Home Truths 2 hosted the first session of the Race Equality Series (RES), as part of our ongoing work in partnership with ACEVO designed to challenge and support mainstream UK civil society to take serious practical action on anti-racism and race equity.
Listening and learning made up the initial phase of Home Truths 2, with the Warm Words, Cold Comfort report highlighting the insights and experiences of Black and Minoritised Ethnic (BME) people working within our sector. RES is now aiming to address the needs that were highlighted in the report – each session offering clarification and guidance on a different theme to the ‘anti-racism curious’.
We are pleased to announce that Session One, ‘Why we Need to Move Beyond Diversity’, was attended by over 85 participants. The main speakers were Sanjiv Lingayah, Home Truths 2 race equity lead and author ofWarm Words, Cold Comfort, and Lena Bheeroo, anti-racism & equity manager at Bond. Together, they set the scene of the diversity problems within civil society. As Sanjiv put it, “Sometimes diversity can focus more on the workforce and who is in it, who is employed in the sector, and too little on the work that the sector does.”
By focusing on anti-racism and race equity over diversity, we are aiming for a full transformation that serves our communities more fully and breaks the chains of inequality. Diversity by itself, Sanjiv explained, is too narrow as a concept; ticking boxes within an organisation rather than rooting out issues.
Lena Bheeroo was an excellent guest, applying her experiences from a career in international development to the national charity sector. As she works with marginalised communities around the world addressing power imbalances and racism, Lena was well-placed to draw some interesting parallels and offer new insights:
“It's really moving past just having different backgrounds in a room, but actually thinking about who are the people that we need, who are the communities that we are working with and how do we put them in positions within our organisation? Does that mean they have power and a say and have an equitable space?”
A key takeaway was that uncomfortable conversations need to be had – organisations need to self-reflect and hold themselves accountable. A CEO can lead this mission, but they need to get their teams behind them, from leadership to HR, Comms, and finance. This transformative approach takes time, budgets, and a lot of persistent commitment, but it is a mission worth pursuing.
V4CE’s Policy and Influence Officer, Christabelle, is on the core Home Truths team, researching and forming our policies. She has her say on the first session of RES:
"The event was filled with hope and provided a safe space for curiosity about looking beyond diversity. It offered a much-needed opportunity for people to reflect on the pivotal moments of 2020 in civil society, the achievements in the journey of anti-racism, and the significant work that remains. With Home Truths, we aim to leave a lasting impact by educating civil society employees and organisations in transformative ways, while striving towards a future of togetherness."
Our next RES session will take place on Thursday 11th July on the topic of ‘Reporting and Responding to Ethnic Pay Gaps’. Book your free place here!
Read the Home Truths 2 report, Warm Words, Cold Comfort, here.
We look forward to seeing you at the next session!
Ella Armitage,
Marketing and Communications Intern
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