We stand in solidarity with the belief that Black Lives Matter.
We acknowledge that there is a need for changes to be made within our internal systems and structures which will positively impact on our team and our approach to supporting all the young women we come into contact with.
As an organisation we are actively challenging and dismantling the systems that cultivate, maintain, and reinforce systemic racism and inequality.
We acknowledge that this work starts internally and before this moment we have already committed to undertaking Equalities work.
We know this is just the beginning and that talking is not enough, we must take action!
As an organisation we are conscious of the racist and classist connotations of the term ‘Gangs’. We believe this needs to be deconstructed across the sector and acknowledge that this starts with us.
We would like to highlight that the young women we work with come from a diverse range of racial demographics i.e. they do not reflect any one specific racial group – we believe it is important to debunk any such myths.
We urge individuals, our supporters, funders, and all partner organisations to challenge Racism and Inequality in all its forms by dismantling power, white privilege, and systemic oppression.
As a racially diverse team we felt it was important that this statement was written and created by our Black members of staff as they are best placed to speak on this issue.
This statement is fully supported by the whole of Abianda’s team.
We would like to thank and acknowledge Dorett Jones of Genesis Consultancy for her hard work with our organisation and supporting us as we engage with the serious work of transforming our organisational culture and deconstructing the systems that reinforce inequality.
Open our statement as a PDF here.