Black Lives Matter — it’s time to have a conversation.
As a Black British woman I have lived with racism all of my life.
The stink bombs that my family and I received through our door when I was a child, the time our white neighbours decided to smash my mum’s car window, the white boy in my first year of school that told me he couldn’t play with me because I’m black, the time a recruiter asked me for a photo to match my job application (which I stupidly sent) and then she never called me back, the notable difference in the way that I am treated in comparison to my white counterparts at work.
Unfortunately, these are just a few examples and are the reason why the recent brutal and evil murders of black people in the United States have really touched me. Every time a black person is abused or even worse murdered not just across the waters but in the UK and all over the world, it hurts.
In the words of Will Smith “Racism is not getting worse, it’s getting filmed”.
Quite frankly, I’m black and I’m tired. I’m tired of fighting, tired of explaining, tired of being different, I’m tired of feeling inadequate, I’m tired of the fact that I’ve had to live like this and these are things I have to accept some white people will just never understand.
Following the murder of George Floyd, last week Tuesday an opportunity arose to get involved in a huge campaign on social media called #BlackoutTuesday in support of the Black Lives Matter agenda, a show of solidarity for our black colleagues, patients and community and the urgent need to raise awareness of racism.
My colleague asked our communications director if we could get involved and his initial response was that we should focus on the Covid-19 pandemic and not take what others might see as a political stance.
When I heard this I thought of all the times I experienced racism and never said anything.
So here was my response…
“Dear all,
I am both shocked and saddened by this decision.
I have to be transparent and let you know that this is not a ‘political’ issue, it is also not a ‘US’ issue, this is a world issue that needs to be addressed by all.
You may have been unaware but #BlackoutTuesday was simply an opportunity to show a small gesture of support and solidarity with black members of the public and staff.
The NHS employs many black and ethnic minority people who often do not feel heard or supported and unfortunately this action adds to this.
Racism is very much present in our lives, workplaces and communities and I strongly believe that staying silent on this matter feeds into the very thing we are trying to defeat and can sometimes amplify it. Acknowledging that it exists is the first step, but saying you support black communities and staff is the second, in the fight against discrimination.
While yourself and senior leaders in the NHS may not have the same lived experience as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people, I’m sure you can empathise with the situation and think of a way to constructively address this while also supporting staff and the public.
I’m sorry, but the pandemic should not be used as an excuse to stay silent, there needs to be a better explanation than that. This explanation will also need to be shared with staff as myself and other colleagues have been asked if we are going to speak on or address this as an organisation, both internally and externally. So this is bigger than me.
The organisation has recently announced another restructure which is devastating to staff, despite the pandemic and concerns about mental health. For this reason, I politely ask you and those above you to think about what message this sends and whether or not our stance on this can change?
I understand that you may feel awkward; I understand that you may not know how to address this. Even BAME members of staff are unsure what to do and what to say right now. We are always careful not to cause offense, but I do not feel that the same respect is afforded to us in return. This is very demotivating.
Racism is affecting the mental health of both the diverse public that we serve and staff, including myself.
I feel it’s important for you to know and share with your senior colleagues that there is a lot of anxiety in the organisation right now, first there was a pandemic and now this. BAME members of staff are not okay right now and not speaking about the issues that we can all see (across the world) creates additional tension amongst staff and breeds further scrutiny and judgement towards the organisation.
On a day to day basis, as a communications team we are continually asked to ‘follow trends’, manage our reputation and ‘be creative’.
Even if we were the only ones to say something, we could have taken this as an opportunity to set a trend, spark a conversation and encourage others to do the same.
Not to mention the huge impact this would have on BAME public and staff and also those who aren’t BAME, as we must remember that this is not simply a BAME issue, it’s something that affects us all, as we all have interactions with each other and racism does impact how we see and treat each other.
One message could really speak volumes and add to existing work to create a more inclusive environment, which is what I thought our organisation and the NHS on a whole is striving towards?
You may not agree but as a communications team we have a duty to speak on this, no bland and general statements, just something simple and from the heart.
As this decision was made by NHS England please let me know who I can address this with because there is clearly a very important conversation to be had? I understand that these decisions are above your head however I am happy to take this higher.
I’m confused as to why I have seen other NHS and partner organisations in our local area post tweets about racism yet we cannot?
None of the posts I have seen are political, they simply make it known that these organisations are against racism, care about their community and stand in solidarity with black people over the world.
If we can’t do something publicly then please let me know how this can be addressed internally?
As a workforce we’ve been continually asked to share our stories and made to feel like we work for an organisation that cares about mental health and wellbeing. Now is the senior leadership team’s opportunity to take some action and show you mean what you say.
Please receive this email with the sentiment of raising awareness and best practice on how to approach this and not the sentiment of anger.
I look forward to receiving your response.
Kind regards
Ayesha
I wrote this because simply Covid-19 is not the only pandemic right now.
Racism is also a pandemic, a disease that there is no vaccination for, and that BAME people for many years have been left to deal with on their own across the world.
Right now this conversation cannot be ignored. As a black woman I’m taking this as my opportunity to educate my white counterparts and ask them not just to sympathise with what they see on the news but to stop, think and take action. Please, if you see racism speak up and step in, your fears on speaking up will never match those of us who are actually living it. Take an extra minute to think about your actions and your words.
To incite change sometimes you have to take that step, be brave and be the first.
Thankfully, my director did listen and did raise the issue. A letter was sent to all staff from our Accountable Officer (a public version can be read here) and a message was posted across all of our social media channels. This small gesture received praise and admiration from many BAME members of staff that simply wanted some acknowledgement and support for the struggles that they face.
I have also been happy to hear that my director, senior leaders in the NHS and other colleagues state that they have learnt from this situation. If you’re reading this, thank you for listening and paying attention. I sincerely hope to see this in your actions going forward.
To be listened to, heard and understood is all I’ve ever wanted.
Thank you.
Ayesha Baker is a Communications Manager at the North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commission Groups
Connect with Ayesha on Twitter: @Miss_EshaB
