A number of recent cases in the world of sport, particularly football and the trial of those accused of the murder of Stephen Lawrence has bought the issue of race and discrimination into everyone’s consciousness.

The first time the law recognised discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin was in 1965 when the first Race Relations Act made it illegal to discriminate in any public resort such as hotels or cinemas. This was followed three years later when the law was tightened making it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services to people because of their ethnic origin.

This issue was not address again until 1976 when the law outlawed indirect discrimination, and despite the riots that swept parts of the UK in 1981 legislation which directly impacted on race relations and discrimination was not re-visited. What was considered was the relationship between the police and the black communities with a number of recommendations made by Lord Scarman.

I take my hat off to football because in 1993 the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and the Professional Footballers Association started The Lets’ Kick Racism Out of Football campaign, now referred to as Kick It Out.

Unfortunately it took the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the recommendations made by Sir Williams MacPherson before the Race Relations Act 2000 was amended in order to place a duty on most public authorities to eliminate race discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and good relations between all racial groups.

More recently the Equality Act 2010 replaced the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. One of the most interesting sections within the Act, which applies to the workplace, is Section 40 which states that employers will be liable for acts of third party harassment directed at their employees in the course of their employment; where the employer failed to take such steps as would have been reasonably practicable to prevent the third party from doing so; and where the employer knew that the employee has been harassed in the course of their employment on at least two other occasions by a third party.

Of note to all, employers and employees alike, is that the incidents of third party harassment do not have to have been committed by the same individual on the employee, and that an employer’s failure to deal with alleged harassment could also constitute an act of harassment.

Despite the legislation which exists to protect individuals who are discriminated against on the grounds of their ethnicity it seems it’s a tall order for appropriate action to be taken to comply with these laws. With the increase in the numbers of migrants to the UK, for whatever reason, then the likelihood is that this type of discrimination will remain prevalent for years to come.

I have set myself a new challenge, and started my journey having signed up to study Spanish with the

Open University. I am excited at the prospect of expanding my limited repertoire of Spanish words and phrases, aiming to become a fluent reader, writer and linguist by the time this 2 years course ends. And gain a Certificate in Spanish.

A number of things strike me as I have begun my studies, which is relevant to anyone considering undertaking any form of personal development. Firstly, establishing what my motivation is for studying this subject and what i want to achieve at the end of it? Secondly, how much time and money to have available to devote to my studies? Thirdly, what options in terms of courses are there?

This third question is one that needs a lot of time in terms of deciding what courses best suit me. Distance learning? Evening classes at a local FE college, one-to-one tuition? An intensive course overseas? Or a combination of those mentioned.

I also needed to consider my learning style and which one of these options would work for me.

So I have decided that the Open University language course is the best option for me having tried one-to-one tuition in the past and thought useful its effectiveness is limited by how many times you see your tutor. Evening classes have a tendency to occur on specific days of the week so with work and trying to maintain a healthy work- life balance, I could not guarantee regular attendance.

The choice of educational establishment is vitally important which is where good research comes in. Costs? What material is provided, i.e. text books, cds, etc., Level of support? Location? Duration of course? Reputation of the organisation are all factors worthy of serious consideration.

So back to why I chose Spanish, having had a holiday home there some years ago in Puerto de Mazarron, I discovered I loved the Spanish culture, the country, people, lifestyle and of course the language. Also Spanish is apparently the fourth most spoken language in the world, so should get plenty of use on my travels. In addition, my paternal grandfather apparently spoke Spanish as his family had been transported from Africa to Jamaica by the Spanish.

I am also considering teaching English as a foreign language and feel this experience would give me more empathy with students.

Having started my studies I realise that another positive outcome to my studies is that it will improve my knowledge of English. Yes it may sound bizarre seeing I was born and bought up in the UK, but you start looking at the use of nouns, verbs, adjectives and definitive articles in Spanish and make comparisons in English.

So having had my introductory, which took place in October and used the OU’s elluminate’s facility for online tutorials I realised that I needed extra linguistic support and now have engage a local Spanish tutor for face-to-face sessions. My comprehension and written work is ok and I scored 72 in my first assessment, however would have scored higher had I answered the 6 questions I missed!! I won’t make that mistake again.

Yeah, it’s daunting but exciting and I am looking forward to utilising my new knowledge when I visit Peru in January with my partner. We plan to couple sightseeing with having Spanish lessons whilst there.

Susan Jeffers says ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’, and that’s what I’m doing. What about you?