Throughout our inquiry, we heard the perception that politics is often done “to” rather than “with” communities, and how the absence of representation of minority ethnic identities in political and public life has likely contributed to the lack of focus given to, and progress made on, racial equality in Northern Ireland. We urge organisations and political parties to take steps to encourage the representation of minority ethnic voices within their own institutions—so that politics and civil society become more diverse and better reflect Northern Ireland society today. (Paragraph 8) An absence of data