Our Anti-Racism statement
As an organisation we stand in solidarity with all those that experience racism worldwide.
We recognise that racism is dehumanising to everyone it touches. We are a values driven organisation committed to social justice, dedicated to the human rights of ALL women. We recognise that systemic racism, in all its forms, impacts black and minority ethnic (BME) women/children as a double discrimination, and is an enormous barrier to their safety. We also acknowledge how racism impacts our staff and volunteers in their day-to-day work and lives.
For more than 40 years, we have championed gender equality and advocated for the rights of women and girls to live free from violence and abuse. We know that when spaces become unsafe they inhibit women’s/children’s space for action, which in turn limits their full potential to thrive. This is also true of the harms of racism.
We can and must do more to support both BME women/children using our services and our BME staff and volunteers. At BSWA, we pledge to do more to centre anti-racism in our work to end gender-based violence.
We pledge our commitment to be actively anti-racist and a driver of positive change: It is not enough to be “non-racist.” Anti-racist means actively identifying and opposing racism. It is ingrained in action. We have therefore been reaffirming our moral drive to address systemic racism and white supremacy on both a personal and organisational level. We realise that we can, and must, do better.
Our commitments:
Embed anti-racism in all areas of our work spaces and service provision.
We understand that trying to be equal, or attempting to be diverse, is not the same thing as being pro-actively anti-racist, and a fragmentary approach cannot unravel rooted and systemic injustices constructed over centuries and hardwired into all structures of society.
We will continue to listen and learn, educating ourselves on racism, equity and inclusion – something made possible thanks to the inspirational leadership of anti-racist movements such as, BlackLivesMatter, Stephen Lawrence Foundation, Stand up to Racism and Southall Black Sisters.
Acknowledge and learn from history. We are fully committed not just to understanding the historical legacies of racism and inequity, but to challenging those legacies and seeking social justice in the present. We will work to ensure we are not reinforcing systems of white supremacy, colonialism, and racism, but actively dismantling them.
Challenge racism. As an organisation we aim to do better to challenge pre-existing institutional racism. Acknowledging the legacy of racism, its historical and current impacts, is a central step in becoming anti-racist. This means challenging racism and white supremacy culture whenever and wherever we see it, both internally and within our external partnerships and relationships. We will amplify the voices of BME staff and service users to inform our strategy and measure our progress.
