How to stop institutional racism

In This Week’s Email

• What’s on our mind:?Institutional racism in the workplace
• What we’re reading online:?Articles that piqued our curiosity
• Hustle Crew Academy:?Our next free training is 12 July 1pm BST
• The latest episode of Techish

“Institutional racism is that which, covertly or overtly, resides in the policies, procedures, operations and culture of public or private institutions – reinforcing individual prejudices and being reinforced by them in turn.”?

The streets of Paris have been filled with?violent protests ?over the last five days in response to the shooting of teenager Nahel M during a police traffic stop. Here in the UK, the?family of Chris Kaba ?who was shot dead by police are still calling for answers. It’s been five years since?Grenfell Tower ?burned, killing 72 people and hospitalising as many and 20 years since The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry which was chaired by Sir William Macpherson.

At the time, Macpherson made?70 recommendations which covered matters from policing to education ?. The Home Secretary at the time Jack Straw launched mandatory race awareness training to 43 police forces across the country.

This was seen as a watershed moment for the policing department and?British race relations. ?It was time to stand up and take note that racism had become institutionalised within society, and acknowledge how it fuelled police brutality. Black folks were excited about change and were prepared to welcome it with open arms.?

Fast forward to the 2020s and it would seem that progress has been slow. Following?William Cameron’s death ?in January 2020 and the activity surrounding George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery’s brutal murders in America the same year, it has become even more apparent that racism still runs deep in many countries’ culture and foundations.?

In his 2020 BAFTAS acceptance speech, leading actor winner?Joaquin Phoenix ?called out institutional racism within the film industry by saying:

“I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you’re not welcome here. I think that’s the message that we’re sending to people that have contributed so much to our medium and our industry … I think it’s more than just having sets that are multicultural. We have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism.”

As he addressed the room, it was apparent that his statement rang true. White is?considered the default at every level ?and the entertainment industry is benefiting from the idea of multiculturalism but not encouraging it. Unless there is a token role to play, the default is to cast a white lead every time.?

Institutional racism is embedded in our legal system, our healthcare system, our workplace and our educational system. According to?The Conversation , universities tend to hide their racial bias behind superficial tag lines such as ‘post-racial’, ‘encouraging inclusivity and diversity’ and ‘invest in non-white academics’.

In reality, if you’ve ever visited a university you tend to see the same cookie-cutter individual gracing the hallways – and this doesn’t stop with the students. According to a report published by the?Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) ,?out of 17,880 professors, only 85 were black, 950 were Asian and 365 were “other” (including mixed race) . What’s more, there are?just 41 black female professors in the entire British university system.

This type of blatant institutional racism is present in the workplace everyday. In a 2019 study conducted by Professor Anthony Heath from Nuffield College, it was recorded that?minority ethnic applicants have to send in around 60% more CVs to get a job interview .

Institutions in Britain and beyond have a long way to go to move away from outdated discriminative mindsets.

As individuals, we can take every day actions to influence these institutions and achieve positive, lasting change. See some of our recommendations below.

Activities to try with your team

• In your next team meeting or all hands.??Ask folks to consider when they first became aware of racism. How old were they? Ask yourself the same question – how old were you and what happened to make you experience it?
• Re-framing constructive feedback through the lens of bias.?Consider a comment made in your academic or professional life that was tinged with racism. What happened in that scenario? Who said what? Were there any consequences or interventions taken?
• Think about your last 1:1.?Think about the last conversation you had at work with someone of a different race. Did you take a beat to recognise your race and privilege? Did you take a beat to consider their lived experiences and how they differ from yours?

New habits to make a difference

• Find peers in your professional network who are from different races and cultural backgrounds and expand your perspectives through their stories.
• Challenge yourself to find examples in popular culture, sport, the corporate world and the media who come from Black and other underrepresented racial backgrounds.
• Challenge yourself to consume at least one type of content a week e.g. book, podcast, TV show or film, created by someone of a different race.

What we’re reading

• A comfy way to call out double standards
• Next time you sense racism, try this...
• How do you know when you're being ableist?

Hustle Crew Academy

In our next free webinar we are tackling the awkward and uncomfortable world of bias and microaggressions in the workplace.

If you’ve ever been scared of saying the wrong thing or getting cancelled by your team mates, come along and learn some practical ways to be an inclusive leader.

The best way to lead is to be an example for your team! Learn inclusive actions you can start modelling right away. Register?here ?and invite your team along.

Brand new #Techish , listen to the latest episode

Listen to one of the?UK’s Top podcasts ?— co-hosts Michael and Abadesi dive into the essential stories across tech and pop culture??????.

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