Dolly Ogunrinde, Project Manager at Pepal, reflects on her childhood and front-line experiences working in the women’s sector to envision what anti-racist practices could look like for specialist women’s and girls’ organisations.
When I was 13 years old, my father had a stroke, the impact of which was catastrophic to our family. We were devastated, desperately hoping he would recover whilst quickly spiralling into economic hardship as my mother’s Healthcare Assistant salary suddenly became the only income to provide for a family of six.
Reflecting on that time in my life with all I know now, my knowledge and front-line experience working in the women’s sector for half a decade, it strikes me as blindingly obvious that my family fell through the gaps of the social safety net and support that was available to us. This situation is a microcosm of what can and has happened to countless Black and minority ethnic families across the country. Families who struggle with multiple barriers to entry when navigating access to services provided by institutions steeped in bias.
Having worked in the women’s sector for over five years, the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement amid a pandemic brought the issue of racial equity to the fore. It compelled the sector to confront some uncomfortable truths and question their policies and practices.
Organisations are now looking for concrete ways to translate the intent of many to do better into real, meaningful action. This action is taking place on two fronts: internally – by improving policies and governance structures within the organisation – and externally – by developing inclusive methods of practice that benefit and respect service users.
As a young black woman working in the Third sector, I have experienced microaggressions, witnessed unconscious bias in interactions between white staff and service users, and been subject to problematic salary allocation practices.
These experiences are not unique to me. Rather, they are explored in greater depth in Bond’s recent report Racism Power and Truth. While I felt able to challenge such incidents – sometimes to my own detriment – organisations must interrogate their internal governance policies to ensure that the balance of labour for fighting for equity does not tip too heavily onto the shoulders of Black and minority ethnicity staff. The work of being an anti-racist organisation is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation.
Diversity and inclusion training should not be approached as a tick box exercise that acts as a substitute for taking practical action on implementing anti-racist structures. Instead, consider the following three areas within your organisations’ structure as a framework for beginning to make substantive change.
1) Are there barriers to entry?
When you consider entry-level positions in your organisation, what are you asking from applicants? Is it a certain level of formal education? Is it for them to have particular experience? Is there an expectation to work for free? All of these notions need to be challenged. Unpaid internships, for example, are a monumental barrier to entry for young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
It not only disqualifies those who do not have the privilege to work for free but also perpetuates the false idea that only middle class, affluent candidates are suitable for working in the sector. This is a dangerous precedent as it leads to wider systemic problems in the long run regarding organisational diversity.
2) Is your workplace a safe place for Black and ethnic minority staff?
Fostering a safe space in the work environment is essential as BAME staff members can be exposed to discrimination, harassment or emotional harm in spaces that are not safe. In order to foster a safe space different initiatives can be implemented, for example, establishing BAME networks across the organisation or the sector more broadly. However, it is also worth assessing the structures in place for giving feedback or making complaints.
Are those processes robust, unbiased and transparent? As feminist organisations, it is imperative we create workspaces that challenge traditional hierarchical power structures and enable the voices of everyone to be treated with dignity and respect. Suppose incidents of racial discrimination occur at work and staff either do not feel comfortable to speak up or do not know how to report them. In that case, it can fuel a toxic environment in which the cultural norms at the workplace can become skewed.
3) What does your leadership look like?
A chronic issue in many organisations I have worked with in the past is the lack of diversity within the senior leadership team, and how that lack of diversity creates a wider disparity between those in leadership positions and those who are the organisation’s beneficiaries. Fair and transparent succession strategies should be written to ensure diversity at all levels of leadership, which involves nurturing a diverse talent pool with training and development opportunities.
This would avoid BAME staff hitting a glass ceiling that doesn’t exist for their white colleagues. Furthermore, radically reframing what ‘experience’ is considered appropriate for managerial posts is important as formal and informal experiences lead to a well-rounded and diverse leadership team.
Reflecting on the external-facing side of an organisation, it is critical that power hierarchies are dismantled between staff and those who access services. The UK has a vibrant and diverse culture of diasporic communities whose power, influence and knowledge could definitely be utilised more within the sector.
We should question whether the experiences of those we work with are reflected in those who work for us. Having a binding connection through cultural understanding goes incredibly far in building authentic relationships.
Looking back at when my father was sick, it is apparent to me that what my mother needed was an advocate. An advocate who could understand her situation, empathise with her struggle and support her in navigating a complicated social benefits system.
Engaging with hard-to-reach communities is some of the most meaningful work we do in the women’s sector and is what has motivated me throughout the years. Having a diverse workforce helps us do this; diversified not only by race but by experience, opinions, and knowledge. That will allow us to ensure our approach is humane, non-judgmental and structured in a way that empowers those we work with.
Find out more about Pepal.