Standing in Solidarity

The Board of Trustees of ESEA Community Centre (ESEACC) has issued a strong statement of support for Risa Tan, a prominent trade unionist and community advocate, who is facing disciplinary action from the union Prospect who represent 163,000 people across professions including engineers, scientists, managers and civil servants. The Board has expressed "grave concern" over the move, characterizing Risa as a vital role model and a tireless fighter against racism.

The ESEACC is a community organisation dedicated to supporting the ESEA community, fighting racism, and promoting civic participation and workplace rights. In an open letter to Prospect, the Trustees highlighted Risa’s extensive track record in combating appearance-based street-level racism, particularly during the surge in discrimination faced by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) communities at the time of and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board emphasised that Risa’s activism directly challenges harmful stereotypes that often plague the community. "Members of our community are frequently labelled either as 'model migrants' with no worthwhile opinions or as aggressive agents of the Chinese Communist Party," the statement read. "Risa’s articulate support for trans rights, democracy, and trade union rights, in the UK and across China and Southeast Asia, clearly dispels such stereotypes."

The organisation argued that Risa’s presence in the labour movement is critical for ensuring inclusivity. "The UK trade unions need to have many more ESEAers like Risa to demonstrate that the labour movement is an inclusive movement striving for the well-being of all employees, including less well-represented ethnic minorities," the Board stated.

Noting that ESEA individuals remain significantly underrepresented in trade union leadership and workplace representation roles across the UK, the Trustees described Risa’s position as a workplace representative and conference delegate for Prospect as a "very positive role model for the younger generation of our community entering the world of employment in the UK."

They stated that Risa’s work had been instrumental in challenging negative stereotypes that reduce leadership and activism, and her work had actively encouraged greater ESEA participation in the labour movement. The Board of Trustees concluded that as a role model, Risa’s continued participation in Prospect is of "critical importance" to the community and urged the union to reconsider the disciplinary action. 

You can download the open letter here