Key terms
Racism is the ideologically based practice of classifying humans into a racial hierarchy. This informs, requires and justifies actions and inactions – e.g., by law makers, decision makers or individuals – that tend to harm Black and Minoritised Ethnic people and help white people.
Institutional (or institutionalised) racism refers to unjust policies, procedures and prevailing social rules that operate within institutional settings.
Anti-racism is the practice of identifying and ending racism by changing the values, structures and behaviours that enable it.
Race equity is the work of ending racial disparities and breaking the link between life outcomes and ‘race’ or ethnicity. Race equity requires that we treat people in an appropriate way – not necessarily in the same way.
Black and Minoritised Ethnic is the imperfect term we use to collectively name populations harmed by racism. Among populations negatively and distinctly affected by racism are individuals of African, Caribbean, East Asian, Arab and South Asian backgrounds, Jewish people, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people.
About the Companion Journal
This is not a report.
This Companion Journal offers insights on vital topics that can advance anti-racism and race equity in civil society and beyond.
The Journal is designed to help if you want to develop your own practice on anti-racism and race equity as well as that of your organisation and those you work with. The Journal offers some quiet space for you to reflect on each of the themes and how you might spark powerful action in your institutional settings.
An advisory note
Racism is complex. There is no simple fix. Approach this content reflectively and with ambition. This journal is intended to support life-affirming, anti-racist action inside and across civil society organisations.
No one person can do this work alone. It is a collective effort. Find your team, share the load and grow the power to transform. There may be resistance to change, so please stay safe and well.
Using this Journal
Creating space
Journalling can help when reflecting on challenges and opportunities in your own personal practice and that of your organisation. It can create space and provide perspective on a problem and unblock action.
Your own path
What you do with the Journal is up to you. We hope that you make use of it in ways that make sense to you and your context.
You can input directly into this Journal or in some other format somewhere else. You could draw or write or record reflections through voice notes or videos. You may benefit from discussing reflections with a trusted peer.
Let loose
Life-affirming work needn’t be heavy. Put guilt about what you haven’t yet done or don’t yet know to one side. Don’t feel that you have to get things ‘right’. Where possible, avoid tightness. Instead try to let loose, to learn, experiment and try new things.
We hope that your engagement with the material will help to lift the words off the page and into practice. And that you in turn will help to remake civil society so that it contributes fully to an anti-racist future.
Over to you.
