Written by Mo Ali, Programmes Director

I’m Asian and I thought I’d never have to ask the question above! Taking the past few weeks into consideration, I’ve been asking myself:

‘Am I actually anti-racist’?

‘Am I doing what I should be doing to promote anti-racism?’

So here’s how I’m starting this week. I will:

• Ensure I have a better understanding about anti-racism as a director of an international development firm.
• Look at our internal power structures and review whether these need to change – especially how we’re engaging with ‘local’ consultants.
• Get feedback from ‘local’ consultants about the barriers and challenges they face in their work.
• Hold a meeting with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), following up on our localisation research in Somalia and South Sudan (see our publications page) – can Aid Works and ODI collect impartial evidence on racism in the sector?

Aid Works is a social enterprise. We’ll pledge this year’s donations to a social justice and anti-racism organisation – watch this space for more details.

I’m open to discuss the topic - please do get in touch via [email protected].