KNOW YOUR NETWORK

To continue our ‘Know your Network’ feature, for this edition of the magazine we caught up with Ash Akhtar, to tell us more about his role as one of the Co-Chairs of our Rise network and to get his thoughts on some of the issues affecting those in the LGBTQ+ community who are also from ethnic minority backgrounds

By Dan Sayers-Yates

I began my career as a Comms Manager in Funeralcare. It was my first experience in a world where one of the most critical aspects for frontline colleagues is to provide emotional support to grieving families, which they're brilliant at. I've been a Strategic Comms Business Partner for the last four years, supporting the Food business on various programmes. I love working in comms as I like making an impact. I enjoy the variety of work, value collaboration and relationship building, and have a passion for creativity and communication.

One of my passions is diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. My need to feel part of something stems from losing contact with my family and childhood friends for a long time after coming out as a gay man in my midtwenties. Even though coming out was liberating and gave me a sense of freedom, it also brought loneliness and loss.

I became a member of the Respect network and had the pleasure of being part of the Pride working groups, especially last year when we attended London Pride with a float for the first time. I also joined Rise as a steering member a few years ago, to help create a fairer world and influence the networks agenda. I left due to other commitments but re-joined in March as Co -Chair. I've had incredible conversations with our leaders, members, allies and those who need clarification on the purpose of colleague networks. We have some work to do in this space to educate people across the business and collaborate more so we can be cooperators!

Like all of us, my life is multi-dimensional and complex. I have multiple layers and characteristics to identify myself. First and foremost, I am a South Asian man with a Pakistani heritage. I come from aMuslim family (I no longer follow any organised religion, but I still have a level of loyalty and connection to people of faith because I grew up in that environment). I'm unsure what I believe, but I'm still discovering and exploring what that might mean. And, importantly, I am a gay man.

These characteristics can have varying degrees of impact on my personal and working life. Sometimes it's hard not to feel like you're the only one in the room with specific characteristics, and it can be hard not to feel like you're being judged or excluded in certain situations. It's why being part of colleague networks provides me with a sense of community and belonging with other colleagues who share common interests or experiences. Colleague networks are a great way to promote diversity and inclusion, they provide a platform for underrepresented groups to share experiences and they’re great vehicles for change.

Being siloed can be too easy, so colleague networks must work together on awareness days and events to ensure an intersectional approach, but this can be challenging. For example, during Pride we shared some fab colleague stories, but they tended to be from people in the white community. These events are the perfect opportunity for us to consider things from an intersectional perspective. It's a chance for all networks to collaborate in their approach to ensure equal and fair representation of people with multiple and often marginalised characteristics, such as people who are gay but have a disability or are Asian, Black, parents etc. One of my ambitions this year is to continuously promote and foster a culture of collaboration among the different networks so that every activity has diverse representation. In Rise we have regular conversations about working with people in different teams and across networks to create an environment for intersectional collaboration where everyone feels safe, valued, and included. We've got a long way to go, but we've started to think differently, which will become evident as the year progresses.

Celebrating Black People and People of Colour (PoC) during Pride is essential because the LGBTQ+ community includes people from all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Pride is a time to recognise and celebrate the contributions of all LGBTQ+ individuals, including those who are often marginalised and face additional challenges due to their race or ethnicity. Black People and PoC have played a significant role in the LGBTQ+ rights movement and continue to face intersecting forms of discrimination and oppression. Celebrating their identities and contributions during Pride sends a message of inclusivity and solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

Pride is important because it celebrates and recognises the LGBTQ+ community's contributions to society, history, and culture. It's a time for people to unite, show support, and raise awareness of the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.

Pride has become a symbol of LGBTQ+ liberation and a celebration of the diverse identities that make up the LGBTQ+ community. But importantly, it's also an opportunity for LGBTQ+ individuals to feel seen and validated, to express themselves authentically, and to celebrate their identities without fear of judgment or persecution, especially considering the ongoing challenges faced by the community, including discrimination, violence, and lack of legal protections in many parts of the world.

Pride events give a powerful message that there is strength in communities coming together and that LGBTQ+ people are not alone in their struggles. They also serve as a reminder that despite us being in the 21st century, a lot still needs to be done!

We all know about Marsha P. Johnson’s involvement in the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, but there are lesser-known figures such as Bayard Rustin who was a Black gay man and one of the main organisers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Also, Audre Lorde, a Black lesbian poet and activist who wrote extensively about the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Her work helped to elevate the experiences and perspectives of Black lesbians and other queer women of colour, and she played an important role in building solidarity between differentsocialjustice movements.

If I talk about my experience, coming out as a gay man in the South Asian community was not easy. I spent most of my young adult life initially being confused and later pretending to be a straight man so that others around me were not uncomfortable or for fear of being labelled as a deviant in my community. Coming out was liberating, but sadly being part of the LGBTQ+ community is taboo in many South Asian and ethnic minority cultures.

It upsets me to read about countries with laws that punish people by death or imprisonment for simply being who they are. So, it's vital that we use Pride events and celebrations that raise awareness of Black and PoC's ongoing struggles, including higher rates of violence, discrimination, and lack of access to healthcare and resources. By highlighting these issues and bringing attention to them, we can work towards creating a more equitable and just society for everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Black trans lives and trans lives more broadly are under constant threat from systemic racism and transphobia - what needs changing to enable those affected to feel safe and validated?

Unfortunately, trans people generally face disproportionate levels of discrimination, harassment, and violence. Unfairly, Black trans individuals face unique challenges due to the intersection of racism and transphobia. They experience higher poverty, homelessness, and unemployment rates and are likely to be victims of hate crimes.

We all need to recognise the ongoing struggles faced by trans people regardless of their race and ethnicity. We need to actively work towards creating a more just and equitable society for them, which includes advocating for policies that protect their rights and supporting organisations that provide resources and support to trans communities. And it's vital that we actively challenge transphobia and racism in our daily lives.

We wish to Reinforce Inclusion through Solidarity and Equality (RISE). That means:

· we provide a safe and inclusive space for our members to discuss and address issues that affect them as ethnic minorities at work, including cultural barriers, stereotypes, microaggressions, unconscious biases, and discrimination

· we provide a platform to share lived experiences and perspectives and offer guidance and support to colleagues across the business

· we provide valuable resource for the Co-op leaders related to inclusion when it comes to race and ethnicity

· we work collaboratively with business to identify areas where Co-op can improve policies and practices to support ethnic minority colleagues better

· we provide a support system for Rise Network members in their professional and personal life

Our three goals for this year are:

- Growing our Rise network members: from 200 at the start of the year to 500 by the end of 2023 to create a movement of champions and allies supporting inclusion purposefully.

- Support Co-op's hiring processes: working across Co-op to help make recruitment more inclusive to ensure the experience is more positive for ethnic minority colleagues

What are your priorities for Rise in 2023? Is there anything Respect members can do to support these?

The priorities for the Rise Network largely remain the same. We're a network dedicated to increasing cultural or religious awareness and amplifying the voices of ethnic minority colleagues through education of lived experiences. But we want to move the dial this year.

- Improve minority representation at Co-op: working with the People team to address the root causes of underrepresentation of ethnic minorities colleagues and to review the race commitments, to ensure they're relevant and we're working towards achieving them

So how can the Respect network help? Well, simply by doing things like this. Including us in your activity, participating and showing an interest in our events and being allies in helping us deliver our goals. Oh, and check out our Rise Network SharePointsite too.