This week we published a short report, summarising the key themes and ideas that arose from our four-part webinar mini-series around the Black Lives Matter movement.
The report is written by Dr Angelika Love, a social psychologist and social integration researcher, and presenter of the social integration podcast Angelika Love’s Conversations.
Angelika is one of our recent Cumberland Lodge Fellows. She sets the scene in her Introduction to the report:
Since the death of George Floyd in Minnesota in May 2020, issues associated with the Black Lives Matter movement have gained considerable momentum – not only in the United States, but around the world, not least in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, discussions of race, inequality, and the legacy of historical injustices are competing for public and political attention with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic is draining the resources of British organisations that are dedicated to facilitating public engagement with difficult histories and providing support to victims of racial discrimination; it also risks pushing race and inequality down the political agenda, overshadowing topics that are integral to strengthening the fabric of British society.
Our Black Lives Matter series explored issues of race and justice in the UK, focusing on ideas and implications for policing, education, the culture sector and wider society. We invited guest panellists with a range of backgrounds and perspectives to join us for each webinar and discuss:
- Race & Justice
- Difficult Histories
- Policing & the Community
- Facing the Future
These webinars were part of our ongoing series of regular Dialogue & Debate webinars on pressing issues affecting social cohesion in the UK. They were hosted by staff and trustees of the Lodge, and drew on the findings of our recent work on Race in Britain: Inequality, Identity, Belonging, Difficult Histories & Positive Identities, Resilient Communities, and our ongoing work on policing and criminal justice matters.
Free resources
The report is accompanied by video and audio-only recordings of each webinar discussion, as well as reflective blog posts written by our Cumberland Lodge Fellows.
Read the report
The report can be downloaded in PDF format or read on screen as an e-book here.
As our Chief Executive, Dr Ed Newell, writes in the report’s Foreword: ‘We hope that the following inspires people to build on the current momentum and devise new collaborations and practical initiatives to help address the systemic racial inequalities that persist in the UK’.
Guest panellists
The panellists who contributed their ideas and experience to this series were:
- Dexter Dias QC
- Dr Christienna Fryar
- Heather Hatton
- Commander Dr Alison Heydari
- Dr Tristram Hunt
- Dr Suhraiya Jivra
- Sunder Katwala
- Leroy Logan MBE
- The Reverend Canon Dr Rosemarie Mallet
- Hashi Mohamed
- Zaiba Patel
- Wilf Sullivan
- Assistant Chief Constable Kerrin Wilson
- Olivia Wyatt
