Racial Justice
Welcome! RJWG (Racial Justice Working Group)
RJWG Open Meeting
Thursday 28 Sept 4pm (16:00), Hillscourt
RJWG (Racial Justice Working Group) is offering a meeting open to all Conference Networkers, in the Thursday afternoon slot, to discuss re-focusing the group’s work, where its direction should be and where the needs now lie. We’ll look back and reflect on the RJWG’s 3 years and its achievements. Where is the energy now? Should we focus on intersecting needs – such as climate & environmental needs – and/or other ideas?
4 pm (16:00) – Open Meeting of RJWG – Room will be signposted at Reception
- Achievements and Q&A
- Where focus now? Broaden to Racial & Climate/environmental justice?
Minutes of the Racial Justice Working Group <––––––– click here
Data on RJ/diversity from the Pools Convenors
For two years now the Pools Convenors have been entering data on RJ/diversity in relation to their pools projects. Click below to see it. Convenors say: "a caveat – it's a work in progress and somewhat messy!".
Pools Convenors' data on RJ/diversity
Summaries of 'Learning from Grantees' and 'Learning from Other Funders'
You can read or print each of 2 short reports, one a summary of Learning from Grantees, the other a summary of Learning from Other Funders. Click on the title or here to see the reports
RACIAL JUSTICE newsletterJan 2023
Welcome! The Racial Justice Working Group has been underway for over 2 years now. The idea came out of our conference business meeting in September 2020.
The group is open to all members with no conditions attached, other than an interest in the topic. Members may participate at whatever level suits them.
About a dozen people have been involved consistently, with 9 or 10 attending most of our monthly meetings, which are held on Zoom. We have regularly reported to conference on the initiatives we have taken. These are some of the Motivations members have for participating.
Terms of Referencewere agreed with Directors. The evolving Statement of Direction (previously 'Intent') is in this Letter to Networkers from Racial Justice Working group.
Ideas/vision/feedback are welcome – please write to patrick.boase@mac.com or rosemary.hartill@btinternet.com
What’s below:
· What’s coming up
· Welcome to new members
· Feedback from our survey of Fast-Track grantees
· October 22 conference
· What’s Next?
· Windrush major project update
· Launch of Progressive Advisor Movement
· Resources (Radio, TV, podcasts, books, films etc)
What’s coming up
In Conversation:
Thursday, 12 January 2023; 7.30 -9pm on Zoom.
Yet another great speaker (our sixth): Simon Woolley was a volunteer with Charter88 and the former CEO of Operation Black Vote. He was chair of the No 10 race disparity unit until July 2020. He was made a life peer in 2019 for his services to race equality.
Update 16 Jan: Here’s the recording of Simon Woolley - for Networkers only -
https://youtu.be/73C9chbVdJw
To come: Abdy Yeganeh, Policy Director of Independent Diplomat
Recordings of some earlier events are available, eg:
7 April 2021: Keith McClelland In Conversation
Keith McClelland of University College London’s seminal Legacies of British Slavery (LBS) project (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/). https://youtu.be/EPQ2Kzfgtw4
14 July 2022: Sam Siva, of Land in our Names, a black-led grassroots collective committed to reparatory justice in Britain through securing land for BPOC communities. https://youtu.be/4Z4pgfx4-P4 (first minute missing) and https://landinournames.community/.
For info on other speakers, and recordings, see: In Conversation
Welcome to new RJWG members - Karen K, Ruth L, Candia. Other members include Sally, Imran, Ali, Sarah B, Caroline, John G, Prue, Chris, Amanda, Helen. Patrick and Rosemary are co-convenors.
Feedback from our Fast-Track Grantees
Our Learning from other funders confirmed the importance of getting feedback from grantees, both negative and positive. So, after sharing and discussing a paper on Enabling Grantees with Guardians in May 22, 19 fast-track grantees were contacted, with engagement from the relevant sponsors (shortlisting these projects was in itself a major exercise). They were invited to answer a questionnaire for a small fee. The projects (some based abroad) were addressing racial justice issues or those of other marginalised groups, through lived experience. The questionnaire was carefully drafted without leading questions; we offered a small fee for filling it in; 9 grantees responded. Summary of Grantee responses – Sept 2022
We are unsure why half the grantees contacted chose not to respond. Lack of time maybe. But the response from those who did was encouraging to Network. All 9 reported that dealing with Network was a wholly pleasant and positive experience.
There was overall content for the application process, praise for its positive influence and the support given during it. All respondents listed beneficial outcomes to the funding.
One question asked: Are there any other goals we should focus on with grantees? eg healing, care and trust, to counter burnout; a reparations strategy; investing locally in real community assets; recognition of each other’s wealth in culture, joy, wisdom? 5-6 said that the goals we mentioned were important, and would improve the health of communities they work with.
When we asked how Network might become more sensitive, relevant and responsive to frontline experience, and in a closer relationship with partners/grantees, several suggested that sharing experiences and stories with sponsors, grantees and members of the network would be useful.
