Black History Month 2024: Reclaiming Narratives, and Diversity in the Housing Sector

By Pete Evans · 30 October 2024

To mark Black History Month, a small group of colleagues here at ARK wanted to provide their thoughts on diversity in the Housing Sector as well as the theme of this year’s BHM, ‘Reclaiming Narratives’

This theme is not just about revisiting history; it’s about taking ownership of the stories that define our culture, our contributions, and our very identity. It’s a call to action for Black communities across the UK to step into the role of storytellers, historians, and custodians of our heritage. For far too long, our histories have been narrated by others, leading to distorted portrayals that fail to capture the full breadth and depth of our experiences.
From the BHM website

On Reclaiming Narratives, CHIC Head of Procurement Ade Osunsanmi said:

History is always from the point of view of the storyteller, who may choose to omit or add based on their perception at the time.

For example, a complete story would have taken into consideration the contribution of Lewis Latimer to the Light Bulb invention which has been solely attributed to Thomas Edison. Granville T Woods is another black inventor having more than 50 inventions and worthy of mention is his contribution to communication system for railway stations. He was credited for making great contribution to third rail and fought for recognition at great price to gain credit for his invention, with barely had enough to live on and as such died as a destitute. https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/granvilletwoods/.

Globally published narratives have not really been fair in this aspect and Black contributors were probably written out just because naming them might water down the believability of the invention or diminish the potential for uptake by everyone.

It is especially challenging for a minority person to undo bad press, and it is neither easy to obtain and retain good narrative, just one slip up will undo all their good work. Together we can reclaim narratives, by acknowledging the contributions of others to show they matter irrespective of their colour, being honest in our assessment and kind, irrespective of colour.

On the history of Black and minority ethnic housing associations, ARK Administrator Sophia Brown:

Other than the faith groups, perhaps the most successful and enduring example of organisation around particular needs are Black and minority ethnic housing associations.

Some of these housing associations originated from political mobilisation and indeed one or two, such as Ujima in London and Handsworth Single Homeless in Birmingham (before their demise) and Odu Dua In London, began by aiming to meet a highly politicised need at the time (with respect to the link between criminality and homelessness) – alienated homeless Black youth.

The development of Black and minority ethnic housing associations is a landmark in the progress towards racial equality for housing associations. The earliest Black associations developed as a response to unmet needs in their communities, needs that had been ignored by the statutory agencies.
In the 1950s and early ‘60s, “immigrants were not welcome in the public sector or in the private rent market”, as Black Housing Magazine reported in 2001. It was not uncommon to see “no dogs, no Blacks, no Irish” signs in the windows of houses advertising rooms for let.

The new arrivals, mainly from the Caribbean at that time, used their community networks to find accommodation and, because loans and mortgages were not readily available to them, they further developed their community finance and banking systems to provide funds to their members to purchase their homes. However, these properties were frequently in very poor condition and overcrowding was prevalent. These conditions were not dissimilar to those that were experienced by others who were renting privately.

Two early examples of Black-led associations were The Coloured People’s Housing Association and Trinity Housing Association, both of which operated fairly successfully until the 1974 Housing Associations Act introduced a policy of rationalisation by limiting housing association activity to particular areas or ‘zones’. Zoning effectively starved small associations (including those Black associations) of funds, forcing them to remain small or disappear altogether. Conversely, zoning worked to the benefit of the larger associations, who expand and became more powerful.

Some Black associations did not survive this new regime; the Coloured Peoples Housing Association merged into Metropolitan Housing Trust, and Trinity into East London Housing Association.

Other small and fledgling groups, including Black-led associations trying to start up and develop autonomously at this time were not encouraged to do so. They were persuaded instead to enter into partnerships with larger established associations, which would control the technical, development aspects of housing, leaving the small association to manage the properties once they had been developed. Needless to say, such arrangements were unsatisfactory, and these associations were repeatedly denied the opportunity of developing independently of their ‘partners’. As a result, only one or two Black associations were able to start up and expand autonomously during this period – Ujima Housing Association was one of them.

A recent dataset published by the National Housing Federation stated that “The ethnic diversity of the workforce is not reflected in executive positions. 10% of the workforce is Black/African/Caribbean/Black British but only 3% of executives. 5% of the workforce is Asian/Asian British but only 1% of executives”. The EDI national data report analyses data submitted by 177 organisations, representing 76% of homes owned by housing associations in England. Summary sheet here 

ARK Consultant Zainib Akhtar:

As someone from the South Asian community, the lack of representation of individuals who look like me serves as a reminder that there is still progress to be made within the housing sector. While it is encouraging to see many organisations actively identifying challenges and implementing strategies to bridge this gap, the journey is ongoing. Representation matters because we bring with us diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and the resilience that resonates with so many who face similar barriers. It is crucial for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to have role models—people who inspire, mentor, and demonstrate that success is achievable for all, regardless of the obstacles we may encounter.

ARK Marketing Manager Pete Evans:

I am new to the housing sector, having joined ARK in January 2024. During my short time in the sector, attending various conferences and events and while growing my housing sector network on LinkedIn I have found Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation encouraging, but I am aware that improvement is required at senior levels. Whilst avoiding tokenism, we must create a level playing field where talented individuals from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to progress. Organisations must work hard to develop an inclusive culture that allows promising Black, Asian and minority ethnic professionals to advance naturally into leadership roles. As these initiatives progress, we can expect to see a gradual but sustainable improvement in diversity at the highest levels, better reflecting the communities that the sector serves.

CHIC Procurement Manager Riten Aghera

I follow Dr Dwight Turner on LinkedIn, Course Leader in Humanistic Counselling & Psychotherapy at University of Brighton. He is a powerful voice in championing his roots and publishes great articles, blogs and thought provoking posts. “Otherness” and “Being the other” are terms used in his writings which sensitively addresses the voice of the minority and their struggles in society. Representation in the social housing sector still remains a conversation point as the years pass, but with the right approach, our diversity can be embraced for the good of all. Black History Month is opening up thoughts and bringing people from all cultures together to celebrate contributions to our society and encourage conversations about diversity and equal treatment in all aspects of our lives.