My Racism, Your Racism?: The new face of racism

I felt the need to whinge after seeing all these audios of Africans in China being racially discriminated during the pandemic.  What I will be saying below are my thoughts based on these videos and speaking to a few people.

From social media platforms and main news outlet, it led me to believe there was a rise in racism across the developed world before Covid -19 reached Europe.  Many were horrified by the insults hurled on Chinese students in the UK. These racial harassment incidents took place even in communities. Chinese restaurants were set on fire with people losing their jobs because of their nationality in some countries. That was and is terrible.  Then the Italians because that became the Covid -19 epicentre before anywhere else in Europe. Gradually, people realised that it was a world pandemic with no boundaries based on skin colour or borders. Once people start seeing this group or that as being the reason for a virus where would the line be drawn? I said to a friend of mine we will come out this pandemic either realising we are all equal or worst-case scenario discriminating other groups further. He said what do you think will happen and my answer was, of course, more inequality. By the way, I do believe we will be fighting more discrimination after this pandemic. I was not celebrating that Chinese student’s people were facing racial harassment because I meet that every day and I know how it feels. I am not watering down the experiences of these people, Italian or Chinese who initially faced this COVID wave of racism. What I am saying racism is racism, whether on a white black or brown person and should be treated as such. Once we start separating it as white, black, brown racism, then we face the danger of creating further divisions. Racism has no face. If we look at it from the pandemic lets, call it for what it has been about rather than give it colour.

 Then, fast forward April 2020, while talking to another Diversity and inclusion practitioner, he told me he had been asked to write about racism on the Chinese communities during the pandemic. I quickly asked him, racial attacks in general or only on the Chinese people? Interestingly, he didn’t know about the plight of Africans in China.  Racism is racism, whether you are African or Chinese, right?

African Students were chucked out of their accommodation, not allowed hospital treatment, and some ended up begging their governments to take them home. These Africans were being targeted based on their skin colour. I know because it was not on BBC news many never saw this side of CovID-19. As far as I remember, it was reported as an allegation and was, of course, being denied. The Chinese government has been supportive of African students through scholarships, and about 80 thousand or thereabouts across the continent are studying in China. It is human nature (as observed from my decades of being on planet earth) that when we don’t understand something or scared, we look for a scape got and sometimes even our friends or neighbours can become such. However, thanks to African channels, Al Jazeera and social media channels like WhatsApp, we were able to connect with family and friends in some provinces in China were these (discriminatory behaviours) were taking place.

Some people may think racism is about a chip on the shoulder by those that are always talking racism, but for me, it is the abuse of power by those privileged to have it. People who still find joy in never accepting accountability and responsibility but doing everything it takes to pass on the blame on the powerless ones.

Just because the racial harassment of Africans did not happen on the European continent, it does not mean it didn’t happen. In the post-pandemic fight of racism, let us remember the Africans in China. Let us not forget the effects of racism on individuals are similar. They do not respect the colour of a person.

Right now, in America and the UK, there are more black and brown people on the frontline who are dying. Yes, the reasons for that are not known yet. However, I pray to God that it won’t be another layer of stigma on people already grouped as a minority.

As always these are my thoughts, observation and a bit of reading.

Of leaders who are not leaders: My thoughts

Have you ever received an email from a senior member in your workplace and realise that despite the attempt to mask it, the senior member was nasty to you? Also, you know that they think by sticking ‘have a good day’ at the bottom of the email, they think you are stupid and will not notice it. These types of leaders exist in our day-to-day lives. It could be at work or anywhere but know for sure that you are in trouble when you have such. They like to remind you that they are your leader and emphasize how important they are to the organization as if you are not. A very simple definition of an organisation says it is about people coming together for one purpose, business or whatever. Having said that, yes, there will be hierarchies for this organization to function well but it does not mean that those below a certain grade in the structure should be treated with disrespect.

What is leadership anyway? I will go for a simple definition. I am not writing an academic paper here.

Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards the achievement of a goal (Kevin Kruse). I find this definition simple and it encompasses what I want to say. It is not about saying to people ‘look I am intelligent, cleverer than you, the big man or woman of the company and there is you this little nothing member of the organisation’). Trust me some leaders exude these traits. In my 13 years of living in the UK, I have come face to face with leaders like these. It is as if they cannot help it. You rather want to say ‘we know you are, who are, do not rub it in my face’. However, why should it be like that? There is no need. How can one expect to influence the people they are belittling or mocking? It doesn’t work.

I remember a friend many years ago whose Senior Lead used to waltz in her subordinates’ office and moans about how she doesn’t understand why people get to the next day with no money. As far as she was concerned such people could only be stupid. My friend was like ‘wow’. There was a woman with money who didn’t know what it meant to be on a lower wage and struggling to make ends meet. She would do this every week on her way from lunch shopping. What sort of motivation would you get from that type of person?

I think if you are a leader, it doesn’t qualify you to use that privilege to bully and belittle subordinates.

Great leaders find the balance between business foresight, performance, and character. They have vision, courage, integrity, humility and focus along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyse cooperation amongst their team. They do not walk around puffing their chests to show that they run the show.

Please be Kind.

Which one of the protected characteristics is the most important: really? My reflections

I always like to write about issues most troubling me but I don’t always get the chance.  Trust me, managing work and other responsibilities can most definitely take one’s time.  On top of that, there is tiredness especially a week after the Christmas break. I just felt coming back to my special place where I can write about stuff that might be difficult to get the right audience in real life. Disclaimer: These are my views, experiences and observations and if they do not fit neatly in yours, then you can always read quietly, be polite in disagreeing with me or just do not bother reading.

So, here are the  areas of equality and diversity issues that I have been struggling with and meant to write about all along, black people who think because they happen to have made it to the top positions in organizations – all of a sudden, they are superior to the rest of the black people in the world. I am talking about black people in particular because I happen to be black and I am writing about this because I have come across these people and also heard from the people, I speak to about how annoying these people are. They are annoying mostly because they make others feel as if their lack of progression is a sign they are not as hardworking as them, they fit and you who doesn’t progress, you do not fit or are not trustworthy enough to get where they are. Anyway, maybe you are reading this and you are one of those people and you are thinking maybe I am jealousy – the answer is no, I am not.

Let me explain. In most cases, these people, before their promotion, they complain and moan about everything; the lack of opportunities to progress in the organisation, they mourn about the inequalities, they moan about everything and they still mourn until just before they get a promotion.  All of a sudden, they tell you, they do not see, have never experienced all the things they once mourned about, and all those complaining would just need to work hard and will just be fine. In fact, they make you feel like you are one of those black people always playing the race card. They make you feel like you are lazy. They do not even want to talk to you. When they see you walking towards them, they change the direction of where they are going. In meetings, they always have to disagree with you even when it’s obvious you are making a good point. It is as if you make them uncomfortable. At any events to do with equality, diversity and inclusion, they take the back seat or they do not show up.

I honestly do not understand. All I can think of is maybe they want to please so much that they do not remember how life was before becoming this new person. Anyway, food for thought! I rest my case.

I am not saying equality and diversity is a responsibility of one group of people, I am not saying it’s a black, white, brown and yellow issue but my beef is with those who change the narrative depending on where they are.

While I am at it let me talk about another issue:  people who are so passionate about their little box of inequality, they are the only ones suffering inequality because they are female, LGBT+, etc but they don’t believe there are problems as regards other protected characteristics like race for example.  They argue that because they have black or BME friends they think there is no racism in the UK. What I can only say is, its not a matter of comparing apples and mangoes when it comes to equality issues, and we can’t put on a scale all the types of inequalities and try and measure the most serious one. That would not work. Inequality in any form or shape is bad and let us not try to score points by suggesting that being black is better than being disabled or being gay is worse than ….. Discrimination sucks whichever type. There is no way we can know what it means to be a black person, a gay man, a disabled person etc unless we are that, so what gives us the right to compare them all and decide that being this is better than being that?

All I am saying is let’s treat people with dignity and respect not by their bodily or socially constructed characteristics!