To celebrate the launch of their report on Race at Work, ParliREACH (a Workplace Equality Network in support of increasing awareness and appreciation of race, ethnicity, and cultural heritage issues) hosted an event with presentations and panel discussions on this particular topic. The distinguished guest panellists and speakers included a number of prominent names in the fight against racism and members of Parliament staff:
- Akbar Khan, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, to introduce the evening
- Binna Kandola on his research on Racism at Work: The Danger of Indifference
- Presentation from Imran Khan QC, Lawyer for the Stephen Lawrence family
- Dr John Benger, Clerk of the House, on the House of Commons response to the ParliREACH Report
- Ed Ollard, Clerk of the Parliaments, on the House of Lords response to the ParliREACH Report.
The session contained included discussion on topics such as the best practices to achieve cultural change, the challenges of achieving cultural change, and what staff or staff networks should do in supporting cultural change to achieve a more diverse workforce.
‘We appreciated your openness and willingness to give us your time. You were really straight talking and I think you will have got people thinking. So thank you for making it work so well.’
— Dr Anna Dickson