Anti-racism statement
We are striving to be an anti-racism organisation and acknowledge we are part of a systematic racist society.
We know that systemic racism exists, and we recognise our role in tackling it and its effects. We commit to rooting out practices with racist impact in our own and in any of our partners’ practice. We will put plans in place to address racism. We won’t turn away from difficult conversations; we’ll use our imagination and drive to find ways to make things better. We will also support all staff whatever their circumstances with skills, training, and the emotional burden of dismantling systemic racism. Racism affects us all.
To eradicate racism from our spaces and systems, we will not tolerate racism or those who tolerate it. We will support individuals who are on the journey from being non-racist to anti-racist. We recognise that different types of racism affects different communities in different ways and we will support the victims of racism and systemic racism, acknowledging the additional burden this places on the individual, including offering specialist counselling and through a Black, Asian and ethnically diverse peer support group. We invite people to call out racism individually in private or more publicly when needed, and we are in the process of making our Complaints and Concerns procedures more robust, with greater awareness and accountability at Board level. This includes a QR reporting code for anyone in the building to let us know if they have experienced discrimination of any kind in our spaces. We also have created a code of conduct for all building users, including audience members, which states that we will not tolerate racism.
We have discussed and agreed definitions of the above to be as clear as possible in our standpoint.
A practice and act that recognises pervasive racism in society, and actively combats racial prejudice and discrimination to promote racial justice and equality.
Policies and practices that exist throughout a whole society or organisation, that result in and support a continued unfair advantage to some people and unfair or harmful treatment of others based on race. A thing is systemically racist if that is its result, regardless of the intention of those putting the policy or practice in place.
In 2021, the Playhouse published a Plan For Change setting out the actions that we have committed to take in pursuit of our Five Ambitions for racial equality. This plan, along with our work on access and representation for disabled people, our work with people living with dementia, programmes with and for refugees and people seeking asylum, and our commitments around gender equality all form part of our Diversity and Inclusion work and taken together, represent our attempts to improve ourselves, our industry, our society and the environment in which we make work. The reference group for the Plan for Change is refreshed each year so do let james.brining@leedsplayhouse.org.uk know if you would like to join this group in the future.
