“Very small, very quiet, a whisper…” – Black and Minority Ethnic groups: voice and influence

摘要

The Black and Minority Ethnic Voluntary and Community Sector (BME VCS) in the UK has largely emerged and developed since the 1950s. This paper raises questions about the nature and coherence of a distinctive BME sector, if indeed it exists as such, and considers its voice and influence. The present political and economic climate has provided significant challenges for many third sector organisations, so this paper is about exploring how BME organisations are faring in this context.udKey elements of the current context are the economic downturn and the introduction of austerity measures which have impacted on funding opportunities, particularly from statutory sources as support from local authorities, in particular, has been adversely affected. Many organisations in the sector were originally funded, and subsequently maintained, through a range of Area Based Initiatives (ABI) funding streams such as the Inner City Partnership and successor programmes. Such funding streams have been completely curtailed. Additionally, the current political context has made many managers and employees in BME organisations feel their work is less valued than previously. For example initiatives such as the Single Equalities Act, have led to many in the BME VCS feeling their effective contribution has been constrained and diluted, through being one of a range of equalities covered by the Act, rather than being covered by specific legislation, as was the case previously.udThe aim of the research was to test out how the BME VCS was faring in relation to voice and influence in the current context by interviewing a range of staff of BME voluntary and strategic organisations. Specifically the research set out to identify:ud whether there is a BME Sector as such and, if so, its characteristics;ud the extent of differences between longer established BME communities and those formed by more recently arrived refugees and migrants;ud the perceived extent of the voice and influence of the BME organisations, both within the Community and Voluntary Sector and wider policy circles;ud the resilience of BME organisations in the face of the current economic and political challenges. What strategies are they using to survive develop or influence?