Race Equality Week: Courage as a Collective

This month, during Race Equality Week, colleagues across Sainsbury’s joined a powerful conversation led by Ria Kalsi, Founder of Matriarch, and hosted by Rachel Alexander, Regional Stores Director and Co-Sponsor of the I AM ME network at Sainsbury’s. The session explored Courage as a Collective and invited us to reflect on what it truly means to share responsibility for race equality.

Even though the conversation took place within Sainsbury’s, the ideas within it extend far beyond one session. They offer a blueprint for how any manager, colleague, or individual can help build a culture where everyone feels valued and included.

Take a look at the themes shared by Ria: along with everyday actions we can all take to encourage empathy, courage and movement towards racial equality.

The people behind the headlines

Ria began with a truth that many people feel but perhaps do not feel safe to articulate: members of ethnically diverse communities are feeling increased fear, anxiety and vulnerability in their everyday lives.

Ria generously shared her own family’s migration journey and discrimination that followed across generations. Her story was a reminder that conversations about race don’t live in theory, they live in people. They shape whether someone feels safe speaking up, or whether they feel the need to mask or codeswitch to get through the day.

If we want to build inclusive organisations, we have to see this reality clearly — not as a headline, but as a human experience.

Psychological safety: The foundation of belonging

One of the most resonant messages from Ria was the importance of psychological safety. Before someone can stretch, challenge, innovate or lead, they first need to feel that they belong — not for what they contribute, but for who they are. This is what she called inclusion safety, the foundation from which everything else grows.

It can be created through the smallest actions:

• A genuine check-in.
• A moment of empathy.
• A willingness to slow down and listen.

According to Ria, these gestures are the architecture of belonging. They show colleagues their humanity is recognised and valued, not just their output. When we focus on these human moments, people can feel more seen. And when they feel seen, they contribute more openly, challenge more confidently and trust more deeply.

Courage isn’t grand, it’s everyday

People often hold back from conversations about race because of fear: “What if I say the wrong thing?” Ria challenged this directly. Courage isn’t about getting it right but choosing to show up, even imperfectly.

Courage looks like:

• Asking a question thoughtfully
• Apologising when you’ve got something wrong
• Listening without defensiveness
• Checking in when something feels “off”
• Backing up a colleague who you think isn’t being heard

These aren’t dramatic acts, they’re everyday actions we can all take. And they are powerful because they’re quick, easy, and repeatable. Those small actions compound into something much bigger.

Small actions, big difference

Ria shared some practical models that all of us, no matter our background, can use to build confidence and take action.

1. Micro and Macro Actions

Micro actions are small but consistent, think of:

• A kind message.
• A follow-up question. 
• Being curious rather than cautious.

Macro actions are structural. This might look like:

• Joining a network.
• Volunteering.
• Supporting external learning opportunities.

Both create impact, but together they create momentum.

2. Reflect Before Reacting

One of the most transformative invitations Ria offered was to explore the origins of our beliefs about race.
Where did they come from? Who shaped them? Do they still serve us today?

Reflection isn’t passive. It’s action, the kind that shapes how we show up.

3. TALC: A framework for braver conversations

If you’re keen to start having more courageous conversations, this simple TALC model will help by creating structure: 

• Think – What is my intention?
• Ask – Approach with curiosity.
• Listen – Truly listen.
• Close – Acknowledge, follow up, stay connected.

This can replace fear with clarity and helps courage to feel practical, not theoretical.

4. ALEC: How to offer support to someone who might need it

Allyship goes beyond sympathy — it requires action. With the ALEC model, Ria offered a roadmap:

• Affirm – Validate their truth.
• Listen – Let them speak without interruption.
• Experiences – Understand the impact.
• Community / Knowledge – Connect them with support.

This is how we turn empathy into solidarity.

Allyship as a long-term practice

Ria responded by emphasising resilience, accountability and the need for all of us to stay engaged, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Allyship isn’t a title, a campaign or a one-off week such as Race Equality Week, it’s a muscle that’s strengthened by repetition, reflection, feedback and action.

If we want to build cultures where everyone feels valued, respected and included, we all have a role to play. Not perfectly, but consistently.

Where we go from here

Courage as a collective is a practice. It’s the accumulation of tiny actions, brave conversations, small risks and everyday empathy.

Ria’s message reminds us that courage doesn’t always roar. More often, it whispers:

“I’m here.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’m learning.”
“I’m with you.”

If each of us chooses even one small action, every day, we move closer to building workplaces and communities where everyone can feel a better sense of belonging.

A huge thank you to Ria for joining us for this session, to Rachel for facilitating such a meaning conversation, and to the many, many colleagues who showed up so eager to learn.