What does it take to build a racially just and inclusive society in the UK? This question lies at the heart of the Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) programme, which is funding new research to uncover the barriers and the pathways to racial justice.
To celebrate and showcase the first four prestigious projects awarded funding, a launch event brought together a packed room of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. From exploring the legacies of British colonialism to examining how racial diversity shapes the well-being of our society today, the event set the stage for evidence‑driven conversations about how we can shape a more inclusive future.
The programme’s distinctive focus on connecting past, present and future experiences of racial diversity heard from RDUK project leads Nasar Meer from the University of Glasgow, Sunder Katwala from British Future, Sarah Kyambi from Migration Policy Scotland, and Keon West from The Runnymede Trust.
They were joined by panellists Catherine Hall, Emeritus Professor at UCL, journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera, and Rupinder Parhar, Head of Equalities at the Greater London Authority.
Foundation trustees Ann Phoenix and Ash Amin chaired an inspiring and challenging debate, where participants considered whether unpicking the legacies of British colonialism is necessary for achieving a racially just future, what that looks like in practice, and the role of research in getting us there.
Everyone was aware that these discussions were taking place within the context of an increase in far-right rhetoric and race-based hate across society. And while social division and polarisation are undoubtedly on the increase, our speakers reminded us that racialised hostilities are nothing new in the UK; they stretch back for centuries and remain a recurrent experience for minoritised communities.
Four priorities for change
It is difficult to do justice to the breadth and depth of the knowledge shared by everyone who took part (you can see a recording of the full event, plus slides, here), but four priorities stood out. They included the need to:
- generate evidence which informs action. Research alone will not lead to change, and action without evidence may be ill-judged and potentially harmful. Moving from evidence to action is at the heart of all four of the RDUK projects, and indeed the project name for the work led by British Future. This approach reflects the Nuffield Foundation’s mission to support research which leads to evidence that can improve people’s lives.
- make the evidence as accessible as possible, to as many audiences as possible. Most people don’t read research reports, so we need to use multiple, innovative, and creative ways to share insights that reach new and wider audiences.
- counter the narrative that multi-racialism has somehow failed, in part by promoting the value and benefits of racial diversity to society.
- work collaboratively, across sectors and communities, to share knowledge, ideas and plans for action. We need to ensure that some voices don’t get lost in these debates, particularly those of Black communities who share their stories repeatedly, but seldom see change as a result.
If there is an over-riding message from the event, this is the one I took away: the challenges are immense but it is within our power to take action to achieve racial justice.
Our panellists set out how racialised inequalities are rooted in the formation of global trade and economic systems, and in the legacies of British colonialism. Faced with the enormity of these challenges, the careful tasks of building and communicating evidence can feel painfully slow and inadequate. But evidence building is always essential and can be powerfully impactful. Catherine Hall’s work on Legacies of British Slavery, which has informed the slavery reparations commitments of at least 100 companies, is a perfect illustration of how research can bring about change.
Join our RDUK community of interest
Looking ahead to next year, we are anticipating the first pieces of research being published, and will be funding new projects on the theme of migration, arrivals, and legacies.
As the portfolio grows, so too will the opportunities to connect and work together to achieve maximum impact, and our event also marked the first step in creating a vibrant and engaged community of interest focused on RDUK’s work.
To stay in touch and be part of the RDUK community, please register here.
