Diane Abbott controversy | Go beyond DEI targets & ensure diverse people aren't being silenced

The recent news that Diane Abbott stood up 46 times during PMQs to make a point on Tory donor Frank Hestor’s abhorrent comments against herself – saying the east London politician ‘makes you want to hate all black women’ – sheds light on a common issue we have in our society.

That when we, as a community, aim to reconcile discrimination, we often fail to hear or include the voices that matter – the voices of those who experience this oppression.

It points to the fact that we can attempt to increase representation in our businesses and put people from diverse backgrounds in positions of power, but there’s no real value in this if these voices are silenced and overlooked.

This situation is a reminder that meaningful change comes not only from putting people in the right roles alone but from listening and responding to the opinions of those in these positions.