucking a troubling trend – with race hate incidents in Northern Ireland hitting the most significant numbers recently – that is all the more reason to persist with them, the coordinator asserts. “That’s why their work is crucial.”

The core lesson from these grassroots actions is one of optimism via engagement. Many ordinary people helped bring about the end of political violence through personal gestures, a key figure reflected. “This offers a blueprint. I cannot influence what happens at an international level, but I can participate in my community and contribute positively at a personal level. I am firmly convinced that’s the origin of true transformation.”