At the time of this writing, the images from the U.S. are searing. Cities under curfew and under siege. The inequities of the American system visible in heartbreaking and vivid terms. While Canada is not experiencing the same degree of visible conflict, it is important to note that in Toronto, Black people are 20 times more likely to be shot dead by the police. In Montreal Black and Indigenous people are 4 to 5 times more likely than white people to be stopped by police.  

Usually when there is a problem, the charity sector is a big part of the solution. But what if the charity sector is another kind of bubble? One that unconsciously promotes racism? According to research by ONN, 87% of the nonprofit workforce is white. Furthermore in another ONN study, of the participants identified as racialized, 56.3% of them experienced racism.

This bias does not stop at the staff level. The leadership gap in the charity sector extends to Boards. According to BoardSource, 10% of Board Chairs and 16% of Board members are people of color in American charities compared to 40% of the working population and social sector leadership.

Clearly we have a problem.

To be fair, the charity and nonprofit sector has done lots of good in Canada and in the world. In many areas including education, medicine, the arts, the environment, and social services, this sector has risen to countless challenges. The sector has a proud history of hard work and service.

My mother always says "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." In our sector's efforts to do good, it seems that we have gotten too comfortable assuming that if our motives are good, then we must be doing the right things in the right way. In addition, we have gotten too comfortable with surrounding ourselves in the sector with people who look just like us at both the Board and staff leadership level.

If we truly want to be a sector of change, then change needs to start with us. It's time to get out of our comfortable bubble.

So what?

You may be reading this and saying to yourself "nice editorial, Ann, but what action are you going to take?" For starters,

- If you are a person of colour and would like to write an article (or two) for Hilborn, please be in touch with me at editor@hilborn.com.

- If you know of great articles or research we should amplify through social media or publish here, please be in touch with me at editor@hilborn.com. 

- If you know of someone who you feel would be a great person for me to interview, please be in touch with me at editor@hilborn.com

Sources 

"...in Toronto, Black people are 20 times more likely to be shot dead by the police" - Full article from The Guardian here

"In Montreal Black and Indigenous people are 4 to 5 times more likely than white people to be stopped by police."  - Full CBC article here

"...87% of the nonprofit workforce is white" - Full report Shaping the future of the nonprofit sector here

"...of the participants identified as racialized, 56.3% of them experienced racism. Full report Women's Voices here

BoardSource’s Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices. Full report here. Cited by Equity in the Centre