Black History Month: Neutrality vs equity
This is a blog by our Communications and Events Coordinator, Keeva Baxter.
October is Black History Month, a time to acknowledge the impact of centuries of oppression and celebrate the often unacknowledged achievements of Black people across the UK. Whilst racism and inequality is something that should be discussed and tackled throughout the year, Black History Month is an opportunity to spark conversations and reflect on how systemic inequity, unconscious bias and discrimination affect our work and lives.
We have recently been discussing how racism, discrimination and inequality impact the restorative process and whether our practices can be seen as anti-racist.
One of the key restorative principles is neutrality, or impartiality. As a facilitator, it is often said that you should be “impartial…and unbiased towards all participants”. But by doing so, are we failing to acknowledge the inherent imbalance of power that can be present in a restorative process?
By being impartial or neutral, we are treating the participants as if they are the same and are coming to the room in the same way. This fails to consider all the factors which affect how people participate in the process. For example, different cultural backgrounds or languages, experiences of racism and discrimination from police or in the justice system.
Why me?’s cultural humility journey, supported by Mabadiliko, helped us to consider the difference between equality and equity. Equality would mean treating everyone in exactly the same way, assuming this will lead to an equal outcome. Equity on the other hand, means that everyone’s individual circumstances are taken into account and everyone is given the resources they need to participate fully. We have found through our projects with marginalised people, and our Mabadiliko training, that it is crucial to acknowledge the differences between participants and how this will affect their participation, providing the resources needed to make everyone feel comfortable.
Nowadays, the phrase “I don’t see colour” when talking about race is understood to be harmful as it erases the history of Black people and other minoritised communities, assuming that centuries of discrimination no longer have an effect on the day-to-day lives of Black people. By striving to treat everyone in the restorative process exactly the same and failing to take participants’ individual differences into account, we are similarly ignoring the rich and varied backgrounds of the people involved and the power dynamics of systemic racism. How can we reinterpret what it means to be ‘neutral’, and actively work to ensure that participants from all backgrounds can participate and feel safe in the restorative environment we create?
For example, consider:
- Who is in the room? Will the participants feel represented, can they see themselves in any of the people they are sharing their story with?
- Where are you? Is the location somewhere that would feel safe and comfortable for those involved? Are there objects or refreshments you could provide to make them feel more at home?
- Is everyone supported to share their story? Are the language and cultural backgrounds of the participants accounted for?
As well as the potential tension between neutrality and equity, the lack of diversity in the restorative field is also a prominent issue. With most facilitators being White, many potential participants may feel unrepresented and find it harder to place their trust in the process. Restorative Justice should feel like a safe environment for everyone who is taking part, particularly as we know that many are at their most vulnerable, sharing their trauma and how they have been harmed or caused harm. Diversifying the field of practitioners is made harder by the fact that many are volunteers, as this limits the pool of possible practitioners to those who have the time and resources to become a volunteer. However, we must continue to try and diversify the field by thinking about how we can offer education or training to a wider range of people, posting vacancies across a range of platforms and providing the support and resources needed for people from minoritised communities to enter the field.
This Black History Month, we encourage you to consider how racism and inequality affect your practice, and what we can all do, collectively and individually, to promote equity in the restorative process.