#CharitySoWhite called for ‘urgent action’ to tackle racism in charities

Iftikhar, who founded a community group for people of colour in the sector, #POCIMPACT, raised serious concerns about training material used by Citizens Advice. She has now said it was not a “one-off” and is encouraging people to share their experiences of racism in the sector.  

She stated: “A few of us are coming together to launch this campaign #CharitySoWhite to kick-start wider conversation and action in the charity sector.  We want people to understand that the Citizens Advice training is not a one-off shocking incident and that urgent action needs to be talking about institutional racism across the sector.”

The campaign launched on Twitter on #CharityTuesday to “get people to share more widely their experiences of racism in the charity sector, following on from the CA scandal”.

“The snapshot I posted on Twitter from the Citizens Advice training session could have very well been a training slide from many other charities,” she wrote. “While they all quickly set about reviewing their websites and online presence to remove overtly harmful materials, I hope they do not stop at surface level actions that prioritise protecting their reputations over ensuring they are serving their communities and users.”

Read: Civil Society - #CharitySoWhite campaign calls for 'urgent action' to tackle racism in charities