Anti-racism

At WCVA we’re angry about racism and we’re taking steps to make sure we’re not only an organisation that stands against it but we’re also playing an active part to eliminate racism.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is extremely important to us at WCVA and our staff EDI Champions group has been meeting since 2019 to ensure EDI is at the forefront of everything we do.

During this time, we have made considerable progress to safeguard against discrimination, introduce positive practice and give our staff the confidence to speak out when they see something that’s not right. We also signed the Zero Racism Wales pledge, committing to combat racism wherever we see it.

We recognise that this work is never finished and there is always room for improvement, but we need to go further. During recent years we have seen a number of distressing incidents across the UK, highlighting that racism is still prevalent in our society and within the voluntary sector. This makes us angry!

UPPING OUR EFFORT

As an organisation WCVA is going beyond being merely against racism. We’re taking steps so we can honestly say ‘there is no place for racism in our sector or in wider society, and we’re doing something about it’.

Now is the time to make a stand and focus on actions rather than words.

Going forward, we will be focussing on taking an active role in anti-racism. We’ve also updated the term we use, from now on we’ll refer to EDIA (Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-racism) to make sure we’re always keeping that role in firm focus.

OUR ANTI-RACIST STATEMENT

At WCVA we believe in no uncertain terms that racism within the voluntary sector and wider society is unacceptable. We will not rest until racism is a thing of the past.

We are resolute in becoming an anti-racist organisation and encouraging our partners to do the same. Simply condemning racism is not enough, we have a journey to embark on to become actively anti-racist.

Setting us on the right path

There are several steps we need to take. To begin with we need to understand what anti-racism means to us, and what it means to the voluntary sector in Wales and the communities we serve. We’ll also need to look inwards at our culture at WCVA, our policies and our people.

Beyond these first steps, we must ensure that we keep the momentum going, taking every opportunity to learn and take action. You can find out more about anti-racism here: 12 Characteristics of an Anti-Racist Organization.

We are determined to be fair and equitable and to be proactive in challenging racial injustice both inside and outside our organisation. We need to educate ourselves, we need to listen to those who have been affected, and we need to form partnerships with those who can help us to get this right. And we need to start now.

Our commitments

WCVA commits to the following values-driven actions:

  • Leadership – We will unashamedly adopt an anti-racist approach in practice and in governance. People who experience racism are often excluded from employment opportunities. We will improve access to opportunities to join our team – at all levels of the organisation. We will diversify our board of trustees, our senior team and our wider staff team. We fully commit to the delivery and support of the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan. We will link with UK partners to support Home Truths 2 and establish what this means for Wales. We will strive to model excellence in anti-racism.
  • Courage – We will take a good long hard look at ourselves. We will upskill all staff, leaders and board members and generate space for courageous conversations. For example, by working through the four levels of the Racial Equity Maturity Model by Shereen Daniels. This will help us determine to what extent we really are anti-racist and what we need to do next.
  • Passion – We will not stop ever! Anti-racism needs to exist in our culture. With the support of our EDIA (Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-racism) Champions, we will use our voice and our platforms to amplify the voices of those who have experienced cultural and racial barriers to accessing services. Our passion is unwavering.
  • Integrity – We will address racism in our workplace and while working with partners. Our anti-discrimination pathway will be launched in November 2024. Our policy review will be completed by March 2025. We will produce and publish a WCVA ethnicity pay gap report in 2025. We will collect and analyse valuable data and be guided by the voices of those with lived experience of racism. We won’t always get it right, but we will be open about our mistakes and learn from them to move forwards together.
  • Equity – We will connect to communities across Wales who don’t know about WCVA or who see it as a white organisation. We will ensure black, brown and white minority voices are heard by WCVA and beyond. We will elevate the voices of other anti-racist organisations. This will be our compass for driving change.

‘Racism is constantly mutating. If we fail to eradicate it, it will continue through generations. It becomes a perverse inheritance that expresses itself in different mutations, and that blights the lives of future generations in different ways….  Many years ago, racism was overt, with many ethnic minority people told directly that they were not wanted. Today, racism has morphed into subtle everyday behaviours but is no less pernicious in its impacts. We want to eradicate racism and we believe that adopting an anti-racist approach is the key to this.’

 Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna
Co-chair, Welsh Government Anti-racist Wales Action Plan