Black History Month Round-Up
At Gather, one of our core values is constantly learning and sharing what we know. One of the commitments we made in our Anti-Racism Agenda as to learn from individuals and organisations who are committed to a just, equal society and have tools, recommendations and challenges for us as a team.
This Black History Month, we wanted to use our platform to share and highlight the work of black individuals and organisations within our sectors. From blog posts to vital fundraisers, here is our Black History Month round-up.
Charity So White: The Politics of Knowledge Production and the Role of the Charity Sector
We were particularly struck by this blog post by Bakita Kasadha on ‘The Politics of Knowledge Production and the Role of the Charity Sector’. Bakita focuses on the complex dichotomy for black people within the sector, tugging between treated as a ‘passive participant’ and being deemed as an ‘oracle of all lived experiences’.
Charity So White are a vital organisation that centres dismantling structural racism within the UK charity sector. This Black History Month, they are running a blog series on a variety of topics around racism and development.
We look forward to keeping up with the fantastic work undertaken by Charity So White. You can also keep up with Bakita and their work on Twitter.
Black Geographers: #7in1000 Fundraiser
We wanted to shine a spotlight on the Black Geographers’ #7in1000 fundraiser.
Their research has found that there were only 7 in 1000 geography professors that identified as black in 2018. This is a common thread throughout academia. Black Geographers provides a safe space for black people within geography and the geosciences to connect. Their work advocates for black students within geography to get the support and opportunities to develop in this field.
Donate to their fundraiser to allow them to keep building their space and opportunities for young black people in the geosciences. Take a look at their work on their website and Twitter.
Imperial College Business School’s alumni blog: The Future of Tech is Black and Female
We were challenged by Rakiya Suleiman’s blog post on black women within the tech industry. It put the spotlight on black women and their work within tech from the past and present and how organisations and companies can widen the paths for black women. This blog post highlights the significant point that inclusion within tech is about organisations creating opportunities for black women. This starts with all of us: we can create space where inclusion isn’t simply tokenistic but a norm within our industries.
You can read Rakiya’s post on the Imperial College Business School’s alumni blog.
Gender & Development Network: Women of Colour Forum Statement
Finally, we wanted to highlight the statement published by the GADN’s Women of Colour forum. This statement lays out the inextricable history of colonialism and development and how this manifests in our sector today. From this, the Women of Colour present nine recommendations on dismantling systemic racism within the aid and development sector. These are actions points that we can utilise within all our organisations, it is on all of us to do the work within our power to dismantle systemic racism within the development & aid sectors.
To keep up the GADN’s work, check out their website and Twitter.
We always want to continue learning and sharing, feel free to share anti-racism work and learnings with the Gather team!
