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We support all types of organisations by doing 3 things: provide diversity and inclusion consultancy support, participate in and/or curate events and deliver challenging, impactful workshops on a range of topics. Our services are underpinned by our values and taking a fresh, intersectional approach to this subject. We’re not for the faint-hearted!
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Our sweet spots are on issues of Race and LGBTQ diversity, equity and inclusion. However, as we approach these issues through an intersectional lens, it means we extend our work to include other types of characteristics, including but not limited to gender and disability.
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We enjoy working with prospective clients to have a clear sense of your needs, how it connects to your D&I approach and the audience it’s for (we’re not huge fans of ‘off the shelf’ stuff because no organisation is ‘off the shelf’ either). The target audience will leave feeling informed and with tangible actions to support your inclusion efforts. But that’s not all, they are designed with storytelling, empowerment and insights at the heart. You can find more information on our what we do page. And of course, during the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re successfully delivering our workshops online.
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Yes, find us on LinkedIn where we share regular content from within the diversity and inclusion space to keep you connected to the latest thinking and our unique perspective. You can also find us on Instagram and Twitter where we share inspiring life stories of Queer People of Colour (QPoC) and have more in-depth conversations with diverse communities.
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Absolutely! If you feel equally passionate about our mission to empower queer people of colour, through societal change, and think we can accelerate that revolution by working together, please get in touch.
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Great! We’d love to hear from you. Whether you’d like to find out more about our services, collaborate or feature in our next Life Story, email us or drop us a message and let’s start a conversation.
Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.
~ George Dei
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A short, snappy answer won’t do this justice – but we’ll give it a go. Diversity equals variety, the variety of backgrounds and characteristics that make the world an interesting place. Inclusion is about creating environments where all people feel welcome and valued, as equals. Equity is about redesigning policies and practices and putting in place the required support for marginalised groups so they have equal access to opportunities e.g. removing names from CVs to level the playing field.
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Equity requires us to acknowledge that not everyone starts on a level playing field, at the same starting point in life. Systemic inequality and discrimination have created barriers for certain groups of people in society. We need to redress this to ensure equality (not unfair advantage).
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Intersectionality is a term coined by Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) and is rooted in examining oppression. Basically, it looks at the complex and cumulative ways in which discrimination can overlap and affect people. Crenshaw’s work examined the experiences of Black women (race, gender) but it has since been extended to look at other facets of identity such as disability, sexuality and class. So, for example, the lived experiences of being both Black and gay as opposed to being White and gay will mean there are unique challenges faced because of racism and homophobia. It’s these intersections that better help us understand what leads to exclusion – and make inclusion a reality.
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Our Founder, Dee, contributed to an article on the importance of understanding intersectionality in the workplace. If we really want to create inclusion, we need to understand where exclusion exists and how it manifests itself – to the question above, it affects certain groups of people in unique ways. In the absence of understanding it, you’ll hinder your efforts and those who are marginalised are likely to have daily interactions that will accumulate emotional tax that can affect how they think, feel and act both at work and home.
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There is so much research out there that speaks to the benefits of investing in D&I. There are 3 distinct buckets: a healthy culture and engaged employees, improved organisational performance and tapping into new markets and spending power. I could go on and on, but a quick Google will help you see the various studies that evidence the good stuff – you just have to be prepared to put in the hard work.
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Think about it this way, if you were able to be your full, authentic self at work with no fear – and work in a place where your truly felt seen, heard and valued, how would you feel? It’s likely you’ll feel loyal, work a little bit harder because you care and be a positive ambassador. Now imagine everyone in your organisation feeling this way, full of creativity and innovation where people get to do their best work with no distractions. It’s pretty easy to see how it can drive engagement, productivity and performance.
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We listen to your challenges, share our learnings and use data to arm you with knowledge and actionable insights to build a workplace where everyone is empowered to create inclusion.
When individuals feel included they are more likely to be innovative and team-orientated and more likely to stay in the company.
