Diane Abbott

The treatment of Diane Abbott, the first black female MP in this country by the press, the public, and by her so-called colleagues is horrific, it calls into question the kind the kind of society and country we are living in. Here is a woman, a woman that looks very much like me, that has worked hard to get to where she is and make no mistake she has worked hard, as black women we have to work twice as hard to get half as far as our white counterparts, we have to be cleverer, stronger and more resilient. There can be no argument that Diane has contributed positively to her party, the country and her constituents. She is a woman that tells the truth as she sees it and is punished for doing so time and time again.

What does Diane get in return for her efforts, undiluted hate, unkindness and ridicule. This ‘thing’ that has happened to Diane and of course to the Duchess of Sussex and other prominent black women, really does need further and much closer examination because usually it’s white middle class men, men in positions of authority and power leading the charge. What is it about these women that produces such strong, visceral and violent reactions in these men. A friend of mine would say it’s because they are untouchable, unreachable by these men. They quite rightly hold themselves high and apart. I recognise that, it’s what we have to do to survive and if we are Lucky, thrive. I recall Piers Morgan’s response to the Duchess of Wessex, something deep and dark was making him behave  badly towards her, even in full public view he couldn’t restrain himself and walked out of the studio when Alex Beresford, the weather man questioned him on his attitude towards her.

As I write this, I can hear the words of Maya Angelous famous poem in my head.

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tred me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise”.

Is it because these women do not need to lean heavily on these men, or is it that they appear strong, courageous, outspoken and many believe for a black woman that just won’t do. It offends their sense of well-being and balance, it tilts their world on its axis and puts questions in their heads about who they are.

This week was shocking and painful for Diane but shone a light, if ever one was needed on how things work around here. Diane dressed in bright red, tried desperately hard to have her voice heard, to have her say in parliament about what had happened to her and how it made her feel only to experience in full public view another powerful white man, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House ignoring her. His behaviour to her must have rubbed salt into an already wide and gaping wound.

I feel for Diane, as I felt for The Duchess, they are, who I am, black women in a white dominated society trying to have a voice, trying to be themselves, trying to make their way. The defence for Frank Hester will be that he didn’t mean it, that his words were ill chosen and that he is not a racist.

For clarity, this is what he said.

“ It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on TV, and you’ re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot”- Frank Hester

There is always push back and defence of the indefensible, especially when it comes to black women, “No, that wasn’t racism” will come the cry from predominantly white men and women.

We will be told to look at the many women of colour in parliament as proof that racism doesn’t exist, it’s all in your heads, you are too sensitive. Pushback and defensiveness will swirl around, trying to dilute the hideousness of what was said out loud.

“Well, it must be a personality thing because not all black women experience what Ms Abbott has” they’ll say.  Look at the black and brown women in Government, they have been successful without attracting abuse and nastiness” It must be her.

Or could it be because that those women say what these men want to hear? Is it that they behave in a way that is deemed acceptable and expected of black and brown women. I have a suspicion and I suspect they do too that if they stepped out of line, they would very quickly find themselves in a similar position to Diane and for them that place would be intolerable.

“Does my sassiness upset you?  Why are you beset with gloom? Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells, pumping in my living room”.

Diane, matters to me, she matters because she is me. I worry about her safety, about her physical and mental health, the treatment she has received over decades takes its toll and her body must be battered with the amount of stress it’s had to withstand over the years. She is the living breathing example of what happens to black women that don’t toe the line.

“Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries”.

The answer to the questions in the Mayas poem is yes, people do want to see us broken and bowed the data we have has shown that the treatment we receive for just being damages us. The fact is, Black women break, many of us are broken, we biologically age years before our white counterparts, we lose our babies more often than they do. We develop more aggressive cancers. Our minds and bodies are crying out for respite but nobody is listening, nobody cares, where is the empathy for Diane, where is the empathy for us.

“Does my haughtiness offend you? Don’t you take it awful hard ‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own back yard. You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Diane, my sister I see you, I salute me, I salute you, I salute us. (Delia Mills and Beverleigh Senior)

Will Racism in Britain ever end?

