In Solidarity
Charity So White is publishing this open letter in solidarity with POC working in the International Development sector and especially with those working at ActionAid UK. It was created by a collective of People of Colour working within the international development sector. If you work in the ID sector and would like to sign this letter please leave a comment below or email us.
We, the undersigned, write this statement as a collective of People of Colour (PoC) working within the international development sector. This statement is primarily to express our solidarity with the PoC within ActionAid UK (AAUK) who have been hurt as a result of racism in their workplace; a space which should be safe for all employees.
Our statement also outlines the action that we would like to see as a result of these violations coming to the fore, namely:
A clear understanding of who within AAUK’s leadership will be held accountable for the racism that appears to be endemic in the organisation and how this accountability will manifest in tangible and meaningful action.
For the voice, leadership, and perspectives of PoC affected by racism in AAUK to be prominently centred in future reporting and response to the systemic racism that has taken place within the organisation. Their voices and perspectives have been notably lacking in the media coverage of these events thus far.
In January 2022, we learned from coverage in Civil Society News and Third Sector that PoC staff at leading charity AAUK, have been working within an organisation that has tolerated systematic racism towards them, as well as demonstrated “denial, disbelief and indifference” to the harm this has caused them.
We are deeply concerned to hear of the pain and harm caused to PoC in AAUK, particularly within an organisation that professes to be anti-racist as well as lauds its feminist principles and how these are instilled in its culture and behaviours.
Reading the media coverage about the report, we are dismayed to see the way in which the coverage has centred the voice of ActionAid UK’s white CEO, Frances Longley - who leads an all-white senior leadership team - while failing to provide PoC in the organisation the platform to express their concerns on the racism affecting them.
As stated in the Civil Society News report, “A human resources specialist, Nicola Peachey, joined AAUK recently and will be part of the senior leadership team working on the reforms''. She is the latest white member of staff to join an already all-white senior leadership team. If AAUK’s senior leaders and its Board of Trustees are truly serious and sincere about rooting out historic racism, and centring the lived experiences of PoC in the organisation going forward, then such responsibility ought to have been given to a PoC with racial justice expertise.
It must be noted that tackling racism requires not simply outsourcing the hard work or relying on a single assessment or report but dismantling power structures that create oppressive organisational cultures for PoC. If lead positions are created to take forward this critical work, it is essential that PoC drive forward the recruitment, and that such roles have a specification that allows lived experience of racism to be valued for the crucial perspective it brings – while not ignoring the trauma that such work can also entail. Furthermore, such positions must be provided with all the support and resources necessary to achieve significant change.
Our own experiences, as PoC working across a multitude of international development organisations, is that the sector’s roots in colonialism means that a culture of white supremacy prevails. This has been made clear by a number of initiatives undertaken in the sector, including the statement made by the GADN Women of Colour Forum. This results in racism being tolerated within the sector as there is no accountability for tackling this endemic issue at the top of these organisations, where power is held. Instead, a culture of fragility and silence reigns where senior individuals with power protect one another by not calling out poor leadership. This enables a work culture that tolerates institutionalised racism or minimises the issue altogether. As has also been the trend since George Floyd’s murder and the global Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, international development organisations have been overwhelmingly focused on superficial diversity and inclusion initiatives rather than addressing long-standing issues of power and privilege within our organisations.
Last week, via her announcement on LinkedIn, we learnt of the resignation of the AAUK Board Chair, Srabani Sen. We truly hope that the issues of institutional racism at the charity will not take a back seat until a new Chair is appointed and that the Board steps up to hold the senior leadership of AAUK accountable.
We write this letter in solidarity with the PoC in AAUK and to all our many colleagues across the sector who may also be experiencing racism and feeling isolated in their respective organisations. We have seen the news coverage of racism and white supremacy culture, not only at AAUK but at other international development organisations such as Oxfam, Campaign Bootcamp, UNICEF UK, Médecins Sans Frontières, Women Deliver and International Women’s Health Coalition, among others. Racism in the sector has also been documented in research conducted by Bond and the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO). The racism experienced by PoC in AAUK is not a case of one “bad apple” but rather a reflection of systemic racism in the international development sector; a sector that is in need of its own reckoning.
We demand collective responsibility from senior leadership who enable a culture that tolerates racism. Accountability mechanisms, led by PoC, must also be put in place so that those experiencing discrimination are protected and can report their concerns in a way that does not cause them further harm.
We sign this as PoC from the international development sector and do not represent our organisations where we are employed.
