Black Lives Matter
What happened to George Floyd in America has shocked and appalled us. And this keeps happening. We stand beside the Black Lives Matter movement and for racial equality. However, we know that words are not enough.
Racism, persecution and prejudice is a systemic issue across the world, including here in Plymouth. The way we do business in our city and in the country is deeply tied to racism and inequality. Modern capitalism and much of our wealth as a nation was built on colonial exploitation and slavery. Plymouth has its own profoundly disturbing relationship with the slave trade.
If we are to tackle racism we need to change how we do business. We need to tackle the inequities and racist underpinnings of mainstream economy. We need to embrace new practices and business models that offer solutions to the injustice of racism. Social enterprises are businesses set up to reduce inequalities, this must include racial inequalities.
If we want to achieve this, we must challenge the prejudices and inequalities within the social enterprise world. We need more diversity in the social enterprise movement in Plymouth. Our work is dominated by white culture and white privilege.PSEN is proud to support the social enterprise community in our city. We need to learn and understand. We believe that socially responsible businesses, including social enterprises, co-operatives and community businesses have a responsibility to act and significantly step up our commitment to addressing racism. We will encourage and support PSEN member organisations to reflect and act and we will engage with local government, businesses and the voluntary and community sector and to help to create a more equal society.