In the same week the Health Service Journal (HSJ) published the rate of restraint of black people in mental healthcare services had doubled in the last six years, a report on the London fire brigade was published highlighting the racism and misogyny that exists within the service. A couple of months ago, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) published  a report on racism within the Metropolitan Police force and who can forget the awful experience of cricketer Azeem Rafiq and the racism that was rife within Yorkshire cricket club. All this in Britain in 2022, a nation according to Kemi Badenoch, current Secretary of State for International Affairs, that is the best place in the world to be black!

To many of you reading this, none of this is a surprise, to some it might be and to a few it might even be horrifying, what it illustrates is that the country we inhabit is not at ease with itself with regards to race. In fact, it would seem the discomfort, distaste and distress inherent in the race agenda has intensified since 2016.

 
The choices British people made over 400 years ago still impact on the lives of people of colour and white people living here today. The decisions at the time were made based on improving the economy, making money and increasing the power of the nation. Power and making money were key to why the British (and others) colonised many parts of the world, stripping countries of their natural resources, decimating their cultures and annexing these countries to be part of the British Empire. For a lot of the 18th and 19th century this policy helped Britain to became ‘great’. The Industrial Revolution was built on the back of wealth brought into this country from the colonies. The great houses dotted around the country and the grand cities like bath and Liverpool were built during this time. 

The denuding of other countries wealth was seen as legitimate and as long as the natives of those countries were not seen or heard on the British main land then it meant that the damage done to their countries could remain out of sight and very much out of mind. 

Fast forward to the 1940s and the need to rebuild the country after the 2^nd world war. The British Government actively invited people, who were part of the British Empire to come to help the mother country to help get her back on her feet. My guess is that the powers that be, never for one moment thought that black and brown people would come in great numbers to this country. Recently historian David Olusago highlighted in a recent tv documentary the lengths the Government of the day went to in order to try to stop what was seen as an invasion of people from the Caribbean, language used by Suella Braverman , the current Home Secretary when describing refugees trying to make their way here for a better life. Make no mistake the Windrush generation were not welcome here. My friend and colleague Professor Laura Serrant wrote a wonderful poem called, You called…and we came We came and were and still are being punished for doing so. This is not me being hysterical but after taking a cold and dispassionate look at the data and the slew of reports that have been published throughout the year, highlighting the poor treatment of black and brown people in this country.

As a child, I grew up in Bristol in the 1960s and experienced racism first hand. In school, in society and on TV. “Go home” was the regular chant that I had to endure, amongst other things about my hair, my skin colour and my African nose and lips.  The feelings of fear and of being other have never left me.

Over the decades various Governments, ably assisted by a right-wing media have been consistent in denigrating the contribution of ‘immigrants’ in this country. Together they have successfully made vast numbers of people believe in the inferiority of people of colour, that we are a drain on the countries resources and give nothing positive back to this country. As recently as a few years ago, there was a deliberate hostile environment policy in place, the refugee issue has been conflated with illegal immigration and the frenetic and Ill thought through plans to reduce immigration (Rwanda) whilst the country is in desperate need of workers are still in place and seem to work like magic on ensuring certain sections of the population believe the rhetoric. 

Britain is a country that is confused at best about what it wants and needs and at a loss as to what to do about the many black brown and ethnic minority people that are now British citizens. The reports of casual everyday racism as well as the deeply embedded systemic and institutional variety will I believe, be with us for a long time to come or at least until a Government of whichever colour decides that black and brown immigrants are not the problem and begin to seriously develop policies that accept and promote multiculturalism as a good thing.

However, if leaders in this country continue to openly state that people from other countries are picininies with watermelon smiles, and that women in burqas look like letter boxes it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we will continue to receive reports of organisations showing that people from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have a difficult time at work and in society.

Britain has to have a serious talk with itself and finally and probably painfully accept that it cannot go back to the 1900s when there were very few people of colour in the country. The country has to learn to accept what it cannot change and finally find peace with itself and acknowledge that only by behaving in a different way the outcome for all of us, whatever our background, will be better. 

