There is clearly serious work yet to be done to affect any meaningful change within our industry. We welcome @EquityUK acknowledging the reality of racism and denouncing it but, despite our internal efforts, we are disappointed by this statement.
We responded to Fox’s conduct on @bbcquestiontime under our remit as a committee, elected by minority ethnic members, to take action on issues of race. That is what we did. We did not claim to speak for @EquityUK. We did not instruct. We appealed, with one voice, as a committee.
Actions by @EquityUK following our statement, including the deleting of our tweets and locking down of this account, damaged our credibility and left us without a voice, forcing committee members to make personal statements to correct press inaccuracies.
Press were told by @EquityUK that our actions were those of two rogue members; this was categorically incorrect and damaged our credibility as an elected body. After talks with Equity, we sought acknowledgment of this fact in their statement; we are disappointed by its omission.
We may have inadvertently broken rules but we stand by our criticism of behaviour which shuts down discussions of racism. We also sought to fulfil our duty as per @EquityUK's Safe Spaces statement: "if we are subjected to or witness bullying and harassment, we will speak out".
We appreciate @EquityUK’s efforts with their statement yesterday and understand that they are compelled to satisfy many viewpoints. We also welcome that Equity acknowledges that equalities committees members know what they’re talking about as a result of their lived experiences.
We intend to continue to be at the forefront of the essential work needed to create a better future for minority ethnic members and the industry. It remains to be seen how @EquityUK will support us in that endeavour but we are hopeful and look forward to our upcoming meetings.
Last Friday, very few people knew our committee existed; yesterday, our Chair was on @BBCr4today. We are proud to be contributing to the ongoing, necessary conversation about racism in the UK and welcome input and thoughts from minority ethnic members and the wider industry.
P.S. As it came up on #BBCR4today, for the avoidance of doubt, the word "denounce" is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as "to criticize something or someone strongly and publicly". dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/eng…
