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Anti-Racism and Allyship

The shocking death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 sparked protests all over the UK and a national debate over Britain's history and status on racial justice and equality. The then PM Boris Johnson stated that a new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was to be launched to look at all aspects of inequality including criminal justice, employment, education and health outcomes. Racial inequality and inequity in the UK has been clearly evidenced through multiple reports and reviews such as the The Race Disparity Audit (2017), The Lammy Review (2017), the McGregor-Smith Review (2017), Angiolini Review (2017), Parker Review (2017), Timpson Review (2019), the independent review of the Windrush scandal (2020) and the Baroness Casey Review (2023).

The cries for less reports and more action grow louder and clearer. An impactful implementation of the recommendations made in these numerous reports seems to elude successive governments, and the current framework of human rights committees and commissions, equality & diversity legislation, policies and processes all appear unfit for purpose in producing a fairer and more equitable society. New ways of thinking are vital if real change is to be achieved. It is no longer sufficient to take a passive ‘non-racist’ position. One must be actively ‘anti-racist’ and adopt proactive attitudes, behaviours and approaches if the tenets of equity and social justice are to be achieved.

This training course is part of our Courageous Conversations series, which is delivered in partnership with Action for Race Equality and funded by AB Charitable Trust. We investigate exactly what it means to be anti-racist and explore concepts of power and anti-oppressive practices whilst deepening our understanding of anti-racist language and terminology. Attendees will discover what is meant by ‘allyship’ and what true allyship looks like. The course provides a solid foundation upon which individuals and organisations can develop an anti-racist strategy to build towards greater justice, equality and a positive working environment.

Course Content

Develop a clear understanding of racism, including institutional, structural and systemic racism and how it manifests
Explore the intersectionality between race and other aspects of diversity
Understanding language and terminology, including in-group/out-group theory and individualism vs universalism
Summary of the historical journey of racism in the UK alongside evolving ‘equality’ legislation
Examine the concepts of bias, microaggressions, white privilege, white fragility
Investigate anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory approaches and the use of power
Identify what true allyship is and differentiate between performative vs authentic allyship
Promote practical steps that individuals and organisations can use to develop and implement an anti-racist strategy in the workplace