North Star Taking Action Against Racism
Earlier this year, North Star's CEO, James Walder, committed to taking action to challenge racism.
As part of that commitment, North Star became the first housing association to sign the Become the Bridge pledge, an initiative led by the North East Anti Racism Coalition (NEARC). However, signing the pledge is only the beginning. Our focus now is on turning that commitment into practical action.
What is the North East Anti Racism Coalition?
The North East Anti Racism Coalition (NEARC) was established following the racist and Islamophobic riots that took place in Middlesbrough during summer 2024. The events had a significant impact on some of our communities.
Since then, individuals and organisations from across the region have come together to share best practice for challenging racism and to help build a fairer, stronger North East.
North Star has been involved with the coalition since late 2024, with our Executive Director of Customers, Carole Richardson, actively participating in its work. We were proud to become the first housing provider to join the coalition and sign the Become the Bridge pledge.
What does the pledge mean?
By signing the pledge, we have committed to:
• Challenging racism together for a fairer, stronger North East.
• Sharing information and experiences with other pledgers, where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
• Taking practical action towards challenging racism. This includes developing an anti-racism action plan or strategy, within 12 months and reporting on progress.
• Participating in monitoring and evaluation activities.
What action are we taking?
We have already begun work to deliver on our commitment.
A dedicated group of staff volunteers has come together to help shape North Star's anti-racism action plan and support its delivery across the organisation. The group will work closely with colleagues, senior leaders and customers to ensure this is brought to life throughout North Star.
While the group will help lead this work, creating an anti-racist organisation is everyone's responsibility. We want colleagues at every level to play a role in creating a workplace and services where everyone feels safe and respected.
In the coming weeks, staff will take part in facilitated sessions delivered by Amjid Khazir from Media Cultured CIC. These sessions will provide practical tools and guidance to help colleagues create inclusive environments, challenge discrimination and better understand the role they can play in tackling racism.
The learning from these sessions, alongside engagement with colleagues and communities, will help inform our anti-racism action plan and the steps we take over the coming year.
North Star CEO James Walder said, ‘We have a proud history of being an inclusive organisation for over 50 years but we need to do more. Signing the Become the Bridge pledge is a good start but we know that real change comes from action, accountability and listening to people's experiences. That is how we will succeed on our journey as an anti-racist organisation.’
