CURB welcomes mixed race results

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19: An increase in the number of people identifying themselves as “mixed” race in the 2010 Census bodes well for the future of Bermuda, an anti-racism campaigner said yesterday.

But Cordell Riley, of Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) warned that the island still had a long way to go to reach true harmony and equality.

He said: “On the surface, we get along extremely well, but we don’t seem to mix a great deal outside work hours. An increase in the mixed race community suggests that’s changing, although slowly.

“But that rising number creates an atmosphere and we should take advantage of that potential for improvement.”

But he added: “There are still instances of racism. These figures could be an indicator of change but not necessarily – that’s why we still need groups like ours to uproot racism.”

Mr Riley was speaking after the 2010 census results revealed the number of people identifying themselves as either black or white has fallen since the last census.

A total of eight per cent described their racial origin as “mixed” – up one per cent on a decade ago.

The number of people identifying themselves as either Asian or another race has also increased.

A total of four per cent described themselves as Asian, with four per cent recording their racial origin as “other”.

A total of 55 per cent of people in the 2010 survey described themselves as black, down one per cent since the 2000 census, while the number of white people went down from 34 per cent to 31 per cent.

The report on the Census said: “The changing racial composition of Bermuda’s population is a reflection of the island’s diversity due to immigration and an increase of persons choosing mixed racial heritage.”

A total of 50,533 people described themselves as Bermudian, while 13,513 said they were non-Bermudian.

The census showed that the Bermudian population grew at a rate of four per cent over the decade between 2000 and 2010, while the growth rate in the population of non-Bermudians was half that at two per cent.