Sometimes I wonder…

Sometimes I wonder what it will take to make the necessary changes in our world to improve race equality. The more I learn about the complexity and challenges inherent in the race equality agenda, the more impossible it seems that change is likely. Last week, Russia invaded the Ukraine and I along with the rest of the world watched in horror the incomprehensible difficulties faced by people trying to escape war, something I hope I never to have to do. It was noticeable and quite depressing that black and Asian people trying to leave Kyiv were having an even harder time of trying to escape the bombardments than their white counterparts. We saw in brilliant technicolour black people struggling to get out of the country and being turned back at railway stations and at border control checkpoints in Poland. Perhaps we are not seeing or hearing the whole story, who knows but some of the reporting has been interesting, highlighting the difference in language used for white people in this situation as opposed to black or brown people. Fleeing people are evacuees not refugees, asylum seekers or migrants like those fleeing from similar situations in Afghanistan and Syria. “How can this be happening to people that have blonde hair and blue eyes? one commentator asked, “people like us”. It seems that war zones in countries where European people live have a higher level of significance, because in the eyes of the predominantly white western world, it could be them.

Today, I read an article entitled, about Sun-down Towns  This article put a shiver down my spine and made me think about the amount of energy we as black and brown people have to expend on keeping ourselves safe and out of harm’s way, it really does take its toll on us psychologically and physically.

This led me to thinking about  The Ethnic inequalities in health care: A rapid Review  https://www.nhsrho.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/RHO-Rapid-Review-Final-Report_v.7.pdf published in February by the NHS Race and Health Observatory, it highlighted the inequalities experienced by black and Asian people in getting the same treatment and outcomes as their white counterparts.  Paper after paper, report after report, highlights and documents the inequalities experienced by some sections of the population and the question often asked is why? I believe we all know the answer, it is the elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge, that fundamentally we live in a deeply racist, colourist world. I believe that changing the current situation will be harder than we might think. For a start it needs leaders to really believe that change needs to happen and that the current situation is untenable. David Olusoga  Historian and TV personality wrote a piece in The Guardian  responding to the NHS RHO report, he asked what was going to be done about the current situation in terms of health inequalities for black, some Asian and some minority ethnic groups. The silence of the response to this question has been deafening.

Over the last year or so we have heard about the unfairness and inequalities and its impact on people from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, the old excuse of not knowing can no longer be used. George Floyd, disproportionate deaths from Covid, the European football tournament and the backlash received by those three black players that missed penalties, more recently the reports about racism in cricket, in the police and unfortunately even reports on the high levels of racism being rife in the health service, reports on black women being 4 times more likely to die in child birth and 40% more likely to experience a miscarriage, the list of inequalities goes on.

These reports and incidents are hard for anyone to hear and digest. It is particularly troubling that in 2022, in this society, there are people that will not like, value or appreciate others based on the colour of their skin. These reports have highlighted the negative and damaging treatment that people of colour receive as a consequence of this blatant and overt racism, from name calling and out and out discrimination to stopping people from boarding trains and not allowing them to cross borders or having sun down towns where black people cannot walk safely after dark. What is interesting about many of the incidents highlighted above is that they have been overt, it has been impossible to ignore them and you would have had to have been on Mars for the last few years not to know that this country and many parts of the world has a serious problem with race equality. No longer can we point across the Atlantic and say, ‘it’s them not us’.

The fact that the kind of racism that’s described above is still present is bad enough, however it’s the more insidious invisible racism that gets into your psyche and does the real physical and psychological damage. It’s curious that everyone I meet talks about the importance of equality and inclusion of fairness and equity, yet everything stays the same.

When Cressida Dick resigned from her role as Police Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, the Health secretary’s brother Deputy Assistant Commissioner Bas Javid, admitted there was racism in the Metropolitan Police, but only went as far as to say that there were a few bad apples in the Met and that the organisation wasn’t institutionally racist. I would beg to differ from that view. Institutional or systemic racism are silent but extremely effective and can be deadly. A definition of systemic and institutional racism from the Macpherson report is that it is “The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin”. Institutional and systemic racism is developed in the places where policies are made and are shored up by leadership behaviours, human resource practices and procedures. It lives in the very depths of the cultures we have in our organisations, where racial slurs go unchallenged or dismissed as banter. It allows complaints about bullying and harassment that black Asian and minority ethnic staff experience to be seen as them playing the race card and not being believed. It lives in the places that enable the status quo to continue to exist so that some people are more able to thrive than others.

