Blog > diversity and equality

Spotlighting Leah Slater-Radway, EDI Lead & Anti-racism trainer

Spotlighting Leah Slater-Radway, EDI Lead & Anti-racism trainer

Leah is the first EDI Lead at St John Ambulance, helping form their diversity and inclusion strategies for the next few years. Interviewed by DJM's D&I Officer Tzeitel Degiovanni, Leah speaks about the reasons why she moved into this work - especially in the third sector - the differences between 'Diversity and Inclusion' and anti-racism, and how her previous experience qualifying as a Solicitor at a Magic Circle law firm has helped shape the work she does today.

 

What motivated you to work at St John Ambulance?

I needed a fundamental change in my career on a personal level. I qualified as a solicitor and worked for a law firm in the city, but some things in that industry needed to suit me or what I wanted out of a career. I was doing a lot of work in the EDI space whilst in that role, trying to juggle being a lawyer and having an interest in these areas. I quickly realised that I wanted to be somewhere where people were focused on tangibly doing something good for others. So, working for the third sector and working for a charity was a way to get that and focus on what I was passionate about. My legal skills will always be helpful in this space, so I was able to bridge that gap nicely!

 

What does ‘EDI’ look like and mean to you personally?

At the most superficial level, it is about fairness and equality for all. So for the position' Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), it's the lead role, and 'there was and is controversy whether it's equality or equity'. It's somewhere in the equity zone. It's not just about enforcing a law, but it is first giving them the means to implement and even receive that sort of equal treatment and chance. It boils down to not viewing people as a collective but as individuals. At St John, we are so long and historically immeasurable as an organisation in many ways; it's more about improving on this as we begin.

I have received an overwhelming amount of interest from both our employees and volunteers since joining, so it's just a matter of bringing all those resources and perspectives together and guiding the discussion, but not dictating or controlling it. It is essential to us that we mirror the communities that we operate in, and for us to do that, we have to understand the communities, be part of them and mirror back even more than their image.

Visibility is a very core point as far as EDI is concerned— representation is crucial. So that's been a big piece of introspection for us when thinking about how to really, and visibly, try to seek those communities out, engage with them, and hear them. Being an organisation operating on a place level (and an international level), this is a massive piece of work that other smaller charities or companies might not have to look at from so many different lenses. We need to think about our young people, adults, men and women, urban and rural, the broad spectrum of whom we have to serve. So, its intersectionality is critical for us on our journey.

 

We’d love to hear a bit about the anti-racism training you do, as EDI and anti-racism is often conflated but they are different things.

During the sessions I conduct, which are applicable for training purposes, the aim is to go down to the fundamental issues such as troubling concepts such as 'what is racism', how it comes about, and how it is manifested extraordinarily in places of work. We collaborate with very active segments of the organisations and emphasise being participatory (where we go to breakout sessions and look at issues like, for instance, privilege and other illustrative examples that come from media). Hence, it enables people to grasp what other engagements that are not familiar to them are like and how these engagements impact them.

That kind of training certainly covers cleavages such as race and identity, but it also includes some other issues like xenophobia, islamophobia, etc. It's an excellent chance for me to engage people with a broader audience and varying levels of comprehension. As for the particulars, for instance, we are currently getting ready to collaborate with an organisation in America, so the outlook on the course will be somewhat different from that of the British company. Undoubtedly a stomach-turning experience, 'Paul racist or EDI work', this is where anti-racism model will certainly sit under EDI as a sit there is no misunderstanding If you use the anti-racism model. Yes, I can say that anti-racism training and EDI work are not interchangeable in any case.

What have the results of those training courses been?

They have gone well and sparked further discussions on those issues. The company I do this with runs unconscious bias training and anti-racism training, and very often, the anti-racism training will come as a subsequent training coming from the unconscious bias to anchor those key concepts and go in a little deeper. The sessions help people navigate those conversations they didn't know how to previously and equip them with the cultural understanding of how and when to speak to colleagues from currently underrepresented backgrounds on those matters.

 

What is your approach when doing this work?

I'm often perturbed, most notably regarding EDI. We understand that every effort must be made not to hurt people's feelings, but to deal with significant issues like racism in some organisations, people must at least get a sense of what is acceptable and what is not and why that is the case. When defining terms of engagement, people's experiences are accommodated. As such, it becomes easier for them to appreciate that more exists than they have known or interacted with.

 

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing EDI at the moment?

Working from home is now one of the most significant obstacles. Some are okay with remote work, but for some, it has completely changed their manner of contact with fellow workers and the manner of executing their duties, which can be quite challenging from an inclusion aspect.

Aside from addressing that, the issue of policy development is vital. EDI is an area that is continually changing for the better; hence, there is that feeling that there is always a need to change policy whenever this is done. However, the practitioners do not concentrate on the results when making changes. This can be quite the balancing act, considering that one needs to ensure that the policy includes the 'g', who is responsible and the mechanism for ensuring accountability. Still, there is also the idea that this is not something that has to be constantly revisited. It is not possible to keep going without running into all of the unknowns that I am sure we are going to continue to encounter, and that is why you need to be able to have a policy or a strategy that is fluid to refer to that will help you to wade through all the uncertainties that there are.

 

How do you think your background in legal and as a solicitor has helped you in this space or shaped your approach to EDI?

The academic perspective has supported me. I earned a law degree, undertook a training contract, and qualified as a solicitor. I have always been interested in human rights, equality, and justice. Thus, knowledge of the law and its progress includes essential factors since it forms the foundation of numerous advancements.

After seeing different industries, I can say now and with all integrity that there is always a common denominator when one is a member of a particular targeted group, a Black woman or a member of a private class. Working in law, I remember feeling that I was one of the few, if not the only, persons in the room who looked or spoke the same as me. That made me feel a lot of things, which was one of the reasons why, whilst in that position, I was very concerned about being a voice for others and trying to crack the system wide open. The field has similar challenges, and a more significant number of advocates is more beneficial in this case.

 

What would be the advice you’d give organisations across the country, or EDI teams, who are looking to improve their diversity, inclusion and culture?

The first thing is to be very open. And when I say that, I mean having that ability to acknowledge where you've made mistakes because we all will – we're human! EDI is a moving piece, so we'll never get it right all the time. But that ability to put your hands up and say, "You know what - looking at this, I think we did the wrong thing here, but this is what we are going to do to make it right" is critical and restores some humanity and authenticity to the situation.

You should also ensure that all actions are conceived as a two-way conversation rather than one-way and top to bottom, bottom to and through the middle, and even the top. It all comes down to screens, registries and oaths. It all comes down to understanding, treating, reporting and bearing responsibility for institutional and personal levels of activities. There is still a lot that one will be unable to decide whether this promise of diversity and inclusion is being adopted and actioned if there are no indicators to measure the progression.