Rising above the fear and false dialogue

“Every decent person in this country is ashamed of the outbreak of race rioting and hooliganism on British streets.”

I’d like to say that is in response to the recent riots, but it is in fact an article from 1958 Daily Mirror (Sept 3rd). 65 years ago, our country was gripped by the same hate, fear and mis-information about how migration affects our nation’s stability and identity crisis that fuelled the recent unrest.?A more recent YouGov survey found:

”Regardless of what the rioters believe they are representing, their actions are not supported by the British public, with 85% of Britons opposing the unrest at recent protests and just 7% saying they support the violence.”

It would be easy to blame this on a small minority who are wayward and criminally minded, but that simplifies what is occurring. ?Social media is certainly a factor, but race riots going back as far as 1919 in the UK show public disorder erupting when enough people are incited or misinformed about the situation.

The Far Right rhetoric, which has been gaining momentum steadily across Europe has an appealing narrative for the disenfranchised.? The belief that immigrants are taking jobs, housing, disproportionately bringing criminal elements and receiving benefits and opportunities not given to UK nationals is appealing to some, even if the facts do not stack up against such claims.? If enough media (mainstream and social channels) repeat the same myths enough times it starts to take on a life of its own.

The better question to ask now is perhaps not how did this happen, but what can we do to change the narrative and get to more honest, fact-based dialogue?

The Power of Conversation

It can feel like we are going backwards and that our work in the DE&I space is not making a difference. Yet, even though we have seen some very dark days, I believe there are reasons to be hopeful.

The more we can open up and have honest conversations about our perceptions of race, ethnicity, religion, and immigration, the more we can dispel the misinformation that is perpetuating the problem.

?A Personal Perspective

My own parents migrated from Ireland in the 1950s, leaving impoverished rural Ireland with the promise of work and a chance to bring up a family. During this time, there was huge resistance in the UK to immigration coming from the Windrush generation and from Ireland and commonwealth nations., even though workers were scarce and the skills were desperately needed. My parents (as well as other immigrants) faced blatant discrimination with signs such as ‘No Irish, No Blacks’ commonly displayed in the windows of lodging houses and receiving daily ethnic/ racial slurs and derogatory comments.

We would like to think that society has moved on since this time, but the same misinformation, fear, and hate my parents experienced 65 years ago is similar to the reasons for our current unrest.

It would be easy to fall into hopelessness or feel quite unable to influence the activities, but I believe we can find a way through this. It all starts with a conversation.?

The Workplace as a Platform for Change

?Perhaps the workplace doesn't feel like the right place to hold such conversations, yet many of those who took part in the riots are likely to be holding down jobs with employers like you. They may feel justified in their anger and fear because they have had no opportunity to consider another perspective.

What opportunities exist to hold these conversations?? Perhaps through reflections and opportunities in team meetings, or perhaps some specific events where employees from different backgrounds can share their experiences and their feelings??

Bridging the perception gap?

Hope always begins with a conversation. By learning to hear different perspectives and appreciate how diverse experiences enrich our lives, we can stem the tide of hate.

?Here's two actions you could consider that might address some of these issues:

1.???????????? Share thought pieces on the riots and their impact on workplace diversity.? Perhaps looking at what fuels such unrest and offering some links back to how your EDI work is addressing this?

2.???????????? Holding carefully facilitated discussions that allow people to raise questions and help people from diverse cultures share their own experiences.

By consciously bridging the perception gap across many cultural and racial divides, we build a more inclusive and welcoming workplace and, in turn, a more inclusive society.?

How can I help?

?If you would like help thinking through what such events might look like and how to put a plan together, I'm very happy to provide some free advice to help you develop your thinking. Just reply to this email, and we can set up some time to talk through what you need.

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I would love to hear your thoughts, so do share in the comments below.

#raceriots #buildbelonging #tacklingracism #perceptionchanging #agents2change #theinclusionedge #EDI #Inclusionmatters

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