Anti-racism is a crucial tool in understanding and combating racism in all its forms, helping to create a more inclusive and diverse society. Racism has been a persistent issue in society for centuries and continues to impact individuals and communities globally. While many believe that racism is a thing of the past, the reality is that it still exists and must be addressed. In this article, we will explore the importance of anti-racism training and how it can help create a more inclusive and diverse society.
If you’re a HR manager or EDI lead looking at ways to further engage your employees around the topic or race and anti-racism to ensure it’s not just a tick box exercise, view our “Anti-Racism Training: Help for HR & EDI Leads Guide“.
The Importance of Diverse Anti-Racism Training
Anti-racism training is crucial in mitigating the impact of racism in the workplace and creating a more inclusive and diverse environment for employees.
Mission-driven anti-racism training specifically focuses on the organisation’s commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality, and is designed to provide employees with the tools and resources they need to address and combat racism in the workplace.
Such training should not only focus on raising awareness of the issue of racism, but also provide practical strategies and skills for employees to actively challenge and confront racist behaviour and practices in the workplace.
This includes promoting open and honest discussions about race, providing opportunities for diverse perspectives to be heard, and creating safe spaces for employees to share their experiences and perspectives.
Read more about how Mission Diverse dispels the Myths and Realities of Anti-Racism training here.
Furthermore, anti-racism training should be designed to be ongoing and ongoing, with regular follow-up and reinforcement to ensure that the principles and practices of anti-racism are integrated into the company’s culture and operations. To learn more about Mission Diverse’s Race awareness training, click here.
The Need for Anti-Racism Training
Anti-racism training is designed to help individuals and organisations understand and combat racism in all its forms. The goal of our training is to create a more inclusive and diverse society, where people of all races feel valued and respected.
For example, in the UK, the recent Black Lives Matter protests have highlighted the need for anti-racism training in schools, the workplace, and in wider society. A report by the Race Disparity Unit showed that people of colour are disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, further emphasising the need for anti-racism training to address systemic racism in healthcare and other essential industries.
In the USA, anti-racism training is needed in law enforcement and other public institutions to address systemic racism and ensure that all individuals are treated fairly and with respect. The recent protests against police brutality have highlighted the need for anti-racism training for police officers, to help them understand and address their biases and provide fair and equal treatment to all individuals.
The Benefits of Anti-Racism Training
Our Anti-racism training has many benefits for individuals and organisations, globally. For individuals, anti-racism training can help increase their understanding of racism and its impact on society, and assist in identifying and addressing their own biases and prejudices. This can lead to a greater awareness of how their actions and words can contribute to racism.
For organisations, anti-racism training can help create a more inclusive and diverse workplace. In the UK, companies such as the BBC and the NHS have implemented anti-racism training for their employees to address discrimination and promote diversity in the workplace. In the USA, companies such as Microsoft and Netflix have also implemented anti-racism training for their employees, recognizing the importance of creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace.
Understanding Racism and Its Impact on Society
Racism can be defined as the belief that one race is “superior“ to another and can take many forms, such as discrimination, prejudice, and hate speech. Racism has a major impact on society, dividing people and creating animosity between different races.
The Windrush Scandal
In the UK, the Windrush Scandal is a clear example of the impact that racism can have on individuals and communities. The Windrush generation, named after the ship that brought the first group of Caribbean migrants to the UK in 1948, were wrongly targeted by the UK government’s immigration policies and faced the threat of deportation, despite living and working in the UK for decades.
The Windrush Scandal serves as a clear example of the devastating effects that both individual and institutional racism can have on individuals and communities, and with proper anti-racism training and support to institutions like The Home Office instances like this should not occur in the future.
Individual racism refers to the discriminatory actions or beliefs of one person against another person or group, based on their race.
In the Windrush Scandal, individual racism was evident in the actions of the UK government officials who wrongly targeted and threatened to deport members of the Windrush generation, despite the fact that they had lived and worked in the UK for decades. These individuals were subjected to discrimination, prejudice, and hate speech based solely on their race.
Anti-racism training will also address Institutional racism, which, on the other hand, refers to systemic discrimination within institutions and organisations, such as governments and corporations, based on race.
The Impact on People and Communities
In the case of the Windrush Scandal, institutional racism was evident in the UK government’s immigration policies, which were designed and implemented in a way that specifically targeted members of the Windrush generation. This institutional discrimination caused widespread harm to these individuals and communities, and demonstrated the deep-seated and systemic nature of racism in society.
In 2021, Mission Diverse founder, Cleo Morris, decided to find ways of supporting people in the community who were affected by the Windrush Scandal who may have needed support going through the process of getting legal documentation, or been eligible for compensation.
As such, Mission Diverse launched our Windrush community programme to support people who had been affected by the Scandal through a series of virtual support workshops, community events and a free downloadable Windrush resource guide which can be found here.
The Murder of George Floyd
Most people are aware, in the USA, the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked widespread protests and discussions about systemic racism and police brutality. Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests highlighted the ongoing issue of racism in the USA and the need for anti-racism training and education to address and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
Despite widespread efforts to address the issue of police brutality, including training and education for law enforcement, the killing of George Floyd shows that there is still much work to be done to address and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
Anti-racism training and education can play a crucial role in addressing and combating both individual and institutional racism. And in part, was reason for why we Mission Diverse was launched, to promoting understanding, empathy, and awareness of the impact of racism, anti-racism training can help to create a more equal and just society where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Implementing Anti-Racism Training
Anti-racism training can be implemented through in-person workshops, online training programs, and through educational materials such as books. In the UK, anti-racism training has become increasingly popular as a means of addressing and combating racism in the workplace and in wider society. Many organisations, both public and private, have made a commitment to offering anti-racism training to their employees as a way to raise awareness and promote inclusion and diversity.
At present, “Unconscious Bias” training is offered by the UK government’s equality and diversity organisation, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). This training aims to help individuals recognise and challenge their own unconscious biases, and provides practical tips and guidance on how to create a more inclusive workplace. In contrast anti-racism training encourages employees to constructively and confident challenges issues or racism and racial bias.
In the United States, anti-racism training has also become a popular tool for addressing and combating racism. For example, many corporations, such as Microsoft and Coca-Cola, have committed to providing anti-racism training to their employees, with a focus on promoting diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness. Additionally, many schools and universities have implemented anti-racism training programs for students, faculty, and staff, as a way to promote inclusivity and address systemic racism.
While anti racism training can be an important step in addressing and combating racism, it is important to remember that it is just one aspect of a larger effort to create a more just and equal society. Anti-racism training should be accompanied by concrete actions and policies aimed at addressing systemic racism, such as increased representation of marginalised groups in leadership positions, and the implementation of fair and inclusive policies in the workplace and wider society.
To learn more, or get a quote for our anti-racism training, click here.