Race Equality Week 2023 runs from 6th Feb – 12th Feb and is organised by Race Equality Matters. The theme for Race Equality Week 2023 is #ItsEveryonesBusiness, because tackling race inequality should be everyone’s business.
This Race Equality Week, the Alliance’s Governance Officer, Serena Mahandru, has written a blog about the week, and the actions we can all take to tackle race inequality. Read on for Serena’s thoughts.
What is Race Equality Week?
Race Equality Week is a UK initiative which calls on participants to address barriers to racial equality within the workplace. Race Equality Matters provides organisations with resources to raise awareness and provide solutions.
Why is there a need for a Race Equality Week?
Recent research shows that 41% of ethnically diverse workers have faced racism at work but fearing that they won't be taken seriously or that it would negatively affect their professional life, four out of five people do not report the racism.
The work culture of an organisation plays a massive role in this – if inclusivity is reflected within governance structures, then it can allow senior leaders to take measurable steps to prevent situations in which employees are at risk of experiencing racism.
Here at the Alliance, we’ve created an EDI Toolkit which is available on our new Inclusivity Hub. This toolkit has been designed as a guide to support our members to better understand how to embed and achieve equality and diversity within their organisations and their sports.
#ItsEveryonesBusiness
The emphasis shouldn’t solely be on those from ethnically diverse backgrounds to call out racism and try to create change. It is paramount that those who have privilege and have a voice provide their support to the voiceless.
It is easy to say you’re not racist but to really try to enact change you must be anti-racist. A brilliant book I’d recommend reading is ‘How to be Anti-Racist’ by Ibram X. Kendi, which is essentially a guide for identifying racism in contemporary society, learning how to develop an egalitarian perspective, and ultimately coming to terms with becoming an antiracist.
In the fight against racism, there is no room for complacency; one can either aggressively challenge racial disparity or allow it to exist by action or inaction. One of my favourite quotes from the book is: “Like fighting an addiction, being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination”. This means being vulnerable but accepting that being an ally is not an easy task.
What does it mean to be an ally?
An ally, in my opinion, is someone who supports and collaborates with ethnically diverse communities and uplifts communities for a common objective that is completely motivated by the cause and not for personal gain. An ally is someone who seeks to understand how to identify and combat everyday forms of racism, such as microaggressions or racist “banter”.
It takes bravery to acknowledge facts that are not rooted in your own personal experience, to confront your prejudices, and to speak up when not many others will. However, what I think is most important is knowing the fine line between really trying to help and being performative.
It's about cooperating, encouraging, and acknowledging that mistakes will be made but still turning up. It entails acknowledging that anything deserving of seismic change will need a great deal of guts, perseverance, and discomfort.
Ultimately, if you are ever in any doubt, you should question yourself whether you are acting because it is the right thing to do or whether you want to make yourself look good.
To find out more about Race Equality Week, click here, and make sure to take a look at the rest of our resources around racial equality on our Inclusivity Hub.
