We have created a 12-month initiative that aims to foster ongoing support in combatting racial inequality within SVC and the wider community.
October
Black History Month:
- A chance to educate ourselves and promote awareness.
- A time to acknowledge change that has taken place and recognise where improvements still need to be made.
- A celebration of Black people, history and culture.
Virtual Event:
We hosted a virtual event to kick start our 12-month initiative.
November
Act Now For Equality
We shared some insight into what we have been up to on our Act Now For Equality project:
🎥 Equality Diversity and Inclusion
Passive Bystander Training
We created short training videos for staff, trustees, volunteers, beneficiaries and our community members:
🎥 Case Studies and Real Life Examples
December
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Values
Problem Solving
Interactive Quiz
🎥 Round 1
🎥 Round 2
🎥 Round 3
Kwanzaa
Case Studies - sharing our experiences
🎥 What does equality mean to you?
🎥 What does diversity mean to you?
🎥 What does inclusion mean to you?
🎥 Have you ever been treated unfairly because of who you are?
🎥 Why is it important to learn more and educate others?
🎥 How can you help make everyone feel valued?
January
Different Forms of Racism
Racism happens every day - on public transport, in schools, at local parks...
It also happens within the institutions and systems that are at the core of our society.
Racism does not only occur in individual acts or behaviours.
Racism is evident in invisible systems and at the deepest levels of our society 📜
White privilege does not mean that you have never experienced struggles in life - it simply means that your skin colour is not one of them.
Denying or lessening the impact of white privilege is a form of discrimination in itself - it puts others at a disadvantage!
Combatting Racism
Inclusive Language ➡️ avoiding phrases that discriminate or exclude people.
📢 Language plays a powerful role in eliminating discrimination!
Be mindful and respectful 🗣️
February
Black History Month: USA
🎥 USA BHM
Race Equality Week
March
Reviewing Our Progress
⭐ Half way through our 12-month initiative! ❓We asked our staff, volunteers and trustees to review our progress and provide feedback to help us improve for the second half of SVC's Black History Awareness campaign.
April
Did you know?
Get Involved
🌐Race Alliance Wales 
🌐Diverse Cymru 
🌐April-May
May
Frequently Asked Questions
Practical Ways to Get Involved
🎥 Practical Support for Black History Awareness
June
Asking the SVC Team
We asked staff, volunteers and the community what they think about SVC:
🎥 Does SVC distribute resources equally?
🎥 Does SVC distribute opportunities equally?
🎥 Does SVC create space for suppressed voices?
🎥 How do you use your privilege for good?
What would you do?
All-Year-Round Equality
It's important to raise awareness throughout the year, not just on specific holidays or celebrations.
Here's some ways you can get involved all-year-round:
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Its name is derived from the date (June 19th), which remembers 19th June 1985 when Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Texas.
In 2021, Joe Biden made Juneteenth an official holiday in America.
Read President Biden's official statement here.
Supporting Charities
UK anti-racism charities and organisations that you can support right now:
🔹Stop Hate UK - find out more
🔸UK Black Pride - find out more
🔹StopWatch UK - find out more
🔸Black LGBTQIA+ Therapy Fund - find out more
🔹Black Minds Matter - find out more
🔸SARI Stand Against Racism and Inequality - find out more
🔹Exist Loudly UK - find out more
🔸Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust - find out more
🔹Show Racism the Red Card - find out more
🔸Runnymede - find out more
🔹Stand Up To Racism - find out more
🔸Southall Black Sisters - find out more
Upcoming Events
July
Legal Rights and Protection
The Human Rights Act gives everybody the legal protection that they deserve ⚖️ Do you know your rights?
How can we promote Equality if we don't understand it? ⚖️ The Equality Act 2010 is an important law that protects British people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
Present Day Issues
World Health Organization (WHO) recognises that misinformation online has the potential to travel further, faster and sometimes deeper than the truth...
This can often be seen in news articles surrounding Black Lives Matter issues and events.
Policy updates on social media platforms have been utilised to protect individuals from misinformation... but false news still spreads quickly!
❓What can I do to fight misinformation?
- Read around the information (find other news articles, sources and posts that may contrast or coincide with what you have read)
- Check the source (Is the source reputable? Does the source have links to other articles? Is the source written by an 'expert'?)
- Never share information without fact checking (avoid becoming part of the problem)
- Look beyond the headlines! (Headlines are supposed to be eye-catching and attention grabbing, they might not always give both sides to the story - remember, there's two sides to every story)
📝 Find out more about misinformation
Hate Crime in England and Wales is defined as "any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic".
Hate Crimes are prevalent in our society & they need to be eradicated!
Statistics show that, although there are less reported hate crimes now than in the early 2000s, there are still vast occurences whereby children and adults are victims of racially motivated hate crimes.
Statistics shown are taken from:
Commons Library Research Briefing, 2/11/22
Out of the 59 GCSE History modules across the 3 biggest exam boards (Edexcel, AQA, OCR) only 12 mention black history.
Out of these 12 modules only 5 mention the history of Black people in Britain.
❓How can we expect society to change if we're not teaching the right topics?
Who thinks about the consequences of Online Racism? 💭 We do! And, we're here to combat it!
Some people feel empowered to say whatever they want whilst hiding behind screens. But, the hurtful abuse is just as dangerous!
What you write has an effect.
Racism online contributes to poor mental health, decreased confidence, increased stress, shame and so much more...
BE AWARE 🚨
Your online presence has consequences!
Petitions
It's important to continually campaign for change - that's why here at SVC we've been raising awareness about Black History and Activism all-year-round.
Check out the UK Government and Parliament Petitions.
Will you help make change possible?
August
Sharing Culture with our Community
🎥 Dance
🎥 Art
Activists and Trailblazers
National Black History Wales Youth Awards
We shared Black History Wales' Youth Awards as an opportunity for our community to nominate outstanding individuals in the community (aged 13-30) who deserve to be celebrated and elevated. Find out more about the Awards, here.
September
Events
London
🎥 Educate yourself in the City
Reviewing our progress
