Leaves are falling, conkers are strewn about, and I bought my first squash of the season! It's a time of change for many, and we're feeling it here at Diversity Lens too. We're a very small team who run this newsletter, and while we love doing it, it can stretch us pretty thin sometimes. That's why we're going to be moving to a monthly sending pattern.

But don't fret! We'll still be bringing you expert insights, D&I stories, and information to keep you informed and inspired.

As always, we appreciate any feedback to make this newsletter the very best it can be for delivering human-centred social change stories. ❤️

-Cressida, Head of Content

QUICK FIRE NEWS 🧨

🗯️ Keir Starmer tells racists “you will never win”

🩸 New HIV action plan aims to get UK back on track

🩺 Trans people missing routine cancer screenings

🧕 Meryl Streep appeals for women's rights in Afghanistan

🫥 All the allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs, explained

LETS GET INTO IT 👇

EU becoming more xenophobic

Voting patterns and polling data over the past year suggest that the EU is becoming more "ethnic, closed-minded and xenophobic" in their understanding of Europeanness.

Why is this? Europeans of colour have been affected by surges of xenophobia, fulled by ongoing conflicts overseas, anti-immigration rhetorics, and general validation of far right narratives. This has left many people of colour in Europe feeling alienated by their governments, and the wider EU. The report points to a "gradual mainstreaming of a xenophobic worldview."

Why does this matter? If we allow this wave to continue, we risk xenophobic narratives taking a hold not just in cities and countries, but in wider EU legislation. We need a more vocal front from politicians to call out anti-immigration and xenophobic rhetorics, and celebrate diversity in our societies. Otherwise, the report warns, the EU could either collapse entirely, or, it could flourish in a new, more hateful form.

Are Gen Z refusing to become managers? 👩💼

The newest workplace lingo is "conscious unbossing" and apparently is a condition afflicting Gen Z workers specifically.

What does it mean? The term refers to Gen Z not wanting to take up middle-management roles, mainly due to not wanting to tell others what to do, and to avoid the stress of it. A survey found that 52% of UK Gen Z professionals did not want to take on a middle-management position and would prefer to advance their career via personal growth and acquiring new skills.

But what about the salary hike? Monetary benefits are no longer enough to tempt a lot of people into managerial positions. The salary isn't attractive enough to offset the stress and pressure that comes with the role. 69% said it was “too high stress, low reward.” And before you go denigrating Gen Z attitudes, can you really blame them? 75% of middle managers said they felt “overwhelmed, stressed or burnt out.”

Windrush report suppressed by Home Office, finally to be released 📋

This report, on the origins of the Windrush scandal, was hidden by the Home Office for the last three years before being forced to release it.

Why hide it? The hard-hitting report reveals decades of immigration legislation that was designed to reduce the UK’s non-white population. Disclosure of this history was repeatedly buried, and freedom of information requests were denied due to risk of “trust in government” declining in affected communities. It took a transparency campaigner to argue the case in court, and fight an appeal before a tribunal judge ordered the information to be released, citing the phrase: “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.

What else does the report say? We're still waiting for all of the information to be fully released, but it is expected to shine a light on the laws between 1950-1981 that impinged on the rights of people of colour in the UK. Laws that meant legal residents in the UK but born in the Carribean could be classified as "immigration offenders" and pushed out of jobs, homes, healthcare, and general inclusion in British society. It is very telling in itself that so much time and money went into trying to prevent this report becoming publicly available.

THIS WEEK WE'RE LOVING 🥰

💉 The new body horror that satirises attitudes to women ageing

🧑🧑🧒 Huge company introduces equal parental leave

🧠 "Pregnancy brain" finally being researched