Why it is important to continue the conversation around Black Inclusion

In the wake of the racial disparities faced by Black people, there has been a beautiful demonstration of organizational and individual allyship as we all work to end racism.

While this gives hope for an equitable future, this solidarity, compassion, understanding, and collaboration must continue for years to come for us to achieve a truly just society.

Contrary to the conclusions of the recent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report, race is still a factor in the way people experience life in the UK in all aspects of society; in education, in healthcare; in the justice system, and in the workplace.

This might be due to a myriad of factors including indirect or covert racism, unconscious or conscious biases.

But there needs to be a genuine and thorough review to uncover these barriers to inclusion, together with dedicated action to eradicate racism in all its forms.

While there has been progress made in the UK in the past few decades, we are still a long way from true equality and figures show that Black people are being impacted negatively.

According to the recent MBRRACE-UK report, Black women are still four times more likely than white women to die in pregnancy or childbirth in the UK, but there is currently no urgent review or urgent action being taken to irradicate these disparities.

In the workplace, the Resolution Foundation found that there was an estimated £3.2 billion UK pay gap between people of color and white people. Again there seems to be a reluctance to address this compounded by the delay in mandating the ethnicity pay gap reporting.

BITC Race at the Top revisited report, has noted that there are only 1.5% of Black people in senior roles within organizations, despite there being 69% of Black 16 to 64 year-olds in employment as stated in the UK Employment report on gov.uk published earlier this year.

There are plenty more figures that show a difference of experience and the barriers faced for black people as well as the multiple examples of anecdotal lived experience in the UK Black communities.

This is a multi-faceted and difficult issue that needs sustained focus with tangible action from organizations and everyone in the UK society to make big strides to be a fairer experience for all.

We must not lose the momentum we have garnered over the past year and we must continue to push for true equality for everyone.

This is why Black Leaders will facilitate a national annual Black Inclusion Week across the UK during the week of May 10th – May 16th, 2021. Throughout the week you can engage in the debate about why it is important to continue the conversation around Black inclusion as well as hear from those that are leading at the forefront as we delve into the Black experience from various cultural aspects.

The week is filled with dynamic events and activities, which aim to:

• Make us stronger as one community
• Create a commitment towards change
• Be a celebration of Black people in the UK
• Empower all and facilitate action
• Connect us through collaboration

Black Inclusion Week is an observance event that raises awareness of the importance of Black inclusion and creates a platform for change to enable true equality for people of African and Caribbean descent.

This is an inclusive event for organizations, communities, educational institutions, and individuals of all ethnicities to take part.

It is important that we continue to have the conversation around Black Inclusion for years to come on this ever-evolving journey we are taking as a society and ensure we deliver the changes that will make a difference.

You can find out more about Black Inclusion Week here