Voice4Change England and ACEVO have released Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector.
Home Truths is not a report that asks if there is a problem with ‘race’ equity in the charity sector. It has long been known that there is an under-representation of BAME people working in the charity sector, and that under-representation is worse in senior leadership roles. Instead, the report seeks to reframe the ‘diversity’ debate, saying that racism is a significant and unresolved issue in the charity sector just as it is in the rest of society.
In making this report research was carried out on the experiences and expertise of over 500 BAME people who either responded to an online survey or took part in in-depth interviews.
Some key findings include:
- 68% of respondents said that they had experienced, witnessed or heard stories about racism.
- 50% of respondents felt that they needed to ‘tone down’ behaviour or to be on their ‘best behaviour’ in order to fit in in the charity sector.
- 30% of respondents had been treated as an intellectual inferior.
- Of those respondents that had experienced or witnessed racism, 74% said senior staff within their organisations had played a significant part.
Positively, there appears to be an appetite for progress and this report is intended to provide a supportive framework for those who want real change. The report lays out steps both to further open up the charity sector to BAME people and to re-orientate charity work towards building a racially just society.
