At first I was cynical about this new role. I’m determined to make it work and I won’t hesitate to call out any failings
- Abimbola Johnson oversees the police’s action plan on inclusion and race
After my appointment to oversee police plans for race equality in England and Wales was announced, a friend messaged me, warning that I may find myself “hard-blocked at every turn, worn down by frustration or have no real power – if not all three”. Another called me to check I had a good support network in place, and that I had an exit strategy for if and/or when I became exhausted by the role.
It’s a cynicism that I shared and remain acutely sensitive to, despite my grand-sounding title of chair of the independent scrutiny and oversight board on the police’s action plan on inclusion and race. Since May last year, I’ve seen numerous institutions and corporations releasing statements about anti-racism, we’ve had black squares on social media, but there’s been very little movement towards structural change. I’ve also seen a decrease in the quality of conversation and action around racism: a war on “wokeism” raging in politics and the media, and a reluctance to even accept the idea of systemic inequality.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3E7nnPA
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