Posted on: 10 February 2022
Hello, my name is Wasim.
This year’s theme for Race Equality Week of ‘Action not just Words’ perfectly encapsulates the feeling which I suspect many of us are experiencing right now, as we reflect on the past two years – a period which has bought in to sharp focus the ongoing racial injustice, inequity and daily discrimination faced by ethnic minority communities. There is no doubt that over recent years, particularly the past twelve months, we have made some progress in bringing the challenging conversations of how we can tackle racial inequality and promote antiracism to the forefront of discussions in the boardroom and senior management level across organisations that cover a range of sectors that work with and for our diverse communities. Indeed, these discussions were born out of events which provoked unimaginable trauma and profound pain for our ethnic minority communities across the world, from the murder of George Floyd to the disproportionate impact of the COVID pandemic. This moment of crisis demanded that we confront hard truths and importantly that we responded to the bravery of ethnic minority communities in sharing their lived experiences, backed by clear, unequivocal support and the promise to do more to deliver the positive transformative change we all want to see.
I am proud to say that the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership response to the events of the past two years has been to go even further. In starting to deliver on our diversity of leadership ambitions agreed in March 2020, we have already produced a range of key offers working with a flourishing Race Equality Network that draws on the contributions of ethnic minority colleagues across a variety of sectors. From there, we have produced the award-winning Fellowship Programme, Racial Inequalities training and the Root Out Racism movement to name a few key developments, demonstrating what can be achieved when the focus and commitment is clear from senior leaders, supported by an equally committed grassroots movement that understands the lived experiences of the very communities we are seeking to reach and deliver positive change for.
Supporting inclusion and committing to anti-racism in the workplace also matters because of the profound impact it has on the individual. I speak from personal experience, as someone who was once ashamed of who I was, but now can say to you, that I am a proud British South Asian Gay man. Getting to this point did not happen overnight. My current organisation was one of very few places where I felt I could be my true authentic self for a very long time. This was because, right from the very top of the organisation to the colleagues I worked with on daily basis, all parts of my identity were embraced. This culture of living the values of equality and inclusion led to a transformational change in my own personal journey. That’s what we can achieve here, if we stay committed to the path we have built in the past year. That’s the change we can start to deliver in creating truly inclusive organisations.
Where there is so much opportunity, there is also a great cost if we fail to keep the spotlight on this important work. I, like many others, do not want to come back to the same conversations, same issues and same commitments to deliver change in five or ten-years’ time. We have communities who need to start seeing improvements in their experiences today. I truly believe that no one wants the momentum that we have gained to wane, but we risk yet again unintentionally losing focus on key anti-racism priorities and moving them in to the ‘not now’ or ‘too hard’ box. Not because we want to, but because we move to other priorities as we navigate the range of challenges the have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I’ll be honest, I don’t envy the task facing our senior leaders across the system and beyond, but this is one priority which we can’t afford to move down the list. This is one priority which must remain at the top.
The indicator which will determine whether the events of the past years resulted in a shift in our thinking, our ambition, and our commitment to promote anti-racism, will not only be judged in the words we all express but the actions that followed to make a real tangible difference to the experiences and lives of our ethnic minority communities.
Remember you are not alone. The partnerships experience highlights the potential of what can be delivered when we work together. Collaboration and co-production is at the heart of everything we do. I truly believe we can continue to make great progress on the anti-racism journey we are on together. Yes, that is driven by the open and honest conversations we have but it will also be measured by that innate feeling of belonging and understanding, underpinned by actions that demonstrate our communities, our experiences and our voices changed the way things were.
Have a good weekend,
Wasim