'IMAGINE waking up in the morning with the worry of your skin colour or your race causing mistreatment'.

Those are the words of the chair of York-based Inclusive Equal Rights UK (IERUK), Haddy Njie, who is one of the people behind Inclusive Equal Rights 3.0 the city of York’s five-year anti-racism and inclusion strategy.

As The Press reported in the Summer, the strategy was backed up with quantitative data illustrating the disproportionate inequalities in various sectors such as education, mental healthcare and policing.

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The data showed that Black people were 90 times more likely to be stopped and searched than their white counterparts and the strategy also shared personal stories and people with lived experiences of racism.

In the first in a series of columns written for The Press, Haddy says: "The anti-racism and inclusion strategy received overwhelming positive support locally and regionally with many welcoming the work and some offering their time and knowledge to advance this laudable work.

"It is also important to state that some national tabloids came to our city to create a divisive environment, but the people of York rejected it.

"Think about it this way: most of us go to bed or wake up in the morning with worries and challenges because, life comes with suffering too.

"We have climate change worries, cost of living, and homelessness just to name a few, but imagine also waking up in the morning with the worry of your skin colour or your race causing mistreatment, racially profiled with bad things and facing insurmountable access to services and opportunities.

"That additional layer of worry and struggle is what IERUK is aiming to eradicate. Surely, you do agree that this work is much needed."

CLICK HERE TO READ HADDY'S COLUMN

York Press: Haddy NjieHaddy Njie (Image: Supplied)

IERUK is a grassroots organisation based in the city of York.

Its mission is to tackle the root-causes of racism; taking an intersectional approach to their work.

It was founded by Haddy in October 2021, alongside her organisation, Speak Up Diversity spearheaded the city-wide motion to make York an anti-racist and inclusive city, the first city to do so in the north of England. 

Inclusive Equal Rights 3.0 showed that York City Council is made up entirely of white councillors and the York contingent of North Yorkshire Police has less than ten minority ethnic police officers.

In the health sector, just five per cent of the 734 staff at the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Trust, the second largest health organisation serving York, are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. 

In 2022, hate crime incidents in the North Yorkshire Police force area exceeded 1,000 for the first time. Approximately, two-thirds were race-related hate crimes.

The working group of IERUK, made up of members of York’s different communities, identified key areas of concern to develop a plan of action to address institutional racism and unconscious bias, promote cultural diversity and inclusion, and improve access to education and employment opportunities for marginalized groups.