Top Takeaways from We all belong here, don’t we?

Samira Ahmed chaired a panel of Afua Hirsch, Ashley James, James O’Brien and Ash Palmisciano on what belonging in Britain means when politics feels increasingly polarised and immigration is routinely used as a wedge. The discussion moved between national identity, feminism, bigotry and the tribes people sort themselves into, and asked whether a more inclusive future is still within reach.

Top Takeaways from the panel
James O’Brien reflected on the increasingly hostile social and political climate, expressing concern that almost anything can now be used as a justification for “othering” people. He described a growing normalisation of bigotry today “It’s almost as if someone has kicked down a door of bigotry and let every bigot in”.

Afua Hirsch explored how identity and belonging are shaped by race, heritage and the experience of being treated differently. “I wrote Brit(ish) for my younger self, to help answer the questions I had”.  The book, written before Brexit was about “if we didn’t create an identity for Britishness, it would lead to self destruction as a nation”.

Ashley James spoke about never quite feeling that “she never quite belonged, either in the town I grew up in or at school.” She went on to say “when I moved to London, it was the first time I felt like that I belonged, because London was full of people who didn’t belong –  a big city thing.”

Ash Palmisciano reflected on the social expectations placed on men and women, highlighting “when you’ve walked the planet in two genders, you notice the social differences. Men don’t cry and it’s purely from social expectations.”

Ash concluded with “We don’t need to fight for a space, there’s a space for all of us”.

Further Reading

• Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging, Afua Hirsch (Jonathan Cape, 2018). Link
• Decolonising My Body, Afua Hirsch (Square Peg, 2023). Link
• How They Broke Britain, James O’Brien (WH Allen, 2023). Link
• How To Be Right in a World Gone Wrong, James O’Brien (WH Allen, 2018). Link
• Bimbo: Ditch the Labels. Find Your Voice. Reclaim Your Confidence., Ashley James (Century, 2026). Link

Further Listening and Watching

• Full Disclosure with James O’Brien, podcast, Global Player and Apple Podcasts. Link
• Legacy, podcast with Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan, Wondery. Link
• Africa Rising with Afua Hirsch, BBC Two. Link
• Ash Palmisciano: Why your truth is your superpower, TEDx talk. Link
• Front Row, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, presented by Samira Ahmed. Link

Further Help

• Belong, The Cohesion and Integration Network, charity promoting social cohesion. Link
• British Future, think tank on identity, integration and immigration. Link
• Diversity Role Models, LGBT+ education charity, of which Ash Palmisciano is a patron. Link
• Runnymede Trust, race equality think tank. Link