Friday Thoughts On Racism — Could Your Ethnic Minorities Be Capable Of Greater Things
As I continue to plumb the depths of racism, I’ve learned that there is so much more that I need to learn. I have barely scratched the surface of the horrors that racism has inflicted on people like me and of other ethnicities, whose economic development has been stunted by the enduring effects of slavery and colonisation.
In previous posts I shared stories from some of the glossy Hollywood movies that tell of how Black people, despite the blatant resistance and barriers put in their way, fought through to make a difference; unfortunately, these stories are far too rare. When films like Hidden Figures or The Banker glorify how it is possible for Black people to achieve through hard work and perseverance; no matter how redeeming the story is, somehow all it does is make our lives that little bit harder. Why is that? Because of responses like “well that was then in the 1950’s & 60’s and this is now in 2021 those situations don’t exist now.” Or the old gaslighting phrase “see what you can achieve if you pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”
What these movies fail to show and what we don’t see in 2021, is what could have been achieved then and now, if we Black people and people of colour did not have to constantly fight these headwinds. What more could have been achieved if these Black ladies in Hidden Figures, were recognised for their abilities and leadership skills, and were given comparable positions to the managers and supervisors they served? And what could the banking system have looked like if these Black men in The Banker were supported rather than blocked?
Where do these headwinds come from anyway? It can’t be a natural phenomenon, because everyone would have the same restricted possibilities for achievement. It must be man-made, but is it conscious?
During the Atlantic slave trade and the period of European colonialism, yes it was definitely conscious. So many books, documentaries, films and TV programs show to varying degrees of accuracy the oppression of Black people worldwide. Today, these headwinds are either consciously promoted through white supremacy or unconsciously sustained due to indoctrination of what is considered normal civilised society and systemic racism.
I recently watched a documentary that impacted me deeply called Subnormal: A British Scandal by Oscar award winning director and producer Steve McQueen. Unfortunately, you can’t see the documentary unless you are in the UK, but you can watch the documentary Q&A.
The documentary was moving, but the Q&A moved me more because it related more to my own personal experience. You see, I was born in the UK to Caribbean immigrants, (so-called economic migrants now) yet my experiences relate so much to what was being discussed.
Let me share from my own personal experiences some (I would need to write a book to cover all) of the examples that demonstrate the constant headwinds I have suffered and continue to suffer. Only recently have I begun to understand the detrimental effect it has had on my own development and career prospects.
Generational Educational Privilege
My parents were well educated in the Caribbean, with my mum dreaming of becoming a teacher herself before the decision to emigrate to the UK. Because my parents were not educated in the British education system, there were often occasions where I was given exercises to prepare for lessons the next day. The assumption the teachers made was that parents could help their child with preparation. Often this required specific understanding of British culture which my parents did not have, so my preparation was often sub-standard leading to low marks. This is an example of the generational educational privilege my peers had over me.
This was a recurring theme until I was introduced to computing. Computer Studies was relatively new in the school curriculum and was therefore a level playing field that I excelled at; even achieving an award for excellence.
Nearing the end of my time at school my careers officer suggested that I should be realistic about my desire to work in IT. He suggested that I should look for an assembly line job at the major employer where my dad worked — Vauxhall Motors in Luton. On leaving school, like my white friends and I applied for jobs and they quickly secured positions. I sent over 200 letters to companies in the area, received very few responses, had 3 first interviews (one of them at Vauxhall), but no job offers.
I had not considered and was not advised by my careers officer to consider further education. University was definitely not an option for a Black working class Caribbean boy. I was fortunate to find a vocational training course at the local college and achieved an exceptional passing grade. Achieving a vocational qualification was a “leg up” that many of my peers did not need due to their privilege of “being a better fit to the team”.
Work Experience Headwinds
My first job after leaving college was working in a warehouse. Due to a “mix-up” at the local job centre (a place where unemployed individuals can receive a small income and can look for employment), I was not informed of an interview for an IT job. I should have attended on the day I was told, but by the time I was informed it was too late.
When I finally got my break into the world of computing it was as a Peripheral Operator, loading magnetic tapes and printer paper. Jobs in programming, systems analysis, and management were reserved predominantly for the white and usually male. The only other Black people (who became my first long term Black friends) also worked in computer operations and no other IT field.
Later in my career I realised that I needed a degree to progress. But securing an MBA sometimes didn’t help either. Frequently I was given the excuse of being over-qualified, a common excuse when your Black face doesn’t fit. Recently due to the lack of opportunities to gain experience in the traditionally white male dominated spaces of SAP or Architecture, career progression through these doors remain firmly shut.
Please look to the ethnic minorities in your organisation, especially Black people. If you have a black person or person of colour working at just below the glass ceiling in your company, think about the massive headwinds they have faced to get to this place. Then consider that to get that next step up they are facing hurricane force winds against them. Without your recognition of their capabilities, only the very exceptional will ever achieve their full potential and provide the value we can bring.
Racism is systemic and is actively sustained by those that either actively support it, by those that deny that it has an effect today and consign it to the failings of the past. But worse are those who are indifferent to it, who recognise it but resign themselves to being powerless to do anything against it. If this is you, you are complicit in systemic racism by your indifference.