Why when as a society we have so much evidence that shows that people from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have a worse experience during the course of their lives than their white counterparts, that black women are 40 times more likely to miscarry than their white counter parts, that black and Asian women more likely to lose their lives and or their babies in childbirth. That black men are more likely to end up in secure psychiatric hospitals and that many more black and Asian people died of Covid 19 than their white counterparts. The one statistic that particularly stood out for me was that black children are 10 times more likely to be referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health services (CAMHS) via social services than white children. These are just a few of the facts and data we have that show health inequalities are, on the whole more prevalent amongst people from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds

When I read the Ethnic Inequalities in Health Report I reflected on the strength of the evidence in the report. Evidence pulled together from 13,161 references, 178 studies as well as focus groups and it seemed to me that some of the solutions to these inequalities were not that difficult to implement, for instance ensuring we have robust data collection systems to collect and analyse data, having zero tolerance policies in place that are adhered to. Having clear lines in the sand about what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.

One of the recommendations from the report highlights the need for serious commitment from NHS England and Improvement to tackle racist attitudes and behaviours amongst healthcare staff and to address structural dimensions of NHS Systems that discriminate against ethnic minority women and their babies.

I welcome and wholly recommend this excellent report by the RHO, its findings as well as the recommendations are excuse remover in terms of us not being more proactive and more determined to reduce these inequalities in the lives of a substantial number of people living in this country. The RHO have highlighted the fact that there are no lack of reports and their corresponding recommendations on the inequalities that exist in healthcare for black Asian and minority ethnic people. The steps that now need to be taken are to acknowledge their validity and openly accept and agree with what they are saying and to demonstrably put systems in place to make a real and tangible difference for people of colour.

I started this piece by saying that I sometimes wonder what it will take to make people sit up and take notice of the deeply complex and difficult issue of race inequality in our world, Sadly, I don’t have the answer. We can only hope that one day more people will want change than don’t and we can really start to make a positive difference for people of colour in healthcare and ultimately in the wider world.

Appreciation is the 8th A

Appreciation is the 8^th A

Maybe it’s because of the trauma, the humiliation and cruelty that we as black people have had to endure for centuries that we know how to celebrate, party and really enjoy ourselves. Anyone that has been to a Caribbean or African wedding will know that celebrating and partying is something we do really well, that and the making and eating of the fabulous food that goes with it of course. This thought came to me on Friday 29^th October at the Black Country and West Birmingham NHS Trusts black history month awards event. It was an outstanding evening and what was even more uplifting to see was how the joy and delight overflowed and infected white colleagues that were there too. The atmosphere and perhaps a few glasses of wine made many of them relax and find their way onto the dance floor. I was impressed to see them dancing to ‘Jerusalema’ and my favourite, ‘the candy’.

So here we are at the end of another black history month, 31 days when the country sits up and takes notice of the contribution of people of African descent to this country. That contribution has not been inconsequential and lot of it has been accompanied by blood, sweat and tears.

2 years ago, after a number of white leaders in the NHS asked me how they could practically and demonstrably support people from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, how they could become true allys, I wrote the 7 A’s of Authentic Allyship ©. The model was designed specifically to support white colleagues in how they could become authentic ally’s and support the cause for racial equality in a practical and positive way. I am delighted that the 7 A’s has been widely circulated in the NHS with many people using it to develop training modules on allyship, like Candace Bedu Mensah at Lancashire and South cumbria NHS FT.

