In conversation with: Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees is intent on fixing the inequality problem in his city.  He sees being mayor as an expression of a deeper commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive world. A commitment that is a product of the circumstances of his birth.

“My mum had me in 1972, unmarried,” says Rees in this interview with EG editor Samantha McClary. “I use this description. It’s a bit brutal, but she was an unmarried white woman, not much money, with a brown baby on the way.”

Rees spent some of his early years living in a refuge and watched as his mother, a “sub-working-class woman with a brown baby” was disrespected by those around her.

“That burned into me,” says Rees. “Since then I’ve always had a sense of concern for people I thought were being left behind or being mistreated. That has been a sense of burden I have carried and wanted to do something about.”

And while Rees knows there is still much to be done in Bristol to fix its inequalities, he has not let that burden of responsibility sit too heavily on him while in office. He has sought to find ways to ease that burden, including creating the Bristol Equality Charter and the Stepping Up programme. He is also lending his support to EG’s Future Leaders project.

Listen in to find out more about why a focus on diversity and inclusion is vital for our cities to thrive.