UK Black Pride launches inaugural community Survey, We Will Be Heard
"We’re stepping up to ask what the communities we represent feel, need and find joy in," says Exec Director of UK Black Pride Lady Phyll
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Provided
UK Black Pride has launched its inaugural community survey, We Will Be Heard.
The survey, aimed specifically at LGBTQ Black people and people of colour, will ‘fill the gaps in understanding of what life is like in the UK for this group,’ according to organisers.
It precedes this year’s digital celebration for LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern descent, taking place from Friday, 2 July to Sunday, 4 July.
Lady Phyll, co-founder and Executive Director of UK Black Pride commented: “Building this survey has been a labour of love. As we looked for a survey company to help us develop and deliver our inaugural survey, we were told countless times that we’d be ‘lucky’ to get 1,500 respondents. Our communities remain overlooked and underestimated, but it may be that the right people aren’t doing the asking. So we’re stepping up to ask what the communities we represent feel, need and find joy in.
“We’re particularly excited about the Community Action Plan, which will be shaped and informed by what our communities tell us in the survey. Through the Community Action Plan, we’ll commit to delivering funding to organisations that are doing great work in the community to help LGBTQI+ Black people and people of colour live full, joyful and healthy lives.”
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A UK Black Pride rep furthermore explained: “In 2018, the Government released the findings from its National LGBT+ Survey, in which 92.4% of respondents were white. As evidenced by the National LGBT+ Survey, our communities are rarely meaningfully reached or accounted for in surveys about the LGBTQI+ experience. We Will Be Heard, which is supported by Stonewall and data analytics agency Kantar, is aimed specifically at LGBTQI+ Black people and people of colour and aims to fill the gaps in our understanding of what life is like in the UK for LGBTQI+ Black people and people of colour.
“In line with our mission to ensure the communities UK Black Pride represents are seen, heard and supported, the findings from the survey will help inform our first Community Action Plan, through which UK Black Pride will distribute funding to organisations supporting LGBTQI+ Black people and people of colour across the UK.”