On Friday evening amidst the celebrations at the Birmingham and black country awards ceremony, it came to me that another A needs to be added to the model.  That A being appreciation. True, wholehearted and genuine appreciation of the contribution of black people to society and the world at large is sadly lacking, apart from during black history month that is. The truth of the matter is that black and white history are inextricably linked and without black history there is no white history, the stories of each group are interconnected and should be told together. Over the years this has not been done, we hear stories about white heroes and heroines, over and over again, they are deeply embedded in our minds, we know their names and what they do or have done off by heart, however we know little of black people that have also made significant contributions not to mention sacrifices in the world. Yes the names of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King are known but what about people that invented household items, things we use every day, a black man called Thomas Stewart invented the mop, Sarah Boone, a black woman, the ironing board, and Thomas Ray another black man, the dustpan.  Black people have been ground breaking scientists and mathematician’s like Mary W. Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan the three amazing black women that helped put astronauts into space at NASA. We need to show a genuine and heartfelt appreciation of what people with African heritage have brought to this country and the world at large over many years. Black people have contributed in sport, politics and the arts too many people to name here, sadly appreciation of their contributions and achievements are muted, whitewashed or not celebrated at all.

Appreciation does several things, it makes people feel valued, lifts their confidence and self-esteem. It makes you feel valued and worthwhile, it gives you that extra spring in your step when people appreciate and value what you have done. Appreciating people comes in different forms, it comes in saying thank you, in bothering to take an interest, it comes from valuing the contribution of the individual and the communities they come from. This A is essential if we are to really get to grips with being authentic allys.

On Friday night at the awards ceremony, appreciation was shown in so many ways, and you could actually feel the energy in the room go up, energy that could be harnessed to ensure patients received a high-quality service from valued and appreciated staff, particularly at this difficult time for so many in the service.

At the event, 93-year-old Jamaican born, Neil Flanigan was in the room. Neil came to the UK in 1943 and fought alongside other Caribbean soldiers during world war 2. Neil fought for this country and was willing to lay down his life for it. The room showed Neil how much he was appreciated by giving him a standing ovation, he deserved it. Neil was touched by the gesture; people thanking him for his contribution to making the world a safer place and openly and loudly valuing his contribution. Appreciation was shown to all the award winners for their efforts, for their commitment to the NHS and to the patients that we serve.

Appreciating and valuing people is key to building their self-esteem their self-confidence, it makes people stand taller and want to do more when people say we value you and your efforts.

On the whole people from black backgrounds are not valued or appreciated, surely that has to change if we are to have true allyship. Which reminds me, someone told me that we don’t need allys in the fight for inclusion and acceptance we need accomplices, on second thoughts perhaps I need to add two

more A’s to the model making it the 9 A’s of Authentic Allyship.

This blog would not have been written if Donna Mighty, Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust and Sabrina Richards, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust both WRES Experts and fabulous human beings had not invited me to speak at the Black Country and West Birmingham Trusts black history month awards ceremony and by way of this blog I want them to know how very much I appreciate them.  

Appreciation is the 8th A of Authentic Allyship

Maybe it’s because of the trauma, the humiliation and cruelty that we as black people have had to endure for centuries that we know how to celebrate, how to party and really enjoy ourselves. Anyone that has been to a Caribbean or African wedding will know that celebrating and partying is something we do really well, that and the making and eating of the fabulous food that goes with it of course. This thought came to me on Friday 29th October at the Black Country and West Birmingham NHS Trusts black history month awards event. It was an outstanding evening and what was even more uplifting to see was how the joy and delight overflowed and infected the white colleagues that were there too. The atmosphere and perhaps a few glasses of wine made many of them relax and find their way onto the dance floor. I was impressed to see them dancing to ‘Jerusalema’ and my favourite, ‘the candy’.

So here we are at the end of another black history month, 31 days when the country sits up and takes notice of the contribution of people of African descent to this country. That contribution has not been inconsequential and lot of it has been accompanied by blood, sweat and tears. 2 years ago, after a number of white leaders in the NHS asked me how they could practically and demonstrably support people from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, how they could become true allys, I wrote the 7 A’s of Authentic Allyship. The model was designed specifically to support white colleagues in how they could become authentic ally’s and support the cause for racial
equality in a practical and positive way. I am delighted that the 7 A’s has been widely circulated in the NHS with many people using it to develop training modules on allyship, like Candace Bedu- Mensah at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT.

