Year 2017 was ROTA’s 20th anniversary year and to celebrate we held a special Anniversary event at the House of Lords on 30th November 2017.

ROTA is a social policy research organisation. It was set up to take over from Greater London Action on Race Equality which started in 1984 so was building on the shoulders of others from the start.

Its vision has remained constant, to help bring about an inclusive and equal society where people from all groups can develop their full potential and the voluntary and community sector is fully participating in serving them. 

Race on the Agenda and London Metropolitan University present the launch of Suman Fernando's latest book - Institutional Racism in Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology: Race Matters in Mental Health.

About the Author: Dr Fernando is an Honorary Professor at London Metropolitan University and formerly consultant psychiatrist in the NHS.

The book launch will be on Wednesday 17th January 2018.  If you would like to attend, please email tahira@rota.org.uk or saifur@rota.org.uk.

The government will produce a new voluntary sector strategy that will "reaffirm the value that government places on civil society", the charities minister has said.

In a written ministerial statement released this morning, Tracey Crouch said the strategy would "provide an opportunity to explore ways to build new partnerships within and between sectors and communities, so that we can better mobilise resources and expertise and find practical new solutions to the problems we face".

An award ceremony to honour race equality pioneers took place, with Operation Black Vote's Director Simon Woolley scooping the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The accolade was in recognition of his work, which paved the way for others to achieve success in the world of politics. Other big names to win top awards at the Diversity UK event include Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, known as ‘the black farmer’, who was celebrated for his championing of entrepreneurship in rural areas.

CSO and ATM in partnership with SOAS University of London are offering 15 scholarships to Somalis in Britain (worth £10,000 each) to study on an award winning Community Leadership Programme. Successful candidates will enrol onto the first Postgraduate Diploma in the UK that focuses on Law and Community Leadership. The scholarship covers course fees and support provided in the form of mentoring, networking and work shadowing opportunities.

This anniversary report by Runnymede Trust brings together varied perspectives from leading thinkers on inequality and Muslims in Britain, unpacking issues such asintegration, hate crime, gender, identity and, of course, racism.

In this personal and provocative investigation, Afua Hirsch explores a very British crisis of identity. We are a nation in denial about our past and our present. We believe we are the nation of abolition, but forget we are the nation of slavery. We are convinced that fairness is one of our values, but that immigration is one of our problems. Brit(ish) is the story of how and why this came to be, and an urgent call for change.

Afua Hirsch will also be the guest speaker at our forthcoming AGM conference on Monday 26th February. 

More details of the event to follow so keep an eye on our website at rota.org.uk.

After 107 years supporting London's thousands of civil society organisations so they can meet the needs of our communities.

It entered voluntary liquidation on 31st October, and many of its services have been taken over by the new charity hub that is run by Greater London Volunteering.

If you would like to know more about the hub for London contact GLV at info@GLV.org.uk.