Shropshire Council staff send message to show racism the red card
Council staff are showing a red card to racism to support to a national charity.
Backing Show Racism the Red Card, Shropshire Council staff are being asked to take photographs of themselves at work to be used in a collage of images on a special screensaver organised to operate on national Wear Red Day on Friday.
Additionally, the Wear Red Day theme has been added to all staff online payslips this month.
Council leader Lezley Picton said: "This year’s Show Racism the Red Card theme – ‘Change hearts, change minds, change lives’ – is very much complementary to the national Black History Month theme as well – ‘Time for Change: action not words'.
"This starts with all of us, in the efforts that we can make as individuals, across the council and across our county, to recognise and tackle racism and other forms of discrimination wherever they occur.
“I am delighted to see the efforts being made by our staff, and I am proud to show my own support, along with cabinet members, and to do our bit as Shropshire councillors to seek to change hearts, change minds and change lives.”
The aim of this year’s efforts is to spread across the whole county and help as many as people as possible to join in, wherever they are based in this very large and rural county.
Group shots of people have been encouraged, along with cards and stickers, for facilities teams based across the county while the message has gone out to all those working from home or in an office setting for the photos to be anything from people eating red velvet cake, wearing red ties or red tops, or posing with cats on red cushions, or dogs in red bows.
Keiran Brookes, secretary of Shropshire Unison General Branch, added: “We are delighted that the council are continuing the highlighting of inequalities in society and injustice to groupings in our community with every opportunity, and supporting the National Wear Red Day to show racism the red card – and this is an excellent joint initiative.
“As a branch we would like to encourage all Shropshire Councillors and officers to wear red on Friday, or show their support in other ways, and in so doing help the council to play its part in helping Shropshire to truly become the welcoming inclusive place that we want it to be.”
