We started an uncomfortable conversation about race

Over the past few weeks, we have seen momentum building for the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK. A wave of individuals are using their voice, turning out in numbers, self-educating and taking meaningful action to demand change. But what can businesses do to create meaningful change?

“We recognise that it is not enough to be quietly non-racist, and that we have a responsibility to become vocal, visible anti-racist leaders.”

- Anthea Kelsick, Co-CEO B Lab US and Canada

The B Corp movement identifies Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) as being fundamental to using business as a force for good. For a business to certify as a B Corp, it goes through a rigorous assessment focused on performance across environment, community and workforce criteria. This includes questions about how many owners, directors and employees are from underrepresented groups and what practices exist to create and manage an inclusive work environment, such as blind recruitment and training employees on topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Racism and systemic bias are complex societal issues and the business community must go beyond policies and practices to address inequalities.

B Lab UK (the non-profit behind the B Corp movement) are not experts in anti-racism and as a predominantly white team, we recognise our white privilege. We realise, as advocates for regenerative and inclusive economic models, we have a responsibility to convene important conversations.

People are ready to talk

We are hearing from people who are ready to take action and from organisations that want to become anti-racist but don’t know where to start. Similarly, at B Lab UK, we recognise the need to continue learning and reflecting on our role as individuals within a system that perpetuates racism. So, we hosted an Open Community Conversation — a conversation that is long overdue. To begin, we needed to listen to each others’ experiences, have uncomfortable conversations about race and allow this to inform our own progress.

The event filled up in a matter of hours and over 100 people joined, from B Corps and the wider community. We were fortunate to have Leon Richards from Good Talent co-facilitate the conversation, who shared his moving personal story and experience with racism. There was overwhelming interest, with 150 waitlisted, and the feedback showing us that people are ready to have uncomfortable conversations.

To create an ongoing ripple of reflection and continue meaningful conversations we asked each attendee to replicate the event within their organisation. We also recognised that we hadn’t allowed enough time to have these uncomfortable conversations, so we will be hosting future opportunities to listen and talk about race.

We are listening and learning

The event and the feedback it generated caused us at B Lab UK to reflect on our team and steps we can take to evolve our own working culture, while empowering our B Corp community. Here are some of our reflections following the event:

“No more excuses about being fearful of getting it wrong. In order for me to be a real ally I have to keep self-educating, learn from my mistakes and speak up when I see racial injustice.”

“I realise that I have witnessed racism but have never acknowledged it… I now understand that white people need to learn, challenge and change the way we ‘see’ racism.”

“Listening to Leon’s story, and in particular how his children are affected by racism, I realised this isn’t a problem of the past, or something that’s just built into our systems and institutions. It’s (still) tragically personal”

“The conversation was a powerful opportunity, inspiring my purpose of how I can contribute to being a change agent for dismantling racial inequalities.”

“I had been feeling overwhelmed learning about systemic racism. The conversation gave me hope and made me feel proud to be part of a community working to create meaningful change.”

“There is much we all need to learn and understand.”

Challenging ourselves, empowering our community

Upon reflection, B Lab UK recognises the importance of continued learning and the value of sharing resources that we’ve found insightful. As individuals, we will become allies. We will continue to use blind hiring platforms to minimise bias when recruiting and we are in a process of board development to ensure representation. Working alongside our colleagues in the US, we will be publishing a formal anti-racism statement including practical details about what this means for the organisation.

Perhaps more importantly, we have reaffirmed our commitment to empower the B Corp community to take action. This means having a clear focus on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) in future programming, emphasising the ability to set goals on the B Impact Assessment and continuing a series of workshops to talk about racism and anti-racism.

We know that this will be a long and challenging journey but the initial step is about creating dedicated, safe, trusting spaces to hold conversations, make mistakes and learn from each other.

Click here to find out how to host your own ‘Open Conversation about Anti-racism’. B Lab UK is here to support all B Corps in the UK, visit this page on our website for details about upcoming activities and resources.