Home Truths 2 – Race Equity Series

Why a Race Equity Series

The first Home Truths report in 2020, helped to build a picture of civil society as a site of racism. The findings hit home. Some civil society organisations and leaders expressed an intention to act; but there was also some confusion about what to do and where to start.

The Race Equity Series (RES) helps. It provides accessible content to build understanding about what racism is, how it operates and to point to what serious anti-racist action can look like. 

Choosing themes

Racism is embedded in our ideas, feelings and habitual actions and there are many elements to it. It is impossible to cover everything in a single programme.

RES themes come first and foremost from issues raised in the survey of and one-to-one interviews with Black and Minoritised Ethnic mainstream civil society people in the original Home Truths project. Additionally, the content is shaped by our understanding of where civil society appears to be stuck or worse – on the wrong track. 

The original Home Truths survey and interviews highlighted an underlying problem of civil society institutions of talking around racism – for example by focussing on diversity – rather than facing racism directly. This led to the first RES theme (RES 01) on why diversity is not enough when it comes to overturning racism.

Elsewhere, the interviews and survey also revealed highly problematic handling of reports of racism by civil society organisations. Often there was defensiveness and sometimes outright hostility towards Black and Minoritised Ethnic and other people raising racism. RES 05 is about what it means for mainstream civil society to be receptive to and take reports of racism seriously.

Other RES materials cover practical issues and questions of power. They also emphasise mainstream civil society organisations moving away from sporadic, occasional, ‘special’ efforts on racism to making anti-racism and race equity fundamental to why they exist in the world. 

Using the RES resources

RES 01 on why diversity is a useful starting point for getting into the Series as it makes the case for facing racism. Beyond that the RES resources can be used in any particular order. 

It may make sense to work with materials in ways that fit the rhythm of the organisational cycle. For example, looking at mission-driven anti-racism as organisations undertake strategy development. In the same way, changing how reports of racism are handled as part of renewing objectives around people recruitment, development and exit.

At the same time, there is no need to wait for the ideal moment to act. Actions cited by RES resources can be started immediately. In fact, anti-racist practices will likely lead to a kind of realignment inside institutions and generate their own institutional momentum. 

Another approach is for institutions to urgently prioritise areas where they are most falling short and causing most racist harm. Or, more positively, to build on their strengths to give a big boost to race equity and positive life-affirming outcomes.

Whatever the path, actions need to be strategic, embedded and enduring. 

Don’t forget feelings

Anti-racist work needn’t be heavy. But it can throw up big feelings, like guilt about past failings or what hasn’t yet been done. It can lead to tightness and the need to get things ‘right’. But in many ways the moment calls for letting loose, learning and experimenting.

The Home Truths 2 Anti-Racism Companion Journal is a place to write, draw and reflect on big feelings and knotty issues that surface in the work of moving institutions towards serving anti-racism.

The Journal will also help in working out how RES resources can make sense in specific contexts and settings and to notice and reflect on what happens along the way.

The Journal is ultimately an attempt to recognise that anti-racism is an endeavour involving the head (knowing), hands (practice) and – perhaps most importantly – heart (deep affinity). And how the work is held matters – perhaps decisively so. 

Over to you 

We hope that your engagement with the RES material will help to lift ideas and experiences off the page and into practice. And that it will help you to remake mainstream civil society into a source of life-affirming anti-racist futures.Go well.

The Home Truths 2 team