Governance, Management & leadership, Policy, campaigns & research
How can charities navigate a swirling morass of hate? Be more Humboldt squid
No charity operates in a vacuum – what affects others will find a way to affect us and those we serve.
Unless you are a specialist in marine biology you probably don’t know that a species of squid, called the Humboldt squid, forms tight schools and uses synchronised colour flashes to confuse predators. A coordinated group of flashing, fast-moving squid is hard for sharks or larger fish to single out.
Coordinated flash mobs (literally!)
I was reminded of these squid in a conversation with a sector peer recently, who described the impact that charities standing up for one another can have on organisations, individuals and the cause.
Some of you may remember that in August this year more than 100 women’s rights groups, plus nearly 100 other groups (unions, refugee and migrant support organisations, universities etc) published a joint letter to the Prime Minister.
The letter explicitly warned against the “weaponisation of violence against women and girls” – namely, using concerns about VAWG as a justification for anti-migrant or anti-refugee rhetoric.
It said that recent anti-refugee protests had seen “vital conversations about VAWG… hijacked by an anti-migrant agenda that fuels division, harms survivors… and ultimately impedes the real work of tackling the root causes of society-wide violence.”
Kudos to the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Women for Refugee Women, Hibiscus and Southall Black Sisters, who coordinated the response.
It was, in my view, a brilliant letter. I don’t know if they got a response, and certainly in the media the rhetoric doesn’t seem to have died down.
But for me it had real impact. I was told that the fact that it was written and sent by organisations not directly involved in supporting refugees and migrants sent a message of hope and optimism through that beleaguered sector.
When you are working on a cause that is perceived to be unpopular with the public it can feel achingly lonely. You expect your colleagues in the same sector to understand and support you, but when colleagues from a different sector unite in support of your work and your messages it literally feels like a gift.
This kind of support takes guts, because boards are often fearful of negative ramifications if their charity speaks out. The VAWG sector emphasised that their work was being impeded by the anti-migrant/refugee narrative, so they could clearly justify their position as being in furtherance of their charitable objects.
Not all the signatories could necessarily make quite such a strong claim. But they did it anyway.
Remember that many of us can find a way to support our fellow charities without straying too far from our charitable objects. Not one of us operates in a vacuum and what affects others will find a way to affect us and those we serve.
My own charity, The Directory of Social Change, did its bit by publishing a document called ‘Charities Against Hate’, which provides free practical guidance about how to navigate the swirling morass of hate we seem to be swimming in.
So, my call to action is for us all to be more Humboldt squid. When we stand up for each other and work together we disarm ‘predators’; we give hope and inspiration (and a flash of light in the darkness) to our colleagues, their organisations and the people they serve; and we earn the right to ask for support ourselves when the sharks come after us.
This article was originally published on the Third Sector website, take a look here.
Check out the Charities Against Hate guide by DSC
This new resource aims to provide practical actions that charities can take to ensure their own safety and continued operation, to help them re-evaluate their strategic planning, and to join in solidarity with others to push back against racism and bigotry. Download your free copy here.
