COMMUNITY LET'S TALK
RACE EQUALITY WEEK
7th February 2022
7th February 2022
WHAT IS RACE EQUALITY WEEK?
Race Equality Week is an annual UK-wide movement uniting thousands of organisations and individuals to address the barriers to race equality in the workplace.
The events of 2020, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities, has heightened public consciousness of race inequality.
Race Equality Week unites employees, focuses senior leaders, and unites organisations. It also encourages them to continue their activity and drive race equality all year long.
This year’s theme is #ActionNotJustWords
Race Equality
Is sameness; everyone gets the same thing
Equality focuses on everyone getting the same opportunity, by using the same strategies for everyone. However, this often ignores the realities of historical exclusion and power differences between whites and other racial groups. This means that they are not likely to get the same outcome.
For example, you have a classroom with a pupil who is blind, a pupil who is deaf, and a pupil who is neither. In order to achieve equality, you decide to teach all 3 the same topics using the same methods.
The child with no disabilities is successful in their learning as the learning methods were well suited to them. However, the blind pupil and the deaf pupil both fall behind as they are struggling to understand the class work.
Although you have taught all three pupils the same, the pupils have not all been given the same opportunity.
Race Equity
Equity uses differentiated and targeted strategies to address different needs and ensure that outcomes in the conditions of well-being are improved for marginalized groups, lifting outcomes for all.
For example, you have a classroom with a pupil who is blind, a pupil who is deaf, and a pupil who is neither. This time, in order to achieve equity, you decide to teach all 3 the same topics but you adjust the methods.
The child with no disabilities is successful in their learning as the learning methods were well suited to them.
The blind pupil is successful in their learning as they now have the support of braille to help them understand the work.
The deaf pupil is successful in their learning as they now have the support of sign language to help them understand the work.
Although you have used different tools for all three pupils, one has not been given more support than the other. They have all been given the same support but in a way that best suits their needs, to ensure they all have a chance at achieving the same outcome.
Using targeted or differentiated strategies to achieve universal goals is referred to as “targeted universalism.”
For equality to be successful, it is important that it also addresses equity. Focusing on equality without equity, can be superficial and problematic.
Equality is not just about treating everyone the same – it is important to be treating people in such a way that the outcome for each person can be the same. This means putting things in place to support people to achieve similar outcomes.
At Unity, we want to make sure that the business is focusing on equity as well as equality by better understanding the breakdown of diversity in the business and how we can better support it moving forward. So, this week we are highlighting 3 things in part of the #ActionNotJustWords theme to help us in that journey.
#ActionNotJustWords
#MyNameIs began trending on twitter in October 2020 when Kamala Harris had her name mispronounced by a Senator. Since then it has been used a number of times in the ethnic minority community to emphasis the personal significance of names.
#MyNameIs campaign to normalise and encourage the phonetic spellings of names in the workplace and drive inclusivity by adding phonetic spelling to your email signature.
Your name is more than just a name. It's part of your heritage, identity and pride. But all over the world, names are mispronounced. And regardless of the reason, it's hurtful to those affected.
Race Equality Matters is launching #MyNameIs - a digital tool that helps people share their real names by translating it to phonetics.
We want Next to become part of the solution, not part of the problem. So this week, we want you to share your name using the tool below. Send us the picture and we will share it on the site with the community.
Next's Diversity & Inclsuion Specialist Anna has been working on improving the use of the prayer room facilities across the warehouses.
Are there certain requirements you think are currently missing that should be included? Review Anna's list and make suggestions here
As part of our committment to #ActionNotJustWords, we are hosting Unity's first ever coffee morning on Friday 25th February.
We want to take this time to listen to network members on their experiences, their ideas and what change they want Unity to champion within the business.
NB: you will need to be signed up to our mailing list to attend the event so please ensure you do this beforehand.
Resources.
A charged and necessary wake-up call to pervasive, institutionalised racism, Eddo-Lodge’s searing polemic reconstitutes the frame of the argument around race, removing it from the hands of those with little experience of its resonances. From ambient and lazy cultural stereotyping to open hostility, this book is a clarion call of understanding.
Teeming with life and crackling with energy - a love song to modern Britain and black womanhood.
Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.
This punchy, pocket-sized guide shows you how, whether you're using your voice for the first time, or are looking for ways to keep the momentum and make long lasting change.
Sharp, simple and insightful, they get to the heart of anti-racist principles and show us all how to truly be better allies.
At Kaplan, we believe in inclusion and equality for all, and our diverse student community represents the world we want to see. That’s why we’re asking them to share their thoughts on some of society’s important topics with our ‘Student perspectives’ series.
Bonaventure from Uganda is a Student Ambassador who is studying a degree in Pharmacy at the University of Brighton.
Diverse and inclusive workplaces can be both difficult to find and hard to create. But if you care about making your own workplace truly inclusive, you have the ability to effect real change—as an ally.
CIPD Annual Conference 2021: You must understand the difference between equality and equity, Lammy tells HR
Labour MP for Tottenham explains the importance of knowing what barriers different groups face