Mind received backlash on social media when it took an anti-racist stance, but will continue to “speak truth to power”, its chief executive said yesterday.
Paul Farmer was speaking at Virgin Money Foundation’s EDI Masterclass alongside charity consultant and interim manager Elizabeth Balgobin. The event was hosted by GLT Partners.
“We will stand firm against racists,” said Farmer.
Farmer said that since sharing information about Mind’s anti-racist strategy on social media, the charity has received many racist responses.
“Communications and social media moderating staff receive quite a lot of racist abuse” in what is “effectively their inbox”, he said.
This means the charity has implemented “extra layers of support” to support those members of staff. Farmer said the charity now has a policy around deleting posts that are racist in nature.
Balgobin said it was good that Mind had been open about the consequences of taking an anti-racist stance, and said “standing up for that – that’s important”.
She continued by saying that what might stop organisations from doing this is fear and being labelled “woke”, a word she believes has become “weaponised.”
“If you’re going to hold a principle, that means living up to it,” she said.
‘Consider consequences of action or inaction’ on EDI
Balgobin said charities should consider the consequences of “action or inaction” regarding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies.
She has held senior roles at charities, including the Charted Institute of Fundraising, for several years. And in her work, Balgobin said she tells non-profit organisations that EDI needs to be “properly resourced, it needs to be reported and it needs to be on your risk register”.
Balgobin advised the audience of charity representatives that “your EDI work will never be finished and it is an ongoing journey”.
If an organisation's EDI strategy is simply picking one of every protected group, Balgobin said: “You are asking those people to be representative of something and not being free to get on with their job.”
She also advised charity workers to “get comfortable with discomfort” regarding EDI.
“If this all feels easy, chances are you aren't changing a thing,” she said.
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