Shantel's Story:

The Anti-Racist Movement (A.R.M.) is an award winning collective taking a unique approach to challenging racism – providing a safe space for Black female social workers. We recognised the systemic challenges that black women often endure, and wanted to create a space where social workers could openly share their personal experiences, feel understood, and be supported to effect change within their workplace. A.R.M. has made strides in shining a light on racism in the broader profession, and runs regular conferences, workshops and community-building activities. The group was founded on the principles of fearlessness, joyfulness and unapologetic self-expression, and it is described by its members as indispensable, with one member commenting: “I never knew how much I needed this space until it arrived. When we are feeling downtrodden, the group enable us to rise.”

With the core principles of: connection, community, compassion and courage the Anti-Racist Movement has achieved so much, including guest editing a special issue of the British Journal of Social Work. To date A.R.M has been soley reliant on voluntary contributions with no financial resources.

May is national walking month and I will be raising money by committing to walk an average of 10,000 steps a day over the month of May.

10,000 steps is the recommended step total to contribute to a healthy lifestyle and we are all about promoting the health and wellbeing of our sisters in A.R.M. However the choice of 10,000 represents more than this. The 10 in 10,0000 steps represents the 10% of DCS who are from racialised minority backgrounds, in stark contrast to their 26.5% representation in the workforce. It represents the 10.2% of social work managers who identify as Black despite making up 20% of the social work workforce. It marks our ongoing commitment as a movement (not a moment), to continue to highlight the racial inequities that are symptomatic of the racism that sits within social work.