Black Lives Matter

We’ve seen with horror, the events in America – the killing of an unarmed black man – George Floyd – after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Systemic racism also exists in the UK, including Wales.

People in positions of power, like me, need to play a part in dismantling the structures that keep black people oppressed, and we need to listen to and learn from those harmed by a system that discriminates.

We need to challenge the racial biases that mean white people are significantly more likely to hold positions of power in the UK and that black men and women are more than four times more likely to suffer a coronavirus-related death.

We need to look honestly at the structures within our own organisations, be actively anti-racist and continue to support people speaking out against racism, while appointing more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people to positions of power and decision-making and supporting more Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people to tell their stories.

With the help of members of the public and organisations, I’ve set recommendations for Welsh Government and public bodies for a more equal Wales, in the Future Generations Report.

These include the need to tackle hate crime and harassment, reflecting it in equality and well-being objectives; requiring all recipients of government funding to provide equality, diversity and unconscious bias training; and setting targets to increase diversity in public appointments. We need better representation right throughout our system. 

We also need to ensure that as the way we live and work changes with climate change, automation and inequalities in health that we are anticipating and responding now to prevent inequalities for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic people and other groups widening in the future. 

To those looking for ways to demand equality, as a white woman talking about race, I think it’s important to continue to call out racism, and crucially, to listen to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people. This moment of reflection is overdue.

We stand with all of our colleagues, friends and peers who have ever experienced racism, from micro-agression and exclusion to physical violence.

Creating a better world for future generations means speaking out against racism wherever we find it.

We’ve included some links below that signpost some of the grassroots groups who hold space for black people in our communities, along with readings and resources.

 

Resources

• You can donate to the official memorial fund set up by George Floyd’s family here
• Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team (EYST) is an award-winning charity which supports BME young people, families and individuals in Wales. It has been mapping the breadth and diversity of BAME organisations in Wales, here
• Race Alliance Wales is a group of individuals and organisations working together to improve race equality in Wales.
• For emotional support, BAATN is the home of the largest community of therapists of Black, African, Asian and Caribbean Heritage in the UK
• You can support Black Lives Matter, find resources and sign up to petitions here
• Color of Change helps people respond to global injustice.
• Read about the Future Generations Wales’ Journey to a More Equal Wales here and in the Future Generations Report.