Jeremy Crook OBE, Chief Executive of Action for Race Equality (ARE), shares his insights on leadership, managing a charity, and tackling systemic racism. With over 40 years of experience, his perspective on advancing racial equality and driving meaningful change is both powerful and inspiring.
What Three Things Are Necessary to Be a Successful Leader?
To lead a national charity, perhaps the three most important ingredients for leadership success are vision, commitment, and humility.
As a leader, the people around you rightly look to me as the chief executive to have a vision of where we are heading and how we intend to get there. I want to see a country that is free of poverty, racism, and racial inequalities. For me, this starts with the state and all of its agencies. A vision isn’t worth much unless you are committed to achieving it. I have been involved in racial justice work for over 40 years now, and whilst this can be very challenging and frustrating, as a leader, you have a responsibility to inspire and motivate others to play their part. I do this through showing my commitment every day—commitment to the charity that employs me, and everyone associated with it, to children and young people’s support, and colleagues across the public, private, and voluntary sectors. Finally, humility is really important. Solving systemic racism requires all of us to find and deliver the solutions. I do not have all the answers and rely on other people to make their contributions, and this means I need to value, respect, and listen to other perspectives and help to navigate a shared way forward. I must operate within the resource envelope I have, but that’s not to say I should not push the boundaries of possibility, be entrepreneurial, and learn from others. I want my charity to be financially self-sufficient, and after 33 years at ARE, I want my legacy to be a building we own to deliver this.
The Voluntary Sector Does Great Work but Is Often the Poor Relation. How Do You Stay Focused and Motivated Given the Fiscal Constraints?
I started out volunteering as a teenager at a small Black Caribbean ‘youth’ charity in Walsall. We were based in a portacabin that could only squeeze in a couple of table tennis tables and offices. And whilst we didn’t have much staff and funding, we helped the community and provided a safe space. This was a great grounding for me and made me realise that one can still make a difference with very limited resources. The fight for racial justice doesn’t have a price tag. We have to think and act smart at all times. The UK civil society sector is diverse in terms of scale, resources, and ethnicity. Most Black and Asian charities are not household names or large organisations, so we face marginalisation by the system.
As a Black Man, What Are Some of the Narratives You Want to Reclaim?
I have the honour of engaging with young and older Black men from all working- and middle-class backgrounds. What I see is talent, creativity, humour, and humility.
I also see Black men who are ground down from their lived experience in this country. I get great joy in meeting Black men who are at the top or near the top of their chosen profession. These are all role models and are especially important to young and mature Black men who don’t see the pathways to success. I think the narratives all Black men face are the narratives that Black men aren’t as intellectually capable as White men, and we should stick to sport and music. Of course, this biological racism goes back centuries and was used to justify the enslavement of African people. The other negative stereotypes persist that we are lazy, irresponsible, and aggressive. This is still a daily battle confronting Black men.
What Should Your Generation Be Passing on to the Next?
The good news is that today there are many more successful Black men and women in every sphere of life. I am not sure it’s about passing things on to the next generation! My generation wants to pass on a less racist country and world, but we are witnessing race riots by far-right criminals on our streets setting fire to buildings where people reside. On a practical level, if we are fortunate to pass on property to our children, that’s a massive help in these difficult fiscal times. I want my generation to pass on far less poverty and hardship. I want all young people to start their adult journey without massive student debts and have a place they can afford to live independently and thrive.
Favourite Quote/Phrase/Adage/Proverb?
Malcolm X:
“[…] anytime you find someone more successful than you are, especially when you’re both engaged in the same business—you know they’re doing something that you aren’t.”