Welsh Government vows to change ‘beliefs and behaviour of the white majority’
The Welsh Government has pledged to change the “beliefs and behaviour of the white majority” in Wales.
Labour’s devolved administration vowed to eradicate racism by 2030, and set out an anti-racist action plan which insists that all aspects of public life are made “inclusive”.
To meet the demands of the plan, public bodies have already launched policies which include potentially destroying statues of “old white men” that have been deemed offensive, and official reports have advised creating “dog free areas” to boost inclusion.
The Labour Government has now revealed that one outcome of the plan will be a change in “the beliefs and behaviour of the white majority”.
This is stated in an updated plan released with a foreword by Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, who has reiterated her “commitment to building an inclusive and equitable society for all our black, Asian and minority ethnic people and communities”.
An explanation of the “logic” of the refreshed action plan states that the overall “ vision of an anti-racist Wales” will be achieved through “shifts in knowledge, beliefs, experiences, and behaviour as well systemic and cultural changes”.
It states that the outcomes of policy changes made to bring about this vision should take place at an organisational, societal, and ”individual” level.
The plan adds that this “includes shifts in the beliefs and behaviour of the white majority”.
Intended changes in society will be measured by the Welsh Race Disparity Evidence Unit, which will look at “whether we are seeing a reduction in any disparities”.
The plan states that this reduction in racial disparities must be pursued across all public institutions and in all areas of life, from Civil Service employment to the work of museums and art galleries.
The Welsh Government as an employer has set out to “drive behaviour change” with action such as “induction for new recruits” and “options for mandatory training”.
Youth work is also required by the plan to support its goals by encouraging discussions of racism among the young.
The Labour Government gathered evidence to inform future policies intended to make the outdoors more inclusive for ethnic minorities. One advisory report to the government suggested creating “dog free areas” to help achieve this.
In order to realise the goals of the anti-racist action plan, museums, galleries, and public artworks have been told to set the “right historical narrative” that provides a “decolonised account of the past”.
This version of Welsh history must be “one that recognises both historical injustices and the positive impact of black Asian and minority ethnic communities”.
This has led to institutions such as Big Pit National Coal Museum being mandated to provide educational material which will “tell stories through the lens of black, Asian and minority ethnic people’s experiences”.
Welsh government directives have already led to official advice being issued on how to deal with potentially offensive statues of Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Henry Morton Stanley, who all have monuments in Wales
Government guidance created in 2023 stated that historical statues that often glorify “powerful, older, able-bodied white men” may be “offensive” to a more diverse modern public.
The active advice to councils and other bodies responsible for public art states that such statues could be hidden or destroyed.
Policy demands to bring about the vision of an anti-racist Wales led to a £130,000 project to make libraries more inclusive.
Preliminary work produced guidance which sought to have librarians “challenge the “paradigm of whiteness”, and anti-racist training was only to be provided in buildings which were not themselves “racist”.
A Welsh government spokesman said: “We are committed to creating an anti-racist nation by 2030. Our anti-racist Wales action plan is built on the values of anti-racism and calls for zero tolerance of all racial inequality.”
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