The charity sector is “stuck in a fear loop” when it comes to anti-racism, mental health charity Mind’s chief executive Sarah Hughes said at a recent online event.
Speaking at Uncharitable Festival’s Beyond Empty Statements session on 10 October, Hughes said charities feared the “messiness” of tackling racism in the sector, preferring to try and contain and manage it instead.
“The fear of the messiness, the fear of the feelings, is still such a large defence against actually doing the work,” she said.
“[…] I’m the most powerful paid member of staff at Mind and it’s still incredibly difficult to push through the changes that I’d love to see – just the changes in the way we work, the way we talk, the way we think, the way we are.
“And if I’m the most powerful person in my organisation, and I can’t make it happen, that frightens me frankly, because I don’t know […] where the power lies.
“I’m like, is it in the walls? Is it in the carpet? Where is it? You know I’d rip it up and get rid of it overnight if I could. But I can’t, and I struggle, and I can’t understand it, and I worry.
“And I look around at my colleagues across the sector, inside my organisation and outside and think we are all stuck in a bit of a fear loop.”
Hughes said there was a desire within the sector to be anti-racist but many charities were “trying to create balance”.
“I think what we know in anti-racism, the time for balance is over, actually,” she said.
“And I think our quest for balance is white supremacy at its best and it’s a powerful, powerful argument.”
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