YOUNG BLACK Britons often feel forced to change their appearance and sometimes even alter their names to fit in at work according to a new survey.
Figures from the This is Black Gen Z report, the largest ever survey of Black Generation Z members in the UK, people born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s – found that as they leave education and begin their careers, they expect to experience discrimination in the workplace.
The report found that 47% of 2000 black Gen Z members between the ages of 16 and 25 who were surveyed change their names to make it easier for colleagues to pronounce them. It also found that 45% do not feel confident wearing their natural hair at work.
Only 31 per cent of Black Gen Z members feel able to be their authentic selves, compared to 66 per cent of White Gen Z. the research found. This means the vast majority of Black Gen Z feel the need to change their self-presentation to ‘fit in’ with their colleagues.
Authentic
The report said that when they are unable to be their authentic selves at work, Black Gen Z can feel stressed, anxious and demotivated, which has a negative impact on their mental health and productivity.
Something as simple as having to change your name can have a profound impact on Black employees
Milimo Banji, CEO of TapIn
Just 29% of this group felt satisfied with their chances of securing a promotion compared with 52% of White Gen Z and 62% of Asian Gen Z.
The report was compiled by recruitment marketing agency TapIn in a bid to understand the career motivations of Gen Z members.
The research focused on how this group looks for jobs, deals the application process and how authentic they feel they can be in the workplace. It also found that Black Gen Z members are motivated to work for companies who take authentic action on diversity, equity and inclusion – 69 per cent of this group appreciate seeing people who look like them in job ads, compared to less than 20 per cent of White Gen Z members.
This is Black Gen Z also found that 16 to 25-year-olds are alert to ‘inauthentic’ diversity and inclusion efforts from employers. A lack of diversity at senior levels is a concern because it suggests Black Gen Z talent may not be able to progress at an organisation.
Transparent
Employers who do not have transparent processes to deal with racism and other forms of discrimination are also seen as a red flag. Black Gen Z members who were surveyed for the research said they are much more likely to leave a job when employers fail to act on racism.
Milimo Banji, CEO of TapIn said: “Our report is a wake up call for employers across the country. We found that Black Gen Z can really thrive when supported to be their authentic selves in the workplace. But there are still too many barriers and hoops for them to jump through”
Banji continued: “Something as simple as having to change your name that colleagues keep getting wrong can have a profound impact on Black employees. They shouldn’t have to think twice about wearing their natural hair to work. It’s been said that people find it easier to pronounce names of fictional characters on Game of Thrones like Daenerys Targaryen than colleagues with non-anglicised names. That needs to change.”
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Like many African-Caribbean heritage Subjects of Her Majesty, I hold my Christian slave master’s Sir Name; and a typical Caucasian English Christian; A Christian name that I would prefer to forget- That is why I added the name Chaka.
This Caucasian Christian name caused me nothing but problems in my formative years in the 1980s trying to secure employment.
I would arrive excited waiting to be interviewed.
However, the disappointment upon sees a West African looking youth with a typical Caucasian Christian name, caused the interviewer to spend all of the “interview” convincing me that I did not want to work at the establishment as “I would not fit in.”
Out of interest, do you believe you would have had better interview success if you had had a African-Caribbean name?
Dear Mr Harriott, Re: Archive on 4, “Brum Britain,” broadcast 21,00 hours Saturday July 23rd 2022.
The Associates of Oxford African Caribbean Conversation (OACC) listened to your rosy description of England’s Second City Birmingham, during the 1970s & 80s, a description that is pure Left-wing fantasy and bears no likeness to the grim reality of life for Birmingham’s thousands of “West Indian Youth.” “Apartheid Brum” was the apt description “West Indians” referred to 1970s & 80s Birmingham for good sound reasons.
For OACC Associates who lived through “Brum Britain” during the 1970s & 80s, “Brum” was England’s Soweto of Apartheid South. “Brum was Dr Martin Luther King’s Birmingham Alabama of the 1960s; so real, visceral and comprehensive was Labour Supporting Left-wing Caucasian-heritage Birmingham working-class people’s skin-colour racism against “West Indian” youth; as we were called in the 1970s & 80s.
