Centring diversity, equity and inclusion
Holly Donagh, Director of Strategic Learning, Insight and Influence, reflects on our experience to date and shares our learning which might be useful for others embarking on this work.
A reflection from Moira Sinclair
In common with so many people across the world I have been appalled by the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota and the denials of wrongdoing that have followed. I wanted to take this opportunity to show our solidarity as an organisation with everyone who is angered by this injustice and show our support for the Black community and those fighting systemic inequality and racism in all its forms.
It is clear that this is not an isolated news story or a US issue, it is about sustained and structural racism. We cannot and should not remain silent. Events of this week have made our support for those campaigning for racial equality and tackling social injustice even more important, and we stand resolutely beside them.
Over the coming weeks, we will do more to platform the work of organisations we support such as Runnymede Trust, The Advocacy Academy, Future Men and The Black Curriculum, who are taking a stand against systemic discrimination. We will also embed this commitment in our strategy, putting our support into tangible resources that the sector can use to help drive change.
COVID-19 has exposed existing inequalities in our society vividly and urgently, and it has created new ones. The impact of the disease has not been the same for everyone. With the publishing of Public Heath England’s report last night, the systemic presence of racism and race-based oppression is being made visible in a way that raises questions about whether anything has changed or ever will.
At the heart of Paul Hamlyn Foundation is a commitment to social justice, based on the values, beliefs and experiences of our founder. We also know that, as a philanthropic institution, we have a responsibility to ensure we recognise the existence of white privilege and that we have much more to do to see our commitment to social justice turned into action in all of our work, our grant making and our operational policies. We are listening and learning how to do that better, with the help of those we fund, our advisors and our involvement in the Funder DEI Coalition.
In all of this, we recognise that it is only through speaking out, addressing the power imbalances inherent in our work and holding ourselves to account that we can begin to move towards our vision of a just and equal society in which everyone, especially young people can realise their full potential and enjoy fulfilling and creative lives.
Holly Donagh, Director of Strategic Learning, Insight and Influence, reflects on our experience to date and shares our learning which might be useful for others embarking on this work.
We wanted to take this opportunity to say a bit more about our language choices in the description of our different Funds since reopening in October.