Anti-racism

Our vision and statement of intent

Geese’s anti-racism statement of intent and vision.

Geese Theatre Company works at the intersection of two systems: the arts and the criminal justice system.

We know that at every stage of the criminal justice system, from stop and search through to sentence length, Black people are disproportionately over-represented. 

We also know that Black people are under-represented amongst employees of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations, and even more so when it comes to leadership roles such as Chief Executive, Artistic Director and Chair. 

As an organisation one of our core values is a belief in change. Primarily when we talk about this value, we are referring to the potential for individuals to make changes in their own lives. However, we also acknowledge that there needs to be fundamental change within the systems in which we deliver our work and that we must be part of that change. If we are not part of that change then we are part of the problem.

Our Black practitioners experience specific challenges when working within the Criminal Justice System. At a prison gate waiting to begin a project and two white practitioners are waved through whilst the Black practitioner is subjected to a thorough search and suspicious glances. Or when our team are waiting to leave a prison after a day’s work and our Black colleague is told by an officer to join a queue of other prisoners – a situation which was resolved only when a white colleague intervened. We see our own team impacted by it, and we see the client groups we work with impacted by it. 

One of the key principles which underpins our work is that of being reflective. At this moment it is imperative that as individuals and as an organisation we spend time reflecting on our own prejudices and privileges and deepen our commitment to educating ourselves, equipping ourselves with knowledge and understanding of the historical systemic and institutional racism designed to create and perpetuate inequality, so we can be a greater part of the change we need to see within the systems we work in, and wider society. 

Geese is a signatory to the More than a Moment pledge and you can download our Anti-Racism Statement of Intent and Vision. We also have an Action Plan – a working document which details steps taken and future actions across a number of areas of our work – if you would like to see a copy of our Anti-Racism Action Plan then please get in touch and we will be happy to share it with you.