Cities are living, breathing systems. They shift with politics, economics, migration, and public sentiment. Designing an anti-racism strategy in this context is not simply a policy exercise. It is a leadership challenge, a trust-building process, and, often, a moment of reckoning.
Our work supporting a city-wide Anti-Racism Strategy offered a powerful case study in what it takes to move from intention to meaningful, system-wide change, particularly in a city navigating rapid social, economic and institutional transformation.
Here are the key lessons.
1. Start with truth, not polish
One of the most important early decisions was to prioritise honest listening over performative messaging. Through staff engagement, community conversations, and citywide consultation, several consistent themes emerged.
2. Treat lived experience as data, not anecdote
Too often, lived experience is positioned as supplementary to "hard data". In Liverpool, we intentionally reframed it as core evidence.
If lived experience is not shaping your strategy, your strategy is already incomplete.
3. Move at the speed of trust, not urgency
There is often pressure, particularly in public sector contexts, to deliver quickly. But anti-racism work does not respond well to rushed timelines if trust is low.
Pace is not just about delivery. It is about credibility.
4. Internal and external change must happen together
A common pitfall is treating anti-racism as either:
- An internal workforce issue, or
- A community-facing commitment
In reality, these are deeply interconnected.
You cannot build trust externally if inequity persists internally.
5. Leadership must move from endorsement to ownership
Many organisations are comfortable expressing commitment to anti-racism. Far fewer are prepared to own the implications.
Anti-racism fails when it is everyone's responsibility but no one's accountability.
6. Expect resistance and design for it
Resistance is not an anomaly in anti-racism work. It is part of the process.
Design your strategy for the reality of human behaviour, not the ideal of it.
7. Strategy is only the beginning
Perhaps the most important lesson is that strategy is not the outcome. It is the starting point.
An anti-racism strategy is only as powerful as the system that sustains it.
Anti-racism in cities is not just about addressing inequity. It is about rebuilding trust, redistributing power, and reshaping systems in a way that reflects the realities of all communities.
In periods of rapid change, this work becomes even more critical and more complex.
But when done well, it also becomes a powerful opportunity, to not just respond to change, but to shape a more equitable future because of it.