Stand up for the values of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Stand up as leaders of Anti-Racist action.  This may logically seem like nothing new, but the reality is that the priority that we have given collectively to EDI has waxed and waned over the years, too often impelled by tragedies such as the murders of Stephen Lawrence and George Floyd, then slowed as attention wanders to other things.  That in large part reflects the lack of diversity in leadership and a lapsing back into the comfortable mindsets of the privileged unwilling to share or give up their power. 

It is time to stand up because we are in a period of national and international change in which those who champion racism and wish to entrench existing disproportionalities of power are feeling emboldened.  A period in which so many of our families and our staff are afraid to be on some streets in a way that feels reminiscent of the 1970s – and I’m old enough to remember those days when I couldn’t go to support my football team without getting past National Front recruiters. 

Those of us in senior local government roles are politically restricted and that is a good thing, a core plank of the operation of our democracy that ensures public servants deliver the policies of those who are directly elected.  But we are not values restricted, and I am proud to have taken on the role of chairing our West Midlands region at a time when we are pinching with pride from other regions (shout outs for the East and London in particular) and are now going to stand together for EDI and Anti-Racism in a way that marshals our collective strength.

It is time to stand up because it is the necessary and effective thing to do if we want improved outcomes for our children.  We only have to pay proper attention to the disparities in our data and the voices of lived experience and we will see where we need to target action for improvement.  We have long known about the disproportionality in our youth justice data, but it was so striking recently to hear from a group of West Midlands global majority children that no professional had previously ever asked them about their experiences of racism from public services. 

And it is the necessary and effective thing to do if we want to realise the impact and potential for all our global majority staff, who typically have lower chances of progression the higher up the ladder you look.  I am guessing that is true of your organisation too, so is there an explicit plan in place with targets to close that gap?

So stand up.