An anti-racism companion journal

Reporting racism: facing uncomfortable truths

“When it comes to a conversation on racism, somehow you end up talking about something else.”

Home Truths interviewee

The uncomfortable truth

In civil society, we often insist that voice matters and that policymakers and decision makers must listen to ‘the people’. But what happens when colleagues raise concerns about racism inside a civil society organisation?

In too many cases the institution finds it hard to hear the uncomfortable truth. It can shake the belief in civil society that it is home to those who ‘do good’. It can make senior leaders realise that they have not been anti-racist but have contributed to racism.

The dynamics of denial

Institutional commitment to anti-racism and race equity is nowhere under more strain than when faced with reports of racism. It can deeply disturb organisational serenity. This can result in severe forms of defensiveness – such as DARVO. DARVO stands for Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. Organisations reacting to reports of racism may use this approach to push back on the existence of a problem, attacking the credibility or intentions of those who raise a concern about racism. This kind of approach causes additional damage beyond what occurred to prompt the initial report. It makes those who report racism the problem – rather than racism itself.

Towards acceptance

But just as there is denial there can be serious efforts towards acceptance. As Home Truths 2 expert partner Margaret Greer, National Officer, Race Equality UNISON Centre, explains:

‘Reporting racism is not just about exposing injustice – it’s about taking the first step towards meaningful change.’

We know from our survey work that one important change that people reporting concerns want is to be believed and taken seriously by institutions. They don’t want simply to be asked to provide evidence of wrongdoing.

Institutions that want to act can do so. They can engage outside agencies to investigate instances of racism and undertake broader assessments of institutional culture. They can create channels for anonymous reporting and reflections and they can help to set up supportive employee networks.

Organisations, racism and healing

Systems and processes are critical to developing humane responses to reports of racism within organisations. But these systems will only be created and will only thrive within organisations willing to resist the temptation to deflect and instead hold themselves accountable in cases of racism. This committed approach to reporting racism can help those impacted to heal. It can also contribute to organisational development towards truly supporting anti-racism and race equity.