When it comes to race and ethnicity, language is powerful.
Fear of getting it wrong is used as a reason to not talk about race at all.
Getting it wrong can have terrible consequences for all involved.
It can uplift and it can destroy.

Join Ranjana Bell and Steph Edusei on this latest Black All Year episode to discuss language in the context of race and ethnicity.

Ranjana Bell MBE is Chair of The Road to Recovery Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, a charity that supports people on their journey of recovery from addictions which won the Asian Business Connexions 2021 3rd Sector Award.

In January 2014 she was awarded an MBE for her work with the police and BME communities in Tyne and Wear and Northumberland.

Ranjana has over 40 years’ experience in the field of Equality and Diversity. She has been a teacher for children with special needs; a local authority Race Equality Officer; an Equal Opportunities Officer for a university; a Non-Executive Director for a design company and has held the position of Director for her own company, rba Equality & Diversity since 1998.

She has been on many Boards and committees and including Chair of the Northumbria Police Strategic Independent Advisory Group (currently); former Co-Chair of the NE CPS Scrutiny Panel for Racist and Religious Hate Crime; PCC Independent Member for Police Misconduct Panels (currently), Chair of the NE Counter Terrorism Advisory Group (currently) and Co-Chair of Young People in Conversation (currently). She was a government appointed Commissioner for the Women’s National Commission for 4 years and has been a Lay Member of Employment Tribunals since 1999. She is a founder member of The Angelou Centre and The National Black Police Association.

In 2009, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to Equality and Diversity by CULTURES CIC; in 2012 she was shortlisted for an Asian Women of Achievement Award for her contribution to public service. She was named as a Social Changemaker in 2020 by the Northern Asian Powerlist. She was added to the 2022 Northern Power Women List.

In March 2022, she was named as The Volunteer of the Year by the National British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP).