At the beginning of February, the Bishop of Stepney wrote to all the clergy and staff of the Diocese to invite us to take part in the 5-day challenge during Racial Equality Week (5-11 February). It was an encouragement to take five minutes each day for a reflection and action around race equality.
Research conducted by ‘Race Equality Matters’ (who authored the 5-day challenge) has evidenced that, while there has been greater discussion around racial justice in UK workplaces in recent years, the majority of ethnically diverse employees feel that there has been very little visible action to move towards the deeper and more meaningful change required to drive race equality.
The 5-day challenge resource begins with a reflection on microaggressions: the subtle, often unintentional forms of prejudice which can take the shape of an offhand comment or an inadvertently painful joke. “Where are you from?” “I can’t pronounce your name; can I just call you ….. for short?”
Microaggressions are anything but micro. Mark Lomas, Head of Culture at Lloyds writes: “For me microaggressions are like death by 1,000 cuts. It’s the accumulation of those instances across weeks, months and years.”
In a recent poll, 83% of respondents said they experience microaggressions in the workplace. Yet, only 16% said microaggressions are regularly or quite often called out by colleagues. ‘Calling out’ can be done in a non-confrontational way by simply asking, “What did you mean by that?’, giving the person the opportunity to reflect, or at times correct, clumsy, inappropriate or even harmful language. It also enables everyone to be aware of what microaggressions are. It’s all about creating a culture that will enable meaningful change.
The other reflections in the 5-day challenge encouraged us to be active in educating ourselves about other people’s cultures; to publicly recognise and praise the contributions of ethnically diverse colleagues; and to foster a culture of belonging where, rather than expecting people who are different to ‘fit in’, a church or organisation fits around it’s people’s individuality and differences.
There are many barriers to driving race equity, including a lack of understanding of what it feels like to be in others’ shoes and how to be positively inclusive. Small changes can make a real difference to how we act and, in doing so, how we make people feel. If everyone makes a small change – it adds up and becomes powerful and impactful as we collectively journey together with Christ to build a better future for all.
Links to the 5-day reflections can be found below.
Day 1 – Microaggressions
Day 2 – Understanding other cultures
Day 3 – Public Praise
Day 4 – A culture of belonging
Day 5 – The Big Promise