Update on our anti-racism commitment

During September 2022 actions and communications from Mind have directly tested our commitment to becoming truly anti-racist.

Racial trauma is real. It was crucial for Mind to speak out on racial trauma and reach out to people affected by the killing of Chris Kaba as part of our anti-racist commitment. It remains critical for Mind to speak out on racial trauma now and in the future in our fight for mental health. We are unapologetic about this.

Anti-racism at Mind means standing in solidarity with the black community, with all people of colour, by amplifying their voices and fighting with them. This demands acknowledging mistakes and missteps without excuses. We understand that our recent communications undermined this commitment.

We also recognise that it was wrong to introduce police mental health in the same tweet as we gave the impression that we were minimising racial trauma. They are two completely separate issues.

We acknowledge that our recent communications and the consequences of our actions have been, and continue to be, harmful to many of our colleagues, service users and partners. For this we are deeply sorry.

We are launching a review into this incident which will be led by trustees and we will be inviting our affected partners to take part in this.

As an organisation we are grappling with how we can be an unflinching advocate for racial justice in our fight for mental health.

Our current strategy, in particular our commitment to anti-racism, is bold and challenges us to be better and do better. Because racism is structural and embedded in society it will take time to dismantle and unlearn. We are determined to achieve this.