• £93,573 pilot for city region’s first business support hub for black-led businesses
• £65,000 to tackle structural racism in the workplace
• £55,000 for improved online educational resources at the International Slavery Museum

As part of its recently launched Race Equality Programme, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has announced £214,000 for pre-development funding towards three projects that will help tackle racial inequality in the city region.

The funding will enable the three projects to get started on important work that will contribute towards identifying and tackling the barriers that negatively impact on the economic position of BAME communities.

The three projects approved for funding are:

Nia Black Business Hub Pilot:

£93,573 for the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre to run a pilot to develop the concept and delivery plan for a project which aims to create the city region’s first business incubation and support hub specifically for Black-led businesses.

Positive Action & Employment Support Programme:

£65,000 for the design of an LCR-wide positive action infrastructure and employment support programme, to deliver significant benefits both to individuals and to business and economic performance across Liverpool City Region.

International Slavery Museum:

£55,000 to take forward the first stage of pre-development funding for the International Slavery Museum, including enhanced virtual classroom resources –making the existing transatlantic slavery programme more accessible and providing a new legacies programme – and a pop-up exhibition exploring ways of using the Martin Luther King Jnr Building (the former Dock Traffic Office), in connection with the International Slavery Museum.

Speaking about the pre-development funding, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“Events over the past year have bought into sharp focus the deep-seated and structural inequalities that exist in our society and, as Mayor, I have committed our city region to taking meaningful action to address this.

“In October we launched our Race Equality Programme and pledged to listen honestly to the issues facing the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities in our city region and work together to drive change. 

“This funding marks and an important first step and I’m delighted we’ve been able to help projects that support BAME businesses, address inequalities and underrepresentation in our economy, and face up to the legacy of slavery in our city region”

Michelle Charters, CEO, from Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre, said:

“We are delighted with this financial support and commitment from Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram and the Combined Authority.  It will allow us to work in collaboration with the Women’s Organisation and build on the work of L8 A Better Place in order to pilot and develop the Nia Black Business Hub, which will offer support to people of African, Caribbean, Asian and Arab descent in order to develop new ideas, initiatives and businesses in the LCR region.”

Claire Benjamin, Head of Learning and Participation at National Museums Liverpool, said:

“Our Legacies virtual classroom will explore the importance of Black representation and cultural identity prior to transatlantic slavery, as well as current day issues and campaigns. Support from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will help us to create digital resources for schools, a bursary programme, and professional development opportunities for teachers and educators in how to meaningfully engage children and young people with these important themes and subjects.”