Diversity Forum Statement to Government's Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparity Report
Over the last few days, we have heard from many colleagues across the voluntary and social investment sector, including Runnymede Trust, Ubele and UnLtd, about the inaccuracies and fallacies of the Government’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparity report.
We are a convener of the social investment sector, aiming to make the sector more accountable and reflective of the people it seeks to serve. We have a responsibility to push back on the report’s conclusion that “we no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”.
Our landmark report from 2018 has found the following:
6.5% of Directors and 9% of Executives in the social investment sectors came from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 14% of UK’s population (based on 2011 census)
When they do make it to Director and Executive level, they were more likely to have attended Oxbridge universities compared to their white counterparts – 23.7% of Directors and Executives in the social investment sector from ethnic minority backgrounds attended Oxbridge universities
Women from ethnic minority backgrounds are the least likely group to hold directorships in the social investment sector, accounting for just 16 (2.8%) of all directors
The statistics clearly illustrate that we have a lack of representation – as the report would call ‘snowy peaks’ - in the sector. These individuals also have to prove their credentials more (e.g. by attending Oxbridge) in order to stand an equal chance of success as their white counterparts. In our interactions with people in the social investment sector, including the lived experience of people in our Steering Group and Advisory Group, we know: Racism is very much a lived reality for those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
There has been some progress made in the debate on racial representation and equality within the social investment sector, and a more heightened awareness of the barriers and structures that exist to block progress on this pertinent issue. But we at the Diversity Forum are concerned about how this report will erode the much-needed progress that has been made in the past year. The social investment sector still has a long way to go on its journey to truly be a diverse, representative and equal sector. It is not immune to the wider issues of structural racism and inequality that exist in the UK. Whilst we should celebrate the progress made in the past 12 months, we cannot take our eye off the ball and see this as a task that has been completed. We hope our colleagues in the social investment sector will continue to work with us to attain progress for under-represented groups, including ethnic minorities.