Mission-driven race equity
“As institutions … change, so do beliefs, values and practices.”
Sally Engle Merry
Finding staying power
There are moments in time when racism and efforts to promote anti-racism attract significant attention and interest. These often follow moments of crisis, such as the murder of George Floyd in 2020. But attention is not the same as action and curiosity is not the same as commitment.
As the memory of specific events fades, agendas shift focus and history suggests that mainstream efforts for race equity lack staying power.
However, it can be different. For this to be so, anti-racism and race equity must become fundamental to mission and purpose for mainstream civil society organisations and much more institutionally embedded. That in turn will spell the end for sporadic, occasional, ‘special’ efforts and a move to everyday anti-racism.
Culture counts
The shift needed is a cultural one – where culture encompasses beliefs, values and practices. Recognising the scale of the challenge is part of the work of securing transformation and, while cultural shifts do not come easy, they do happen through altering daily practices.
In the words of Home Truths 2 expert partner Mandeep Rupra, director of equity and culture at Citizens Advice:
“It’s not just about the training you do, books you read, the data we collect, but how we put the learning into practice in our daily relationships, the conversations we have about ‘race’ and racism, how we make decisions …”
Signs of mission-driven race equity
Everyday practices are critical but they don’t come out of nowhere. They are fostered intentionally by institutions. And organisations on the path towards a culture of anti-racism may exhibit a number of tell-tale signs.
Their anti-racist work is based on long-term responses rather than short-term reactivity to one crisis or another.
These efforts for anti-racism and race equity are institutionalised rather than individualised. The workload is shared across people in the organisation. If key people leave the organisation, the work can continue with equal vigour. Organisations working in this mission-centred way will engage in an ongoing, active process of self-examination. And where their anti-racist efforts are falling short, they will seek to understand why and adjust their approaches – rather than downgrade their ambitions.
From curiosity to commitment
Mission-driven conditions and behaviours are within reach for mainstream civil society institutions. Ambition and steadfastness can ensure that organisations move in the direction of making central anti-racism and race equity. In doing so new sets of beliefs, values and practices take hold. Organisations move beyond curiosity to commitment and towards taking the cause to heart.
A space for reflection
Reflect on these questions in a way that feels right for you. You might choose to write, draw, record a voice note or video, or talk it through with a trusted friend or collaborator.
- How can race equity be deeply embedded in your work/organisation?
- What is needed to achieve this depth?
- What specifically are you going to do next?
