This blog marks the start of a five-part Race Equity Series from Home Truths 2. The series – which includes online events and new resources – spotlights areas where mainstream civil society can take serious action to end racism, break the link between life outcomes and ‘race’ and enable all people to thrive.
In this first blog, ahead of our upcoming online event, we make the case for civil society moving beyond the narrow aim of adding ethnic diversity to the sector in favour of a more profound drive for anti-racism and race equity.
Why diversity doesn’t go far enough
Diversity has long been a hot topic in civil society and the wider world. It measures the extent to which a population exhibits various elements of human difference. Diversity and its bedfellows equity and inclusion have come to be seen as the answer to questions of ‘race’ and racism.
Equity helpfully refers to the outcome of ending (racial and other group-based) disparities and inclusion points to behaviours that foster equity. Tying diversity tightly to equity and inclusion can be powerful; however, it is diversity that tends to draw the most attention. And that can be a problem.
Diversity over equity and inclusion
Diversity is relatively easy to measure and it often becomes the thing that organisations focus on as the marker of ‘progress’ on racism. But, as research by Home Truths 2 shows, the fact that an organisation has Black and Minoritised Ethnic people within does not mean it is a good place for them to be.
The workforce changes – the work doesn’t
Another issue with narrow diversity is that while it may mean a more ‘mixed’ organisational workforce it has little bearing on the work in the world that a civil society organisation does. In too many cases, that will mean civil society under-serving and doing little to lift up the lives of Black and Minoritised Ethnic populations.
Othering and the elephant in the sector
Perhaps most fundamentally, the emphasis on diversity itself may end up dividing us from one another. The diversity label can get pinned onto certain categories of people, such as those who are Black or Muslim and mark out such groups as outside of what is ‘normal.’ The result is that diversity can reinforce otherness and work against belonging.
Furthermore, diversity talk and language can help the sector to avoid facing the elephant in its midst: namely its racism problem.
But we can change perspective.
On anti-racism and race equity
In contrast to narrow-form diversity work, anti-racism pays direct attention to identifying and changing the values, structures and behaviours that enable racism. And race equity brings to the fore the work of breaking the link between ‘race’ and the lives people can lead.
But simply emphasising anti-racism and race equity is not enough. Anti-racism and race equity require fundamental institutional change. That can be hard. But that is the work ahead; and it is in doing the work that civil society can fulfil its life-affirming promise.
To learn more about centring anti-racism and race equity, join the first session in our Race Equity Series: Why we need to move beyond diversity from 2pm-3pm on Wednesday 12th June 2024 to keep the conversation moving forward.
We’ll engage with questions such as how to think about anti-racism and race equity and what it can mean in practice for civil society and your organisation. We’ll explore the topic with a short presentation from the Home Truths 2 team, wise words from a knowledgeable guest practitioner, Lena Bheeroo, anti-racism & equity manager at Bond, in conversation with Sanjiv Lingayah, Home Truths 2 race equity lead, in a guilt-free, curiosity-driven and practical discussion with participants.
Please join our community for change and book your place. The Race Equity Series is online, free to attend and open to all in civil society.
We look forward to seeing you.
