Today, the report Home Truths: Undoing racism and delivering real diversity in the charity sector has been published - highlighting the voices and experiences of Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic (BAME) people working in the charity sector.

The report lays out starkly that the problem in the charity sector is not simply an absence of BAME people, but that for many, discrimination and racism is a part of their day-to-day working lives. Many are subject to racism and antagonism that is not faced by white colleagues, with 68% of respondents stating that they had experienced, witnessed or heard stories of racism in the charity sector. The report may seem like shocking reading to some, but for many BAME people inside and outside of the charity sector this merely describes what they have experienced for years or longer.

It is not enough to say you aren’t racist; you have to be actively anti-racist. At LGBT Foundation, we are determined to become a leader in the charity sector in eliminating racism and structural oppression. This means understanding how systemic racism manifests in the workplace and our sector and working to challenge it. This means having honest conversations with ourselves about where we have fallen short in the past, and guaranteeing this does not happen again. This means ensuring that as organisations we are supportive environments where BAME employees feel welcome, heard and represented.

Working closely with our BAME colleagues through our QTIPOC internal working group, which includes staff and trustees with lived experience and those who are allies, we have developed an action plan, which outlines how we will address these shortfalls and take meaningful action. Our commitments include:

• Changes to our recruitment to increase BAME staff representation
• Increase all colleagues knowledge, skills and confidence with regards to recognising and tackling racism
• Develop meaningful partnerships with BAME and race equality organisations
• Working with others to tackle racism and discrimination in a range of settings, including Manchester’s Gay Village
• Ensure our policies and processes take into account and reflect the specific nature of racism and racial discrimination

We welcome the recommendations in the report, and look forward to working with partners in the charity sector to ensure they are implemented.

As an organisation we believe that the only way we will ever eradicate racism is if we, as a sector, collectively take a zero-tolerance policy and call out racism in all its forms. This is not a path that BAME people should be made to walk alone – the fight against racism and structural oppression is everyone’s responsibility. LGBT Foundation is proud to walk that path, and stands with BAME communities in fighting to end racism in our society and in our sector.