~ Catalyst, 2018
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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning. This acronym is commonly used to identify and group people who don’t identify as heterosexual. You may also see the community referred to as LGBT, LGBTQIA (including people who identify as Intersex and Asexual/Agender/Ally). As identities evolve, so have the acronyms, LGBTQ+ or LGBTQIA+ both include the many additional experiences and identities through the plus symbol.
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LGBTQ people can be the subject of unconscious bias, showing up as stereotyping, discrimination and microagressions at work. These challenges can affect their well-being and careers, from navigating safety and coming out, to retention and engagement.
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LGBTQ representation is important on many levels. People work best (and are happiest) when they can be their authentic selves. Building representation throughout workplaces and in mainstream media reduces stereotypes and helps create a space where these identities are destigmatised, allowing people to be themselves and begin to thrive.
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There is so much you can do to support colleagues at work as an ally. From learning about issues LGBTQ people come up against on a daily basis, to introducing inclusive policies, involvement with employee resource groups to holding your leadership teams to account on inclusion – there is plenty. As Jameela Jamil often says, aim for “progress, not perfection”.
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As mentioned above, creating an inclusive environment in general has many benefits for a business and employees. For your LGBTQ colleagues, it will create a place where they feel safe and respected, want to stay and can do their best work. It will also encourage the best talent from the LGBTQ community to want to join you.
76% of Gen Z identify as heterosexual, and only about half (54%) say they are exclusively attracted to the opposite sex.
~ Ipsos, June 2020
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BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) and PoC (person/people of colour) are acronyms used to reference people from different ethnic backgrounds. Both terms are often used to reference people who are not White. However, they can both be seen as problematic as the terms reduce large groups of people, with different ethnic experiences, into one group and therefore 'others' those who are not White. There is no right or wrong, the key is to simply ask what terms your colleagues prefer.
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At colourfull we prefer PoC as it leads with the person, rather than their characteristics. We use this language for other groups too e.g. person of faith, person with a disability. Ultimately, all this work is about people, so it feels aligned with our philosophy and approach to this work. But even we make sure we check when speaking directly to these communities! As mentioned above, PoC is still a catch-all term. For example, Black and Brown people will have very different experiences of structural racism and societal barriers. And even within races, one Asian person may have different experiences to another Asian person from a different country.
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Just like the LGBTQ community (see above), PoC face many barriers in the workplace. The first of which can be simply getting shortlisted for a job if their names don’t sound White British. Other barriers can include not being listened to or credited with their ideas, getting promoted and making it to senior leadership positions. These are underpinned by individuals factors (stereotypes, microaggressions) and institutional factors (policies, processes).
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Anti-racism is a verb and something we practice by taking action to combat all types of racism to create racial equity. It is really important for Black people, PoC and allies to work together to break down barriers and structures held in place through power and privilege – which typically sits with White people in the context of race.
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White privilege is the advantage of being White in society. It doesn’t mean someone is privileged (it’s often confused with class and wealth). It doesn’t mean that if you’re white you haven’t struggled, it just means that you haven’t come up against other barriers or faced certain prejudices because of your skin colour. Recognising all the aspects of White privilege is a great step towards being an ally and practising anti-racism.
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It can be uncomfortable but keep reading, learning and practising being anti-racist. You can use your privilege to call out racism when you see it. This specifically extends to White people and non-Black PoC. In the workplace, listen to your colleagues and amplify their voices but don’t rely on them to educate you about their lived experiences. Share what you’ve learnt, challenge racist behaviour and work through any discomfort you may experience – it’s totally normal, but don’t let that get in the way of reflection and unlearning. You can follow colourfull on our social channels to stay connected to our perspective and latest thinking.
Minority ethnic applicants and white applicants with non-English names have to send on average 60 per cent more applications to get a positive response from an employer than a white person of British origin.
~ Raconteur, 2019