Co-Production Collective’s response to the report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (the Sewell Report)

Co-Production Collective strongly believes that institutional and systemic racism exists here in the UK, both in universities and within society at large. The lived experience of many in our community shows this to be the case, as does the evidence demonstrating structural inequalities in health, housing, education, employment and opportunity.

“The report stating that systematic racism doesn't exist was like a slap in the face. We People of Colour all live and breathe the micro-aggressions of racism, along with overt racism, and are often told that we are oversensitive, a form of gaslighting. These kinds of reports create a culture and give permission to people that it's okay to be racist.”
Isaac Samuels, Co-Production Collective community member

Our commitment to breaking down barriers within research, services and policy development is something that we have spoken about in previous blogs. Our vision is for a world where diverse knowledge and experience is recognised and valued in the co-production of research and beyond – but there is still a long way to go.  We want to see an end to institutional and systemic racism.

We will continue to work towards this aim with our community, and alongside others, through upholding our core values in everything we do:

• Being Human – seeing people as people first and foremost, but recognising the intersectionality of identities, and the impact this may have on individual and community experiences.
• Being Inclusive – creating safe spaces by removing barriers to participation and supporting everyone to be fully involved in our community.
• Being Challenging – calling out institutional and systemic racism wherever we see it, continually reflecting on our own ways of working and identifying where we can improve.
• Being Transparent – openly sharing our own journey towards anti-racism, including where we may make mistakes.

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As part of our ongoing work to strengthen the inclusivity of the Co-Production Collective community, our Get Together on 20 April will focus on collecting data to monitor diversity; how can we find out who is – and so, who isn’t - part of our community, in a way that is meaningful, accessible and person-centred? This session is open to everyone and will have speakers as well as interactive discussions. We’re especially keen to hear from others who are thinking about this too – please join us.  

In addition, we’re working on a series of blogs raising awareness of the oppression and discrimination still present in research, service and policy development in the UK. Only if we make these issues visible can we challenge and change them. Co-production can be a powerful tool to dismantle the hierarchies and power imbalances that contribute to institutional and systemic racism, diversifying the voices who are listened to and ultimately creating better lives for everyone involved.

Please get in touch if you would like to write a blog or to be a part of creating one. We really want to hear from you. You can reach us at coproduction@ucl.ac.uk or via our Get In Touch form.

This statement was co-produced by members of Co-Production Collective community, staff and friends of the Collective – Isaac Samuels, Niccola Hutchinson-Pascal, Lizzie Cain and Rebecca Clarkson.

Further Reading

The Report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (The Sewell Report)

The Runnymede Trust’s response to the report

Professor Michael Marmot on structural racism and health inequalities

‘Structurally Unsound’, a report from UCL’s Exploring Inequalities project  

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Photo credit: James Eades

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