The Welsh Government has pledged to change the 'beliefs and behavior of the white majority' in Wales.
Labour's devolved government pledged to eradicate racism by 2030 and set out an anti-racist action plan that calls for all aspects of public life to be made “inclusive”.
To meet the plan's demands, government agencies have already launched policies including potentially destroying statues of “old white men” deemed offensive, and official reports have recommended creating “dog-free areas” to promote inclusion stimulate.
The Labor government has now revealed that one of the outcomes of the plan will be a change in “the beliefs and behavior of the white majority”.
This is contained in an updated plan released with a foreword from Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, who reiterated her “commitment to building an inclusive and fair society for all our black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and communities”. repeated.
A statement of the “logic” of the updated action plan states that the overall “vision of an anti-racist Wales” will be achieved through “shifts in knowledge, beliefs, experiences and behaviour, as well as systemic and cultural changes”.
It argues that the outcomes of policy changes implemented to achieve this vision must occur at organizational, societal and 'individual' levels.
The plan adds that this “includes shifts in the beliefs and behaviors of the white majority.”
Intended changes in society will be measured by the Welsh Race Disparity Evidence Unit, which will look at “whether we see a reduction in any disparities”.
The plan states that this reduction in racial inequality should be pursued in all public institutions and in all areas of life, from government employment to the work of museums and art galleries.
As an employer, the Welsh Government has set an aim to “drive behavior change” with actions such as “induction for new recruits” and “compulsory training options”.
The plan also requires youth work to support its objectives by encouraging discussions about racism among young people.
The Labor government gathered evidence to inform future policies designed to make the outdoors more inclusive for ethnic minorities. An advisory report to the government suggested creating “dog-free areas” to help achieve this.
To achieve the objectives of the Anti-Racist Action Plan, museums, galleries and public works of art have been told to provide the 'correct historical narrative' that provides a 'decolonised account of the past'.
This version of Welsh history must be “one that recognizes both historical injustice and the positive impact of black Asian and minority ethnic communities”.
This has led to institutions such as the Big Pit National Coal Museum being commissioned to provide educational materials that “tell stories through the lens of the experiences of black, Asian and minority ethnic groups”.
Guidance from the Welsh Government has already led to official advice on how to deal with potentially offensive images of Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Henry Morton Stanley, all of whom have monuments in Wales
Government guidance issued in 2023 stated that historical images that often glorify “powerful, older, able-bodied white men” could be “offensive” to more diverse modern audiences.
The active advice to councils and other bodies responsible for public art states that such images may be hidden or destroyed.
Policy demands to deliver the vision of an anti-racist Wales led to a £130,000 project to make libraries more inclusive.
The preliminary work produced guidelines aimed at having librarians “challenge the “paradigm of whiteness,” and antiracist training should only be conducted in buildings that were not themselves “racist.”
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to creating an anti-racist nation by 2030. Our Anti-Racist Action Plan for Wales is built on the values of anti-racism and calls for zero tolerance of all racial inequality.”
