UK D&I champions join forces to launch Race Equality Week

Diversity and executive recruitment consultancy Green Park, The Collaboratory and Black History Month have joined forces to tackle racial inequality in the UK. They have partnered to found a not-for-profit community interest company Race Equality Matters, which seeks to improve racial equality in the workplace and launch a UK-wide Race Equality Week, scheduled to take place on 1-7 February 2021. 

Race Equality Matters was formed in response to the Black Lives Matter Movement to turn declarations of commitment and support from organisations and individuals into meaningful change in racial equality both in the workforce and in society. The community interest company aims to improve workplace equality across the public, private and charity sectors through a collaboration of companies, race networks, field experts, individuals and allies who will create solutions and work with member organisations to implement the change. 

In addition to forming a Race Equality Network, which will seek to support, empower and resource race networks, Race Equality Matters will launch an annual Race Equality Week, scheduled to take place in February. Race Equality Week will be a UK-wide initiative to unite organisations and individuals in activity to address issues affecting ethnic minority employees. Organisations will be able to register to join the Race Equality Week pin campaign and to receive tools and resources to facilitate conversation, activity and commitment to change, confirmed Green Park. 

COLOUR OF POWER

The announcement follows the release of Green Park’s The Colour of Power research, a visual depiction of the upper echelons of the UK’s most powerful institutions. The Colour of Power 2020 highlights not only the lack of diversity and disparity of power in the UK’s most senior leadership roles, but the total failure to address it despite three years of government-backed targets and ample rhetoric about commitments to diversity and inclusion. 

According to the report, just 52 out of the 1,099 most powerful roles in the country are filled by non-white individuals, or 4.7% of the total number compared to the 13% proportion of the UK population. This is a gain of only 15 additional ethnic minority held roles since the Colour of Power 2017 index. Black individuals are particularly under-represented with just 17 of the 1,099 roles held by Black men and women, despite organisations across Britain and the world declaring their commitment to improving equality and diversity, in the light of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

EMPOWERING ETHNIC MINORITY VOICES

Commenting on the findings, Co-founder and CEO of Green Park, Raj Tulsiani: “Following the Black Lives Matter protests and the disparity of impact the COVID pandemic has had on ethnic minority communities, the UK is beginning to face truths about its relationship with race. With organisations and individuals more open to have honest conversations and with public declarations of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, we have a real opportunity to turn this moment into meaningful change for the future of the workplace and wider society. Through Race Equality Matters we intend to empower and amplify the voice of ethnic minority employees and provide organisations, networks and individuals with the insight, tools and resource to drive effective action for sustainable change.”

Adding to his comments, Dame Fiona Woolf DBE, DL, former Lord Mayor of London (during 2013/14) stated: “As Lord Mayor of the City of London, diversity and inclusion was at the heart of my role. I’m glad to say that we have seen some progress, particularly on gender and LGBTQ+ but we know there is much more to do, especially on race. Race Equality Week, such a simple but brilliant concept, provides everyone with the perfect opportunity to keep the momentum for change going, and even accelerating.”