WE ARE COMMITTED TO TACKLING SYSTEMIC RACISM AND CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR ALL
BASE-X is a People of Colour led community empowerment agency dedicated to tackling systemic racism through awareness and advocacy. Our innovative and action-oriented activities create a platform for diverse stakeholders to work together to promote inclusivity and combat racism.
Structural RACISM
Systemic Racism is the concept by which whole Communities of Colour are kept subdued. This is manifested by one or more mainstream Public/VCSE infrastructure organisations colluding to expressively keep Black & Brown people down.
Institutional Racism is where a large Public sector body (i.e. NHS) or large Voluntary sector infrastructure organisations collude within their relevant internal structures/departments to subdue employees, quash bonafide grievances or ensure the growth of People of Colour within their institutions is stunted. There are also many examples of where vocal employees within these structures are targeted to the point of breaking or loss of employment as a result of speaking out against management or due to skin colour alone.
Structural Racism is also a term used for the above types of discrimination.
Through education and awareness-raising, BASE-X is tackling systemic racism to build a more equitable future for all.
'BAME Cash Cows' - This is a term that describes a 'BAME' Consortium, Committee, Organisation or any other entity set up by Non 'BAME' infrastructure organisations within the Public and mostly the VCSE Sectors purely for the purpose of pulling down large amounts of (usually government) funding for themselves in the name of supporting and empowering Communities of Colour.
Unfortunately, sometimes this is done in collaboration with 'so called' community leaders or organisations who are promised a small cut of the funding if they 'play ball'.
What is required to counter this?
Government agencies and large national funders need to stop giving 'Non BAME' infrastructure organisations funding to set up 'BAME’ Consortiums in the name of supporting Communities of Colour or to carry out research in the name of helping our communities. They should reserve their funding for the (now very capable) national and regional Black/Global Majority Infrastructure organisations that have developed across the country since 'Black Lives Matter'.
Some of these national support organisations include: Black Equity Organisation, The UBELE Initiative, The BAOBAB Foundation and others..
Diversity Dishonesty
This is another common phenomenon of the day..
Diversity Dishonesty is a kind of 'lip service' given towards race equality by institutions in order to meet their own or government targets by producing reams of EDI policies and rhetoric to match.
This includes on some occasions, setting up their own 'toothless tiger' internal 'BAME' steering groups and Diversity 'whistleblowing' Champions..
However, their actions and race equality figures show a very different picture!
What is required to counter this?
External consultants or auditors from national or regional, recognised Anti Racist Networks to be called in by the hierarchy to advise, provide training, implement new systems or provide independent audits.
What is BASE X doing about this?
Well, recently our Chief Officer made a presentation to Department of Culture Media & Sport in Manchester where he actually highlighted the growing trend of creating 'BAME Cash Cows' by white led VCSE Infrastructure organisations purely for the purposes of pulling down funding to keep for their own organisations whilst exploiting Communities of Colour by giving them a fraction of that funding but making them do most of the work!
BASE X is highlighting and raising awareness, with actual facts and evidence to other government funded agencies about the targeted, systemic racism that is going on across the country.
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE OUR COMMUNITIES:
BASE X recognises that there are many new terms being used within the Race Equality sector (all valid) since the dismissal of the controversial term 'BAME'. Below are some examples for clarification purposes.
People of Colour
Racialised Communities
Racially Marginalised Communities
Black & Brown Communities
Black & Global Majority
Communities of Colour
