This article draws on interviews with 41 equality and diversity staff in higher education institutions in England who were not members of the Race Equality Charter (REC). It uses the concept of Whiteness and White privilege to argue that within the framework of White normative practices, the role of equality and diversity staff are used as a smokescreen to perpetuate a system of White privilege. Higher education institutions who are not members of the REC do not invest in such initiatives to protect their own White interests. Rather, they give the "appearance" of addressing equalities under the guise of the Equality Act (2010). The article argues that in order for racial inequalities to be addressed, policy making such as the REC must be mandatory. Furthermore, higher education institutions must consider how they empower equality and diversity staff in order that they have the time, resources and commitment from senior managers to instigate real organisational change.