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Manifesto launched for race equality in the arts sector
A Liverpool Arts and Culture Race Equality Manifesto was launched to help ensure better representation for diverse communities in the city’s arts scene.
The manifesto was launched on May 25 at the Pagoda Arts centre in Liverpool as part of Writing on the Wall’s 2023 WoWFEST.
Two collectives; Creative Organisations of Liverpool (COoL) and Liverpool Arts Regeneration Consortium (LARC) developed a Race Equality Manifesto inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. A panel gave an opportunity to hear from some of those involved in spearheading the manifesto, find out about the process, why this work is necessary and how its pledges will be put into practice.
The panel, chaired by Madeline Heneghan, co director of Writing on the Wall was made up of representatives from COoL, LARC and a representative from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA). The manifesto’s seven pledges provide a set of principles promoting greater race equality across Liverpool’s arts and culture sector that the collective’s members signed up to.
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Madeline told the ECHO: “Individual organisations, many already do great work and reflect the communities they serve. They have individual policies around race equality action plans, but I think the difference is we’re signing up collectively, and it’s the ability to interrogate each other as a sector.
“We can’t cut funding the way a funder can, but I think there’s a certain amount of peer pressure that can be brought to bear. We’re supporting each other, encouraging, but also interrogating when things aren’t happening.
“Big organisations who’ve not signed up are not members of (COoL and LARC). Now it’s out there, we would invite people to sign up. Hopefully they will”.
The manifesto reflects four priority areas for the signatories; their workforces and governance, support for artists, developing audiences and advocacy. Initially their broader ambition is for the manifesto to provide a blueprint for the wider arts and cultural sector within the Liverpool City Region and beyond.
They will annually review progress, any barriers, new understandings and review actions with targets to some timed initiatives it sets out. They say they will actively challenge their organisations to stand against racism and racial injustice as part of a campaign to drive inclusion, equality in arts, culture and diversify within the sector.
Lorna Rogers, assistant director for the Mayoral Programme delivery at LCRCA and Race Equality Hub said: “We’re committed to support the manifesto to ensure underrepresented groups across diverse communities have access to opportunities, training and support to fulfil their potential.
“In creating the Race Equality Hub, The Combined Authority made the biggest investment to tackle racial inequality in our area’s history. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.
“We need practical, proactive and positive action to make sure everyone has an equal chance to succeed. There has to be a real willingness to want to make a difference, if they want to make a change.
“To be brave, to be honest, to own up to things that haven’t worked in the past. In order to do that, they have to be willing to go for difficult conversations to make that difference”.
Community member Nasra Elliott said: “It’s a shame we’re still having this type of debate. It’s 2023, we’ve heard similar initiatives before.
“Myself will be holding them accountable to it, seeing each year if things are being reviewed and seeing the impact. Intention is all well and good, but it’s about the impact and how it affects the Black communities it’s supposed to be serving in terms of equality, equity and diversity”.
Poet Levi Tafari said: “I’ve been in the arts for a long time and we’ve been here before with promises. We know a promise is a comfort to a fool, so we tread carefully.
“We have to wait and see what happens. We want to be a part of things and we want to make things happen, but we know there are forces that oppose certain things, or want to keep things to a minimum. So, we’re here for maximum effect this time”.
Liverpool poets Levi Tafari and Amina Atiq graced the stage with performances and then music came from the Chinese Youth Orchestra to finish the evening.
To view the manifesto visit HERE
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