There's no doubt that the teaching of all of our history is so much better today than it has been in the past, and there is some superb teaching practice that goes on throughout the country. The problem for us is that it isn't consistent. We can ensure that that best practice can benefit every child, wherever they live. With the development of the new curriculum, we've got the opportunity to join the front runners in progressive education and to teach all pupils a wider range of history, including Welsh history, which should be inclusive of black, Asian, minority ethnic history makers in and from Wales, because, put simply, that history is Welsh history. And I want to see history taught from a women's and a working class perspective, too. When it comes to history, we must include all of it—the good, the bad and the ugly. We need to talk about empire, we need to talk about Penrhyn castle's links to plantations in Jamaica, the copper works in the Greenfield valley in Holywell that produced manillas used to buy slaves, or Swansea's Grenfell family, who were deeply involved in the slave trade in El Cobre, Cuba. We need to talk about the positive contribution of our BAME communities. Whitewashing Wales's industrial legacy by omitting the role of Tiger bay's uniquely diverse community perpetuates ignorance. The seamen and workers from over 50 countries who settled in the community as a result of the bustling docks are central to the development of the industrial south of Wales. But as much as this is a matter of representation, it's also a matter of protecting minority groups in Wales. In the same vein as the Minister's decision to make sex and relationships education statutory, this, too, is about protecting people and understanding minorities. It will provide opportunities to challenge racism and xenophobia, and, as recent work from Show Racism the Red Card shows, that is essential.

As racism and religious discrimination grows in schools, we can also see the effects in our criminal justice system. Wouldn't greater understanding make a difference to notorious cases like that of the Cardiff three: three black men wrongfully convicted of murder in 1987, right on the Senedd's doorstep? It's known as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in the history of the British criminal justice system, yet the disproportionate representation of black people in our prison population, the underrepresentation of BAME people in positions of authority, and the poor treatment of BAME people at the hands of the police in too many cases are not confined to history. The statistics show how much of a problem this still is today. Embedding anti-racism in the curriculum could be one small but significant step to be taken to abolish systemic and structural discrimination in Wales. It's the duty of our legislature and our Government to ensure that it's enshrined in law.

We cannot overlook the uncomfortable elements of our history and, indeed, our present simply because they might make us feel awkward. Being honest, open and prepared to listen, challenge and take action to change the position of people who face discrimination will make us, as a nation, more aware of elements of prejudice and inequality in our society and communities that need to be rectified. Plaid Cymru believes that this new curriculum offers us a chance to correct many structural injustices in Wales, and I hope that opportunity won't be missed.