Growing up in Saint Lucia we don't celebrate Black History Month per se but we celebrate other elements of our history like Emancipation Day (when slavery was abolished), Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Heritage Month), Indian Arrival Day (when the first East Indians were brought to the island) and the list goes on. As a predominantly black population, every day is black history month (okay that line sounded better in my head because a day can't be a month but it sure feels like it recently!)
Moving right along...
I always knew about Black History Month being celebrated in other countries but first experienced it in 2017. If I’m being really honest, I didn’t really properly understand it’s absolute need until last year when I found out that black history isn’t taught or even highlighted in many schools!
This year, George Floyd’s murder sparked something phenomenal across the world, and organisations have really been trying to do their part to ensure that their employees represent their customers/clients. In recent years, law firms in particular have been working overtime to ensure their trainees are from diverse backgrounds.
Now, this is where I switch from just speaking about blackness in organisations to the underrepresented groups and the *sometimes* voice in our heads that plays on our confidence. After working as an Aspiring Solicitors Campus Ambassador last year, I got great insight into the underrepresented groups in the UK – people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
As I said earlier, everyone is working on getting underrepresented groups into professions that were DOMINATED by rich, white men. Personally, I think THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! People from underrepresented groups work so hard to have bright futures and pursue their dreams. It was about time we were given the opportunity to flourish and see our dream careers become a reality.
In the words of Cardi B during her interview with Joe Biden earlier this year: “I feel like Black people, we’re not asking for sympathy, we’re not asking for charity — we are just asking for equality.”
Every now and again I sometimes fall down the rabbit hole of thinking whether organisations only push for applicants from underrepresented groups because if they don’t, they will be targeted as not doing their part with diverse and inclusive workplaces. A week or so ago, I was scrolling through LinkedIn and came across this post:
Mind BLOWN! I was just glad that I wasn’t the only one thinking about this. Now widen the scope of that post to include people from all underrepresented groups. There are many QUALIFIED people who are still being passed up for reasons that are just unfair.
If you’re from an underrepresented background and have at some point ever thought about if you’re just part of the percentage firms and other organisations boast about on their website and LinkedIn, the thing is, you just have to play the game.
Keep your head up and keep doing all the great things that you’re doing.
Sad isn’t it? Even though you may feel like you’re just a checkbox, you just have to go with the flow. Don’t let that deter you from pursuing your dream!
The good thing about it though, is that not all firms/organisations are the same. Some firms go beyond only saying that they hired 40% BAME or LGBTQIA+ applicants, to ensuring that the workplace itself feels more inclusive. This comes in the form of workshops that sensitise people who are not underrepresented, of the struggles faced by their colleagues and teaching everyone how to be active allies, which I think is super important.
At the end of the day, none of us are the same and neither is our clientele. We should be wholly representative of that -ESPECIALLY in the 21st century!