OACC Associates are angry that yet again another whitewashed BBC Radio Four broadcast has completely sugar coated the grim reality of life for Birmingham’s “West Indian Youth in 1970s & 80s “Brum.” OACC Associates recalls vividly the violent 1976 National Front March through Digbeth; and the active support and assistance the National Front Supporters received from the West Midland Serious Crime Squad. The racial abuse shouted at “West Indian” football players was the principal reason “West Indians” supporters avoided Birmingham City Football Club. Most of Birmingham’s City Centre nightclubs had a notorious and well-earned reputation for barring “West Indian” men and women. The comprehensive schools in Aston, Lozells and Handsworth had a long practice of disgorging hundreds of mainly “west Indian” heritage pupils after the Easter Holiday preventing and discouraging them from taking their final exams. The massive unemployment rate for “West Indian” youth. These are the vivid memories of an OACC Associate recalled from his life in heavily and overtly skin-colour racist working-class CAUCASIAN BIRMINGHAM of the 1970s & 80s.
Encountering violent working-class Labour voting Caucasian-heritage National Front Supporters and the military trained and violent C-18 supporters was real and “West Indians” being attacked in places such as parts of Erdington, Northfield, Kingstanding, Chelmsley Wood and various parts of the Black Country were real and frequent through out the 70s & 80s and where Birmingham “colour bar” at major “Brum” employers; Public Houses and Social clubs was real, and widespread across Birmingham and the Black Country.
Birmingham’s notorious NHS administered All Saints Mental Health Hospital’s disparity of diagnosing “ganja” psychotic disorder on West Indian men; and medicating West Indians intravenously with the powerful lithium which reduced the West Indian men and women into shaking, spital dribbling people; who slept for twenty hours a day; and who could not recall their name or other personal details. Traditional Christian believing “West Indians” who would never touch “ganja” were diagnose by the racist Doctors of All Saints with “ganja” psychosis. This was apartheid Birmingham of the 1970s & 80s.
OACC Associates knew “West Indian” young women who had their uterus removed by skin-colour racist Doctors who offered this procedure as the remedy for heavily or painful menstrual pain experienced by youthful “West Indian” women. This was apartheid Birmingham of the 1970s & 80s.
Not only did the Labour MP Lord Rocker refused to accept skin-colour racism was real, Lord Rocker labelled the “west Indian youth” who participated in the Handsworth protest in 1981 as “criminals.” OACC Associates can recall numerous “West Indians” who were “fitted-up” by Constables from the West Midland’s Serious Crime squad; who would openly say to West Indian youth, “who do you think a Birmingham Jury will believe the word of a Police Constable or the word of a nigger?” Many West Indian’s were sentenced to long prison sentences purely on the word of a Police Constable; and many other West Indian youth lost the balance of their mind after being “fitted-up” by the Constables of the West Midland’s Serious crime Squad; that was disband in 1989, due to its criminal behaviour and practices.
Birmingham was the City where South African Apartheid policies were practice by the majority of the City’s Employers; the City Council, the Polytechnic and Birmingham University, the Social Service department, the Education Department, the Judiciary, the Labour Party, the Anglican Church and other public institutions.
An OACC Associate recalls Professor Chinn being lauded for his working-class credentials. However, when this Associate reminded Professor Chinn; who was a lecturer at Sally Oak’s Fircroft College and a Birmingham University lecturer, of the skin-colour racism endured by “West Indian” youth, Professor Chinn accused this youthful “west Indian” of “causing trouble” and Professor Chinn reminded this “west Indian” youth that he should behave and be compliant like the senior “West Indian” men. This was the favour of life for the “west Indian” youth of Birmingham in the 70s & 80s. It is an outrage that this BBC Radio Four “Brum Britain” broadcast completely whitewashed and sanitized the reality of life for Birmingham’s “west Indian youths.”
OACC Associates are angry that Handsworth’s African-heritage poet Mr Benjamin Zephaniah participated in this distorted and racist BBC Radio Four broadcast that whitewashes Caucasian-heritage Birmingham people’s apartheid-like public policies. OACC demands that BBC Radio Four broadcast the truth of Birmingham’s apartheid like policies against Birmingham’s “West Indian” residents. Since 2017, OACC has been demanding an hourlong weekly BBC Radio Four News; Historical and Current events programme produced by African-Caribbean people with a genuine and lived experienced of having African-skin in a skin-colour prejudice England. “Brum Britain” is one of the reasons why “West Indians” can no longer tolerate Caucasian producers and editors on programme such as Woman’s Hour mediating and interviewing African-heritage historical contributors and personalities.
Sincerely
Chaka Artwell
Secretary, Oxford African Caribbean Conversation.
I attained a history degree in 1986, spent 2 years completing a post graduate qualification with a local authority in London, spent 10 years applying for promotion, which was eventually offered following a tribunal hearing.
I spent the next 20 years being bullied by this employer, being physically attacked twice.
I was eventually made redundant due to illness prior to another tribunal hearing and bound by an NDA.
I can attest through personal experience that the discrimination described above is true and institutional despite denials