Signatories (in alphabetical order)
Aditi Chandak
Ahmed Ziat
Aissa Boodhoo, Oxfam GB
Aleena Khan, Plan International UK
Ali Nur
Alya Al-Khatib, Oxfam GB
Amal de Chickera
Andres Gomez de la Torre
Ania Gaboune, Oxfam GB
Anne Zaki
Ann-Marie Agyeman
Anoushka Boodhna, Oxfam GB
Audrey Migot-Adholla
Awfa Al-Naami
Axelle Fidelin
Bhavika Patel, Oxfam GB
Cathy Gatundu
Christina Cadore
Colleen Daniels, Harm Reduction International
Cynthia Nakanjako
Dadirai Chikwengo
Daphne Jayasinghe
Diana Trimiño-Mora
Dinah Musindarwezo
Dionne Gravesande
Disha Sughand
Ebony Riddell Bamber
Fadhili Maghiya
Farzana Ahmed
Fifa A Rahman, Matahari Global Solutions
Franchesca Allen, Save the Children UK
Gisa Dang
Golsana Begum
Gurvinder Gregson, WaterAid UK
Hana Ward, Oxfam GB
Hannah Thomas
Hulai Bah
Ilesh Persand
Inyo Lian
Jasser Ghidaoui
Jay Cedras
Jennifer Larbie
Johanna Fadipe, Christian Aid
Judith Chen, Oxfam GB
Julia Amoo
Julia Kassem
Korto Williams
Kamna Patel
Kanwal Ahluwalia
Khusbu Patel
Laila Alodaat
Lata Narayanaswamy
Leandra Pacary, Oxfam GB
Leen Alabed
Leena Camadoo
Leena Patel, Oxfam GB
Leila Billing
Lena Bheeroo
Lily Rosengard
Linda Carruthers
Lola Abayomi
Lydia Mbogoro
Manju Patel-Nair
Mariama Deschamps
Maureen Mureithi
Maya Sethi
Maysa Ismael
Michel Komlan Seto
Michelle Brillouet
Misozi Tembo, Oxfam GB
Naana Otoo-Oyortey, FORWARD
Najah Almugahed
Nalini Nathan
Negar Sharafi
Nick Chowdrey
Nihal Said
Nour Talli
Olivia Allen
Olivia Andrews, Traidcraft Exchange
Omar Arturo García Galván
Parmi Dheensa
Piyumi Samaraweera
Priya Lukka
Priya Nath
Rafia Zakaria
Rayana Rassool - IPPF
Rhaea Russell-Cartwright, Oxfam GB
Ruchi Tripathi
Saara Bouhouche
Sabina Basi
Sahr O Fasuluku
Sairah Yusuf
Sangeetha Navaratnam-Blair
Sarah Barakat, Oxfam GB
Saranel Benjamin, Oxfam GB
Sarb Remphry, Cool Earth
Saúl Alexander Zavarce Corredor
Seema Kapoor
Seema Pahariya
Shahd Mousalli, Oxfam GB
Shameem Sheik Dastagir
Shiromi Pinto
Siddikha Mirza
Sofia Al-Bidir
Sophie Efange, Gender and Development Network
Susana Klien
Tabitha Ha, STOPAIDS
Takyiwa Danso
Tania Ocampo-Garcia
Tara Brace-John
Tina Ajuonuma
Toluwanimi Jaiyeboa Power
Vanessa Thomas
Wisam Elhamoui
Yamina Ouldali
Zahbia Yousuf
Amelia Hanibelsz
Amiera Sawas
Angie Bamgbose
Deborah Robb
Elsie Makachiya
Eva Tabbasam
Georgie Lund
Lakshmi Moore
Leanne Baker
Lemeria Lemeria
Luis Cordero
Misha Nelson
Mohammad Abbas, Oxfam GB
Natalie Lartey
Rakhi Patel-Nair
Reshad Sharif
Shreena Patel
Stefano Battain
Grace Hunt
Jean McLean
Joanna Black
Kassie Mcilvaine
Kavinya Makau
Kiran Gupta
Lakshmi Moore
Leanne Baker
Lemeria Veillaud
Lilian Asaba
Luis Cordero
Maria Wagner
Misha Nelson
Mohammad Abbas, Oxfam GB
Nancy Kachingwe
Natalie Lartey
Neelanjana Mukhia
Rakhi Patel-Nair
Sanum Jain
Shreena Patel
Sobia kapadia, London UK
Stefano Battain
Tasnim Zaki
Uma Mishra
Yasmine Colijn, Plan International UK
Chibwe Henry, Comic Relief
Francesco Gatta, Christian Aid
Georgie Vanner
Elizabeth Balgobin
Caroline Maxwell
Bilal Sukkar
Abdel Mohamed
Cianne TIma Jones
Bukunola Adekolu
