News / Bristol Commission for Race Equality
Museji Takolia appointed new chair of Bristol’s race equality commission
The new chair of Bristol’s Commission on Race Equality (CORE) hopes to build a legacy of a brighter, more inclusive future for the city.
Museji Takolia CBE has been appointed to the voluntary role, taking over from professor Olivette Otele as head of the body set up by mayor Marvin Rees in 2018 to champion racial equality and help tackle existing disparities in the city.
Museji set up the first ever equality unit at Bristol City Council and was appointed as chair of the Pensions Advisory Committee by the secretary of state for works and pensions in 2016. He previously worked as a senior civil servant and also chaired the Wye Valley NHS Trust, tasked with leading the trust out of special measures.
is needed now More than ever
Speaking about the new role, Museji said he was honoured to take on the baton of furthering race equality and inclusion in Bristol.
Museji Takolia hopes to build a lasting legacy of a brighter future for everyone – photo courtesy of Bristol City Council
“Our task now as a commission is to build a lasting legacy, to create the space for a conversation about how the city heals and recovers from those events [Black Lives Matter movement and the toppling of Colston’s statue] and a pandemic, with a brighter future where everyone feels included,” said the chair of CORE.
“This is therefore a shared endeavour. One where I call on the leadership of others within and beyond the city to be as bold in their vision and actions as the mayor, so we help every citizen of Bristol achieve their potential, irrespective of the pigment of their skin, their religion, national or ethnic backgrounds. Join me with open minds and racial equality will be the making of our dream of One City.”
CORE has a panel of voluntary commissioners and sits alongside the Women’s Commission and newly-established Disability Equality Commission, each of which has unpaid chairs.
The recruitment panel that appointed Museji included deputy mayor Asher Craig and the vice-chair of CORE Margaret Simmons-Bird, a former director of education for Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Craig said Museji brings significant public policy experience in education, employment and health areas to the role and “has a track record of identifying and making radical, systemic change”.
Rees added: “Together with city leaders from Bristol’s minority ethnic communities, the commission is working hard to challenge the structural inequalities experienced by these residents in the city. I very much welcome the insight and leadership he has to offer.
“I would like to thank Museji’s predecessor Professor Olivette Otele, whose leadership of the commission has provided pathways to better understand how race equality across the city manifests and is redressed.”
Main photo from Marvin Rees Twitter
Read more: New commission to investigate inequalities faced by disabled people in Bristol
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