‍We Move

“We must keep moving. If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl; but by all means keep moving.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Over the weekend of 2 – 4 September 2022 the Runnymede Trust convened We Move, a race equality and migrants’ rights Summit, seeking to answer the following question:

“How do we come together to harness opportunities for change and move towards a better, fairer Britain?”

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Here is just a sample of the feedback:

The We Move summit was a breath of fresh air in what can sometimes feel like a politically stifling environment. It was clear to me that every person, with their own unique struggle and strength, had been considered and valued equally, by the organisers and attendees alike. Most admirably, the acknowledgement that whilst our struggles may be different, they all demand the same respect, was one of the governing principles that ran throughout the event. I believe this allowed us to approach one another, despite our differences, with open and understanding minds.

The true measure of just how unique of a weekend Runnymede Trust created came when I left. I stepped back into the train station and felt a million worlds away from where I had just been but equipped with a sense of belonging to a community that I know will remain.

– Nakkita De Silva, Policy & Campaigns Intern, Liberty

The energy in the summit has been really positive showing a will to change the current state of affairs by people from different backgrounds and generations.

During this current unprecedented and difficult times, the summit brings hope for organisations and communities to build power and organise themselves as a coalition to defend the rights of migrants and ethnic minorities. There is a window of opportunity that this energy and hope is galvanised into mobilizing more people and organisations to help those affected by discrimination, injustices and the cost of living crisis and begin to improve their wellbeing and living standards.

– Paulo Yunda, Assistant Researcher, New Economics Foundation

The We Move Summit was the first such gathering of our communities in my professional memory. Five hundred people, navigating boundaries, finding synergies through energising conversations, the buzz and excitement throughout the whole weekend was palpable.  I was able to meet numerous people we engaged with during the pandemic for the first time as well as reconnect with colleagues I had not seen for years. The range and quality of workshops were great.

However, for me it was the spaces in-between that allowed for personal and professional stories to be shared underpinned by a common acknowledgement that despite the devastation of Covid and now the reality of the recovery, we had somehow managed to survive.

– Yvonne Field, Director, Ubele Initiative

The Runnymede Trust’s We Move Summit came at a time when there is a real need for energy and unity in the anti-racist movement as we face a profound economic crisis which is going to worsen already deeply embedded structural inequalities. The We Move Summit really provided that energy – packed with people from community groups, unions, activists, NGOs, university students and staff coming together to share and learn from each other.

As an organisation focused on research on ethnic and racial inequalities with a mission to communicate our findings and translate it into policy change, we really valued the chance to learn from others and share our work with a wide, interested audience who gave us thoughtful feedback and told us what we could do to contribute to their work.

– Bridget Byrne, Director, Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE)

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It was such a proud moment for DLA Piper to sponsor and contribute to the We Move summit. As a responsible global business law firm, we at DLA Piper support our communities and engage with key a number of social issues including fostering the skills of the refugees and migrants’ community and building upon their lived experience. Throughout the summit it was encouraging to see the diversity, energy and enthusiasm from the audience and their corporate solutions to some of the greatest challenges faced by the refugees and migrants’ community in the UK.

Last but not the least, we were incredibly pleased with the outcome of the summit and look forward to enhancing our support to such initiatives and their implementation in future.

– Awmaima Amrayaf, Pro Bono Legal Officer, DLA Piper

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To paraphrase the great Arundhati Roy: "Another world is not only possible, she is on her way."

And over the weekend of 2 – 4 September we could hear her breathing!

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Big thanks

The Summit is proud to be built alongside our valued Foundational partners: Liberty, New Economics Foundation, Ubele Initiative, and Manchester University’s Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity, and JCWI. We are also grateful to the many groups and organisations, too numerous to list here, who supported us financially and/or by contributing sessions or other content.

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