ACEVO & Voice4 Change England launch sector anti-racism programme
Melanie May | 17 July 2023 | News
A new 18-month programme launches today to drive action on anti-racist practice in civil society. Home Truths 2, from ACEVO and Voice4Change England and in collaboration with Dr Sanjiv Lingayah, builds on the findings of the 2020 Home Truths report which, lead authored by Lingayah, concluded that civil society did not just have a diversity problem, but a racism problem.
The programme is designed to challenge and support mainstream UK civil society to take serious practical action on anti-racism and race equity. It has received £120,000 funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, as well as funding from Barrow Cadbury Trust, Charities Aid Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Home Truths 2 activity will include a survey to learn about the experience of communities affected by racism in mainstream civil society, and uncover patterns of racism as well as the solutions that respondents think are advancing race equity in organisations.
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It will also support Black and Minoritised civil society to influence, hold to account and engage with mainstream civil society on anti-racism and race equity; and include practical race equity learning sessions for civil society organisations on topics including intersectionality, race equity and anti-racism, ethnic pay disparities, and making race equity core to mission.
Later in the autumn, the Home Truths 2 team will start recruitment for the ‘Further, Faster’ cohort of around 50 civil society leaders who are already taking substantive action towards race equity in their organisations. They will be invited to participate in a year of facilitated small group work to elevate and share their race equity practice and help to demonstrate what ambitious action can look like.
Commenting, Jane Ide OBE, CEO ACEVO said:
“Though some civil society leaders and organisations have moved decisively forward over
recent years, as a sector there is so much more to be done. For that reason, the Home Truths
team has reassembled to advance solutions in Home Truths 2.
“I’m incredibly proud of the role ACEVO has played in bringing these issues to the fore, and
deeply committed to the work we are now launching that will help the sector as a whole move
forward, at pace, towards becoming a truly anti-racist, equitable and just sector.”
Kunle Olulode MBE, Director Voice4Change England said:
“The first Home Truths report showed us that racial inequality in the charity sector holds it
back from fulfilling its core purpose and stalls progress towards racial equality in society.
Three years on from the publication of that report, Voice 4 Change England is excited to be
once again working with ACEVO to drive forward the development of practical solutions and
tangible action on anti-racist practice within mainstream civil society to ensure that not only
will the charity sector become a better place to work for everyone but also drive progress
towards real social equality in our society.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.