IRR: About the Institute of Race Relations

About the Institute of Race Relations

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) was established as an independent educational charity in 1958 to carry out research, publish and collect resources on race relations throughout the world. In 1972, the IRR's membership backed the staff in a radical transformation of the organisation from a policy-oriented, establishment, academic institution into an anti-racist 'thinktank'. The IRR began to concentrate on responding to the needs of Black people and making direct analyses of institutionalised racism in Britain and the rest of Europe. Today, the IRR is at the cutting edge of the research and analysis that inform the struggle for racial justice in Britain, Europe and internationally. It seeks to reflect the experiences of those who suffer racial oppression and draws its perspectives from the most vulnerable in society.

Research

The IRR's reputation is built on its investigations and analyses into pressing issues of contemporary British racism. These investigations have covered such areas as racism and the press, police racism, exclusions from school, deaths in custody, the plight of asylum seekers, anti-Muslim racism, the impact of anti-terrorist legislation and attacks on multiculturalism. The IRR also conducts research on racism in other European countries, examining the rise of racial violence and extreme-Right parties, asylum and immigration policies, human rights violations, policing and security policies and the 'integration debate'.

Publishing

The world-famous international journal Race & Class is published quarterly by the Institute of Race Relations, as is the European Race Bulletin. As part of its educational work, the IRR has developed a number of educational resources, including the HomeBeats: Struggles for Racial Justice CDROM. IRR News is an online alternative news service on race and refugee issues which seeks to give a voice to the voiceless through coverage of stories the mainstream media ignores. The IRR also publishes occasional reports on matters of concern.

Management

The IRR is a registered charity governed by a Council of Management, elected from the IRR membership and composed of people who share a concern about racism and a commitment to overcoming it. The day-to-day work is undertaken by a staff of seven people with the help of Council members and volunteers - please contact the IRR if you are interested in volunteering. The work of the IRR is supported from publication sales and by individual donations and grants from charitable trusts. The members of the council of management are:

Colin Prescod (chair)
Professor Lee Bridges
Victoria Brittain
Tony Bunyan
David Edgar
Paul Grant
Professor Louis Kushnick
Lord Ouseley
Naina Patel, OBE
Fizza Qureshi
Danny Reilly
Cilius Victor
Frances Webber

The Institute of Race Relations is a UK-registered charity, number 223989, and a UK-registered company, VAT registration number 238 8869 01. All correspondence to: Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HS, UK. The IRR is precluded from expressing a corporate view: the opinions expressed on this website are therefore those of the authors. The IRR is not responsible for the content of linked external websites. Inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. To the extent permitted in law, we do not accept any responsibility for any statement in the material on the IRR website. You must not rely on any statement we have published on the IRR website without first taking specialist professional advice. For the avoidance of confusion, we will not be liable for any loss caused as a result of your doing, or not doing, anything as a result of viewing, reading or listening to the material or any part of it.

Research

Publishing

Management

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