By Jules Hillier, Chief Executive
That this year’s National Inclusion Week follows the terrible scenes of violence, intimidation and exclusion that we saw at the weekend is a horrible irony. All around us, we witness the consequences of anger and disenfranchisement driven by those who seek to exclude others, and I am left feeling furious, sad and helpless. A colleague described it to me as ‘inescapable’ this week. How unjust it is that, on this beautiful, diverse, complicated little island of ours, so many feel rejected and frightened within our own communities.
Even before the violence escalated this weekend, many of our recent conversations – in Pause Practices, in our monthly anti-racism meeting, and in our wider networks – have acknowledged the emergence of flags within the communities we live and work. The presence of these flags are intended to polarise and exclude, the very opposite of what we want to achieve at Pause.
We are working across the network to support women and staff who feel fearful and unsettled. The women who most benefit from our work are those who already experience exclusion in so many ways, and who contend with significant challenges – challenges which are often, but not always, rooted in poverty and deprivation. Displays of violence and intimidation add further layers of division, fear and anger, which we are supporting women to navigate. In parallel, we are also working to challenge those that express racist views, to consider how they access their information and the impact that their words and actions can have.
I know that many in our sector and beyond are doing the same. I have seen passionate, articulate resistance to what we are seeing in the news, I have spoken to people who are brave, thoughtful and committed to change, I have read clever, funny poetry and powerful statements and analysis. I have, however, been disappointed by how little of that has come from our leaders and our politicians, from the people who should be leading us in taking a stance.
Pause stands against racism, division and hatred and this Inclusion Week, I’m reaffirming my commitment to anti-racism. We will continue to help our staff and the women and families that we work with to understand and navigate the world they are experiencing, and we remain committed to providing safe, brave and inclusive spaces. It is hope, compassion and inclusion – not fear and exclusion – that we must make inescapable.
