As October comes to an end, I want to thank the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group and the individuals who stepped forward to take part in our first Black History Month celebrations. It was great to see so much being shared from the cooking demonstrations to the interviews and of course the big quiz - congratulations to the winner, William McTaggart. All the resources are still available on the staff hub for you to view when you get a chance.
I personally found the lived experiences impactful and again I really want to thank those who shared these to help us get an insight to some of the challenges black people have faced and unfortunately still do face. To me Black History Month has been an important time to reflect on this key issue especially as we are increasingly learning of the disproportional impacts of Covid on Black and other ethnic minorities in both health and economic terms. It has also, no doubt, made many of us think of wider inclusive issues that will hopefully lead to positive action across this wider spectrum.
A term you may have heard a lot recently or may come across when learning about black history is white privilege. Whether this is a new term or something you’ve known about for a while, it can be often misunderstood. Watch this two-minute video from John Amaechi OBE, British psychologist, consultant and former professional basketball player, explaining what white privilege is and why we shouldn’t ignore it. I can also recommend following him on LinkedIn as his words are thoughtful and are more widely relevant.
Although Black History Month is a great opportunity to learn, celebrate and honour the achievements as well as recognising the struggles throughout history, it is also a time for reflection and looking to the future, these conversations must not stop. At the end of August, we announced our pledge and commitment to make specific actions to improve inclusivity and diversity within our employment and service outcomes. We also shared this at our latest Board meeting and have their full support on progressing this forward. Watch this video to hear from Vanda Murray, our EDI Board Sponsor and Carla Nuttall, Director of Communications and Marketing and our EDI Senior Management Team Sponsor on the importance of this commitment and the progress so far.
We will be sharing more from the EDI Group and myself as we progress with the pledge actions and the wider work this group is doing to ensure we create and embed a culture of EDI across the organisation. Also, we will be analysing and reflecting on the EDI survey results and determining how these will be used in action plans going forward.