In light of the increased awareness concerning the killing of Black people across 2020 there has been a groundswell of momentum focused on improving the experience of the Black community globally and how we bring about positive change.

 

A poignant moment that caused for the whole world to look inwardly and reflect on all of our feelings towards the Black community, the reality of the Black communities perceived position in society, the frustration informed by both overt and covert racist acts and the lack of economic advancement through the years due to systemic racism and prejudice that exists both within the workplace and the wider landscape.

 

There was hope that for once, people will no longer be afraid to listen to the Black community, engage in candid conversations, accept the realities of the inequalities experienced and work with us to usher in long lasting change. Our position is that there needs to be a united effort to focus time and resources on ensuring we strengthen, support and uplift the Black community who have had to suffer in silence for far too long; to make sure that 20 years from now, we are not having this same conversation again and are closer to the world we need to see.

 

We have positioned ourselves in the UK as a custodian of our trajectory, to work hand in hand with the Black community and our non-Black allies to ensure that change does not just happen as a short term knee-jerk response to sorrow or guilt, but that we are able to systemically root out racism and prejudice in our society and throughout the working world. At the same time the aim is for our allies to strategically work with us in creating a fairer landscape for the Black community.

 

We are set up to work with other organisations together with the Black community to grow the conversation, centralise the learning and measure the change over time. This is not a tick box exercise, this is not a 1 year program, this is a commitment to see the growth of tangible change for this generation and generations to come.

 

There has been a lack of focus on the Black community for many years, a lack of focus surrounding our position within the wider economic landscape and how this has had a negative effect on Black people in working environments and throughout society from generation to generation. We appreciate the power that this conversation has had across 2020 and the importance of dialog that is focused on change and action. We exist to keep the conversation going, measure the change and work collectively to achieve social and economic parity.

 

This is not a BAME conversation, neither does it want to be a 'people from disadvantaged backgrounds' conversation. The issues we address are specific to the Black experience, as much as some of the learnings drawn from dialog will help many people from various backgrounds. 2020 was a moment where the world finally woke up to the stark reality of people of African descent. We are now in a position to be laser- focused about this issue and bring it to an end, making life better and fairer for the Black community.

 

Not only when people feel guilty because they saw someone get horrifically killed, but throughout our lifetime to eradicate racism, both overt and systemic, in our organisations and throughout the country. Our ambition is to create a better and more just playing field for the Black community and subsequently the wider world. We need to commit to having those direct and frank conversations at board level and with those in the seats of power. We need to collectively and individually commit to change, not just for this moment, but for life.