Earlier this year a government report stated that institutional racism doesn’t exist here in the UK. In response, I shared the realities that Black and Brown people face every day. The report led some people to believe that anti-racism work was therefore not needed, that it was just an attempt to be ‘woke’. There were others who felt that their allyship efforts made after George Floyd’s murder were enough.

This week - after the loss of the Euro 2020 Final - we are publicly and in some cases brutally reminded that racism does exist right here on these shores and that there is still plenty of work to be done.

Next week, the news cycle will have moved on. But the racism that has been plastered over social media and made headline news will still be alive and well unless we take action. 

We can't absolve ourselves of responsibility. The work begins at home with ourselves, our children and it extends to the companies we work in, who have an obligation to take care of their Black & Brown employees by listening, treating racism seriously and supporting mental health with appropriate resources. To create an inclusive society, we must be anti-racist. We can't go on as if racists exist in a vacuum - we must act to support our friends, family, and co-workers.

There have been many platitudes and gestures this week in particular, but these do not drive the meaningful change we need. We must commit ourselves to the work and to unpicking the barriers that negatively impact and hold back people of colour and society as a whole.

Utopia has developed a free guide for white people in the UK who want to take practical steps to tackle system racism. The guide can be found HERE and we encourage you to share it widely.

If you would like to find out more about how Utopia can support you in creating racial equity within your workplace, please get in touch with Tolu.