Wigan drama school apologises after students suffer racist abuse

The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), who have a base at Wigan Pier, said they "openly acknowledge" failings and trauma caused by racism at the school.

Lamin Touray, who studied at ALRA in Wigan between 2014 and 2017, posted an open letter which he drafted with 12 other former students, highlighting what he said was "widespread and systemic racism" at the school.

He said that a fellow student "explicitly" said she didn't want to work with him and his friend because they were black, but the school said that the incident was not racist.

In the letter, Lamin whose now an actor from Hulme in South Manchester and featured on Granada Reports this evening (September 11), said: "A fellow student said she didn't want to work with me because of my skin colour.

"And I quote - 'I'm not happy to be working with two black men, there's only three in the year, why have I got two of them? I feel like 'blank' is trying to take the mick out of me."

Lamin's was one of a number of experiences detailed in the letter by the students, with another student documenting how a tutor praised him for doing so well considering English wasn't his first language.

During that student's second year, the same teacher went on to say how his "negro" roots could be heard in his acccent, despite him being from Blackpool.

Since the letter was published, Lamin has said the school have told him that the incident he reported was racist, four years after it happened.

ALRA apologised "unreservedly" for every incident and have said that staffing changes have been made and that an action plan to tackle racism is in place.

In a statement, they said: "We openly acknowledge that there have been failings and trauma caused by racism at ALRA in the past which we are taking very seriously. We apologise unreservedly for this, and for the time it is taking to investigate each complaint with the scrutiny they deserve.

"Individual complaints have been looked into and group letters have been acknowledged. As a result, structural changes have been made and processes have been scrutinised and developed to run effectively.

"We are unable to share specific details but can assure you that we want to keep the conversation open to support all of our students, graduates and staff through this incredibly difficult process.

"Taking the utmost care over each step will, regretfully, take some time. We have a plan in place and several points on our Action Plan Against Racism have already been realised, including an independent audit panel of specialists who are reviewing our complaints process curriculum and policy.

They added: "To ensure that racism is removed from every aspect of the Academy, the audit panel will publish a report in early 2021 making recommendations and outlining failings. "