At Inspire North, we are committed to being an anti-racist organisation. We know that racism causes trauma and pain to communities who are subject to racial bias, and it is our responsibility as a provider of many different services to make sure we educate ourselves and others to become anti-racist.

We know that racism is structural and institutional, it is systematic. We also know that to make sure our anti-racism work has meaning and value, we must be able to question our own roles in perpetuating racial inequality in the charity sector.

To learn more, you can click here.

You can learn all about our People of Colour Network here.

Read this powerful blog by Simon Powell, Head of IT and Performance, and Sinéad Cregan, Director of Development and Innovation, who write about their experiences of working together at Inspire North.

Black History Month blog: “I can be my true authentic self” | Inspire North

We are dedicated to celebrating and sharing the stories of all of our colleagues. Here’s a Q&A with Candia Douglas, the Senior Complex Needs worker at the Changes service.

Black History Month Q&A: Candia Douglas | Inspire North

And here are some more stories from across the group:

Sewanu, Wellbeing Navigator at Directions

Norman, Volunteer at Community Links’ Men’s Talk

Andrea, Head of People at Inspire North

Last year we launched our first podcast episode, reflecting with our Black colleagues on why conversations about Black history are crucial, not only in October but every day.

You can learn more and listen on various platforms here.

The Journey to Racial Equality in Leeds Mental Health Services – YouTube

This Video charts the work of the Synergi Collaborative in Leeds where mental health services have come together to work to address racial inequalities in access, experience and outcomes in mental health services. We can all learn from the work.

What Happened Miss Simone? (Documentary about Nina Simone)

How to get away with murder (Crime drama starring Viola Davis who plays a brilliant anti-racist defence attorney)

13^th. (Documentary from Ava DuVernay about the prison industrial complex in America)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Drama film about a jazz singer and musician)

2023 The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey who is amazing as Ariel and was very passionate about keeping her natural hair.

Our Black History Heroes- A series on BBC iPlayer, aimed at children to introduce them to different Black History heroes during this month. 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m000wfhl/our-black-history-heroes 

A Distant Shore: Caryl Phillips (inspired by David Oluwale story from Leeds) 

Crossing the River: Caryl Phillips (story about children being sold as slaves and their experiences)

Trumpet: Jackie Kay (trigger warning: discussions around trans experiences)

Small Island: Andrea Levy (Windrush Generation)
The Long Song: Andrea Levy (story about enslaved woman in Jamaica) 

Maybe I Do Belong: David Harewood (trigger warning: discussions on psychosis and mistreatment)

Beloved and Recitatif (short story that asks readers to question their assumptions about race): Toni Morrison

NW (novel about working class communities in London), White Teeth (novel about two families up to the turn of the century): Zadie Smith

Passing (novella about a black woman who ‘passes’ for white): Nella Larsen

‘How Colorism Affects Women at Work’
https://hbr.org/2023/04/how-colorism-affects-women-at-work
‘‘Colorism is an insidious, globally prevalent bias that deeply impacts the lives and livelihoods of darker-skinned women. The term refers not only to the preference for lighter skin between different racial and ethnic communities, but also within those communities.’’

Halle Bailey, “Angel”

Beyonce, specifically “Formation” (from Lemonade)

Chloe x Halle, Ungodly Hour (R&B)

Cynthia Erivo, “Stand Up” (from the film Harriet)

Tracy Chapman (some of my favourites are “Fast Car”, “Talkin bout a revolution”, “Behind the wall”, “Across the lines”, “Baby can I hold you”)

Angela Y Davis – her book “Women, Race & Class” is seen as a seminal black feminist text

Audre Lorde – poet and scholar

Kimberle Crenshaw – coined the concept of intersectionality from a legal perspective