Runnymede Trust

The Runnymede Trust is a British race equality and civil rights think tank. It was founded by Jim Rose and Anthony Lester[1] as an independent source for generating intelligence for a multi-ethnic Britain through research, network building, leading debate and policy engagement.[2]

The Trust began operations in 1968, the year of two major events in global and British race relations: the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr and Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" speech. Runnymede Trust has played a leading role in the UK's national debate around race, helping shape legislation including the 1971 and 1976 Race Relations Acts, introducing popular usage of the term "Islamophobia" with its 1996 Commission on British Muslims, and more recently its work informing civil society's debate of issues including the 2021 Sewell Report and the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

The Trust had been led since 2020 by Halima Begum as director and chief executive, until she stepped down in 2023.[3][4] Its chairman is Sir Clive Jones.[5]

  1. ^ "Biennial Jim Rose Lecture". The Runnymede Trust. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. ^ "Runnymede Trust / About Us". Runnymedetrust.org. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Dr Halima Begum is Runnymede's new Director". The Runnymede Trust. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Dr Halima Begum to step down as CEO of the Runnymede Trust | The Runnymede Trust". The Runnymede Trust. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Runnymede Trust / Staff Team". Runnymedetrust.org. Retrieved 22 October 2015.