October 22 conference
At the October conference, following up on the Guardians’ May meeting, RJWG suggested that if we were to have such an event, co-designed by Network and projects, a budget would be needed to cover a facilitator’s fee, travel, venue hire, catering and other expenses incurred by grantees. We might also consider paying grantees for attending, in recognition of limitations in terms their time and finances. We might need to ask Network to cover core costs, but were not currently in a position to say exactly what this amount might be.
There was strong feeling from some that it was not good process to be asking for potentially a large sum of Network money without detailed papers being circulated in advance. But there was also widespread support for the direction, and for continuing honest and serious dialogue with grantees. Listening required on all sides!
What’s next?
After a meeting with some grantees, asking further what they would like, two ideas are currently being explored:
· a day event on Zoom that could include overseas groups and people with disability; and an environmental "away weekend" (or mid-week) for groups led by people of colour who want to get together with each other and/or with other groups, at a venue in the countryside. Carol (who is not a member of RJWG) has been talking to Green & Away, a tented conference centre near Worcester which only operates in July/early August. It is used by environmental groups for camping retreats, strategy planning, team-building, holidays and outdoor activities such as walking and swimming.
· We are also thinking of having an Open Zoom for Network Members, on something like Finding and Funding Client-led and RJ Projects - Experience from Grantees and Sponsors. Or maybe this could be arranged for the next conference.
Windrush Major Project Update
The Windrush Justice Programme will support grassroots groups and organisations working directly with people affected by the scandal to regularise their status and apply for compensation. The organisation managing this, Action for Race Equality, have launched their Webpage. It includes a Blog from their Programme and Grants Manager, Kimberly McIntosh, about the Windrush National Organisation conference in late-October. See also Twitter LinkedIn
Progressive Advisor Movement
Stephanie Brobbey, the chief exec and founder of the Good Ancestor Movement, who gave the keynote speech at Network’s October conference, launched this on 8 December at the Said Business School in Oxford University. Several of us attended the day-long conference (in person or in Zoom), and found it a fascinating mix of radical thinking, expert academic research, focus on values, and revealing personal stories. Contributors were good on reparations, on the gap between what wealth advisers say in public and in private, on language used, on how clients feel, on the obstacles to change, and what can be done to achieve that change. You can see the conference speeches on: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ1LFA7Y-u1DsWiole0MKo9IeVB6d7L-r
Here are a few quotes:
'The final element of Reparations is often left out: a guarantee of non-repetition’ Esther Stanford-Xosei, campaigner for climate and racial justice
‘Assumptions [by financial advisor] were made about what we wanted for our money - values of fear, scarcity, chronic individualism, us and our family against the world. What we wanted was optimism, excitement and transparency. What’s needed is moral courage, get away from this fear-mongering’. Jen, entrepreneur
‘I love tax! We should have tax pride!’ Christina, inheritor
'This is a chance to become more collaborative and less fees-driven, instead of urging clients to set up their own foundations with us, we can help them consult more cost-effective solutions' Will, finance lawyer
Stephanie asked attenders to share their Tax Survey and the report Wealth Management: Tradition Versus New Imperatives with advisors in the private wealth industry.
Join us
If you’d like to join RJWG, or just come along to a meeting, or join a small support group, most welcome. Groups include: In Conversation, Inner Work, Learning from other Funders and Grantees, White Spaces.
You are also welcome to the general channels of our Slack workspace, including our wide-ranging Resources channel. Contact: Patrick and Rosemary (co-convenors).
Resources – a few suggestions
1.Network docs:
Inner Work:
a.1-page Advice on how to get started with a Me and White Supremacy group
b. In Conversation summary to date - 4th Jan 2023
Learning from Other Funders and Grantees
a. Learning from other funders — Report to conference
b. Discussion Paper to Guardians on Exploring how to enable Grantees to evaluate us
c. A summary of Grantee responses to our Fast Track Questionnaire – Sept 2022
2. Organisations working in the Racial Justice space: Black Racial Justice & Community Orgs
3. TV/Radio/Podcasts/video
Compelling TV programme by David Olusoga about Britain's Slave Owners, a documentary based on the UCL project researching the original documents
Re-enactment of the largest slave rebellion in US history in 1811 https://www.slave-revolt.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmOK4tNc31A Boomerang: Empire and Britain’s economy, Kojo Karam, John Barnes, Dalia Gebrial, Clive Lewis
Docufilm about racism in Australia: The Australian Dream: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000lpv7
From the NY Times: An audio series on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/1619/id1476928106
A Class Divided: https://youtu.be/1mcCLm_LwpE Classic documentary teaching how racism is engrained 1968.
4. Books
Sally writes: This was one of the books I read 30 or so years ago - which made a big impact on me - written 60 years ago Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/27/black-like-me-john-howard-griffin?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Climate Change and Racial Justice
Climate Justice, Mary Robinson,
Cli-fi (fiction):
Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward
How Beautiful We Were, Imbolo Mbue