Staff networks

EMpower network

Southwark Council’s EMpower network aims to raise aspirations of and improve career prospects for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) staff through facilitating and promoting various networking, learning and development and peer-to-peer mentoring opportunities.

Our aims are to:

• empower and support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff to be very best that they can be and to realise their full potential
• create a cultural exchange through sharing different facets of BAME history and culture with staff across the council
• raise awareness of ailments and issues which affect large swathes of the BAME community

The network is run by a committee of staff who play an instrumental part in coordinating our events and activities. If you would like to join our mailing list so that you can find out about upcoming events and network plans, or get involved in another capacity, please send an email through to empowernetwork@southwark.gov.uk. 

EMpower network statement on George Floyd

Date: 3 June 2020

The EMpower network stand in solidarity with the family and community of George Floyd who was murdered by the police in Minneapolis.

This is not a situation that is unique to the United States and Black people in Britain are also suffering from police brutality and structural racism. In the past few weeks, we have seen frontline workers physically assaulted and spat at, we have read reports on how ethnic minorities are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 and we have seen the excessive use of brute force during police searches and protests.

We hope this will provoke conversations and introspection but more importantly, we want this movement to extend beyond the global protests. We want concrete steps to improve the situation in the UK and beyond.

Yesterday’s #BlackoutTuesday and mass outpouring of support was a step in the right direction but we implore you to do more and avoid optical allyship. Donate to these causes, commit to helping your local communities tackling issues facing us, read up on what is going on and lend your voices to the struggle.

We end with the following quote from Martin Luther King, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”

Page last updated: 04 February 2021