Black Lives Matter — the role of communications professionals
“Calling all comms pros” — Yes, you!
Those of you who write newsletters, publish tweets, engage with communities, influence senior management teams and run campaigns….
Did you know that you have a role to play in the Black Lives Matter agenda?
As a Black British woman, working in communications in the NHS, this week I used my position to speak up against racism and hate crime and support those who are in pain following the death of George Floyd, and countless black deaths before him.
I used my communication skills and influence within my organisation to channel my frustration (and the frustration of those before me) into something constructive.
I took this opportunity to spread the message of love, solidarity and support across my organisation and into communities in North West London.
I am fortunate enough to work in a communications team that has three other Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) staff, two of whom are black and one who is Eastern European. This isn’t the norm, and I am used to being one of one in most communications teams, events, conferences and training sessions, which always speaks volumes to me.
Despite having four BAME people in our team of 16, this week I found it hard to share how recent events affected me, my mental health, my family and my community. Not only in 2020 but from before I can remember, before my parents and before their parents.
Having conversations about racism, how it makes me feel, how I can relate and how change can be created is difficult when you are one of few black people and you are worried about offending white people and white people are worried about offending you.
The conversation has grown bigger than just black or BAME people. White people also need to get involved to help tackle racism.
To my white colleagues, you may think… ‘I’m not black’ or ‘what does this have to do with me?’ and I want to clearly state that having these thoughts does not make you racist. However, please know that your silence makes you complicit in the systemic oppression of your BAME colleagues and communities and I want to take a moment to let you know the power that you have.
Regardless of your pay grade, communications people are the gate keepers in every organisation.
We monitor trends, keep our ear to the ground, spark conversations on current and political affairs and support our staff. So why is the Black Lives Matter agenda any different?
Racism exists, and we are in a privileged position to be able to use our communication skills to highlight and address it and promote safe spaces where open conversations can be had. In the hope, that in one team, department, organisation, home or school something changes.
You have that power! Yes you.
The power to influence your senior management team to visibly and actively support their BAME staff networks, the power to send all staff emails outlining support for BAME staff, the power to write news stories that acknowledge the discrimination in and out of the workplace and the power to ‘push the envelope’ and explain why this is important and needs to be mentioned, now!
Let’s be honest, 2020 isn’t what we expected. In the UK, we are still figuring out the implications of Brexit, recovering from the coronavirus and now this! This hasn’t been a normal year and we have all been forced to approach things in a new way. So we have to respond to the death of George Floyd and the global uproar in a new way. Not the traditional ‘NHS politically correct way’ but the human, empathetic and compassionate way.
A way that says — we see it, we acknowledge it, we stand with you.
You now have an opportunity to lead and inspire others to change.
Let’s get one thing clear — acknowledging racism does not make you racist. Acknowledging racism symbolises your willingness to be a catalyst for change and once you are willing to help create change, you can spread the sentiment of change in your communications messages and materials and encourage colleagues and senior staff from all departments to do the same.
This is why it is also so important to recruit more BAME individuals into our NHS communications teams. They can help advise when materials are tone deaf and help to ensure messages and campaigns resonate with diverse communities. Otherwise what’s the point if it’s not going to land with the audience?
Every year we are reminded that in the NHS and across the PR and marketing industry, having a diverse team is rare. This is part of a wider conversation but also why we can’t just rely on BAME staff to raise and address issues of injustice, bias and/or discrimination; it’s a job for everyone.
If we leave it to our underrepresented BAME staff like myself, we will never be loud enough.
There are many BAME individuals in the NHS who right now are being overlooked for promotions, racially abused by their managers and may not feel supported. There will also be BAME followers on your social media accounts who’ve just read several posts with #AllLivesMatter outlining why black people don’t deserve ‘special treatment’. They need you, they need your support and for you to stand with them against racism.
Just take a moment to think about the impact this has on people’s mental health and how uplifting one social media post, news story or letter from the Chief Executive can be. Not only for BAME staff but also for non BAME staff, to educate them on the role they play in supporting the fight against discrimination.
My communications career began in 2015 at Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust (HRCH). It was initially a three month internship but was extended to 11 months and I was taken under the wing of a very experienced and dynamic communications professional (Emer Delaney, Head of Communications for the NHS London team). I learnt the basics of communications and grew so much as a person. I left with a glowing reference from Emer which opened many doors for me in the future, within and outside the NHS.
Fast forward to 2020, and I am now enjoying a fruitful career as an Internal Communications Manager at the North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commission Groups, where I am luckily under the leadership of another dynamic communications professional (Rory Hegarty, Director of Communications and Engagement) who has personally gone out of his way to aid both my personal and professional development.
Just think… What if as a black woman, from North London, I wasn’t given the chance to start a career in communications at HRCH? Or in 2018 I was overlooked for the promotion to Internal Communications Manager and the job was given to my white counterpart? What if I was judged because of the colour of my skin or the way I talk? Discouraged by my line manager or made to feel less than? I wouldn’t be where I am today and I wouldn’t be writing this to you.
I urge you to make it a priority in your teams to speak up, even if you’re the only one.
Challenge the narrative, even if it’s age-old, and recruit more BAME people, even if unconsciously you are drawn to a candidate that may look or act more like you. Remove yourself from the situation, your fear, your pride, your cautiousness and just be. Be the change. Be the breakthrough.
I do hope that in years to come we will have more BAME communications directors, more news stories that appeal to BAME staff and communities, more campaigns that impact the lives of BAME communities, more empathy and understanding from senior management teams and more room to grow.
Sabrina Izzy is the Internal Communications Manager at the North West London Collaboration of Clinical Commission Groups
Connect with Sabrina on Twitter: @nelson1_sabrina
