Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

FIDELE MUTWARASIBO

Through my role as co-lead of the Citizens:MK Fight Against Hate campaign, I promoted the campaign on posters displayed inside Arriva buses and got posters displayed at the three Milton Keynes railway stations, thanks to Network Rail.

In my role as vice president at MK Community Foundation, I supported the successful application for a grant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a project aimed at promoting Black people’s social mobility.

I have learned a lot of lessons from my engagement with the business and the corporate sector. One of the lessons I learnt is that although businesses drive for the bottom line-- i.e., profit-- it doesn’t mean they don’t care or have time for social justice. Public image is vital for businesses.

We don’t have to look too far away because in 2020, following the Black Lives Matter protest, many businesses and corporations reviewed their history and committed to being more inclusive, lifting up those left behind because of history or any other reason, and ensuring their mobile within the workplace can increase people’s disposable income and ability to spend.

And we know businesses are keen to get us to go to buy services and goods. And finally, diversity advantage has been gaining prominence in the corporate world. In addition to helping businesses improve their retention, diversity in the workplace helps them make better decisions, if and when all the perspective within the organisations are given a fair hearing.