On Friday evening amidst the celebrations at the Birmingham and Black Country awards ceremony, it came to me that another A needs to be added to the model. That A being Appreciation. True, wholehearted and genuine appreciation of the contribution of black people to society and the world at large is sadly lacking, apart from during black history month that is. The truth of the matter is that black and white history are inextricably linked and without black history there is no white history, the stories of each group are interconnected and should be told together. Over the years this has not been done, we hear stories about white heroes and heroines, over and over again,
they are deeply embedded in our minds, we know their names and what they do or have done off by heart, however we know little of black people that have also made significant contributions not to mention sacrifices in the world. Yes the names of Nelson Mandela, Mary Seacole and Martin Luther King are well known but what about people that invented household items, things we use every day, a black man called
Thomas Stewart that invented the mop, Sarah Boone, a black woman, the ironing board, and Thomas Ray another black man, the dustpan. Black people have been ground breaking scientists and mathematician’s like Mary W. Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan the three amazing black women that helped put rockets into space at NASA. We need to show a genuine and heartfelt appreciation of what people with African heritage have brought to this country and the world at large over centuries. Black people have contributed in sport, politics and the arts, too
many people to name here, sadly appreciation of their contributions and achievements are muted, whitewashed or not celebrated at all.

Appreciation does several things, it makes people feel valued, lifts their confidence and self-esteem. It makes you feel valued and worthwhile, it gives you that extra spring in your step when people appreciate and value what you have done. Appreciating people comes in different forms, it comes in saying thank you, in bothering to take an interest, it comes from valuing the contribution of the individual and the communities they come from. This A is essential if we are to really get to grips with being authentic allys.

On Friday night at the awards ceremony, appreciation was shown in so many ways, and you could actually feel the energy in the room go up, energy that could be harnessed to ensure patients receive a high-quality service from valued and appreciated staff, particularly at this difficult time for so many in the service.

At the event, 93-year-old Jamaican born, Neil Flanigan was in the room. Neil came to the UK in 1943 and fought alongside other Caribbean soldiers during world war 2. Neil fought for this country and was willing to lay down his life for it. The room showed Neil how much he was appreciated by giving him a standing ovation, he very much deserved it. Neil was touched by the gesture; people thanking him for his contribution to making the world a safer place and openly and loudly valuing his contribution. Appreciation
was shown to all the award winners for their efforts, for their commitment to the NHS and to the patients that they served.

Appreciating and valuing people is key to building their self-esteem their self-confidence, it makes people stand taller and want to do more when people say we value you and your efforts.
On the whole people from black backgrounds are not valued or appreciated, surely that has to change if we are to have true allyship, which reminds me, someone told me that we don’t need allys in the fight for inclusion and acceptance we need accomplices. On second thoughts perhaps I need to add two more A’s to the model making it the 9 A’s of Authentic Allyship.

This blog would not have been written if Donna Mighty, Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust and Sabrina Richards, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust both WRES Experts and fabulous human beings had not invited me to speak at the Black Country and West Birmingham Trusts black history month awards ceremony and by way of this blog I want them to know how very much I appreciate them.

Black History Month 2020

So here we are again, Black History Month (BHM) it’s the first time in 43 years that I have not been an employee of the NHS. What retirement gives you, in between watching daytime TV, is the time to reflect, to think about your accomplishments as well as the things you wish you’d have done differently. During this month, people from black backgrounds openly celebrate their history; they talk about remember and celebrate famous black people, their achievements and how, to all intents and purposes, many of their accomplishments have largely been omitted from our history books. Thankfully the list of people we celebrate is growing from when BHM first arrived in this country in 1986, imported from the USA. Back then, we used to laud and applaud Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, later we began to venerate and give thanks for Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and other famous black Americans. Believe it or not the list of black people and their achievements is actually quite a long one, and way too many to cite here; it simply needs the appetite and a few minutes of time typing ‘black inventors’ into Google to see what I mean. It got me thinking that black history isn’t black history at all, it is world history and without some of the famous black inventors like Dr Shirley Ann Jackson, who invented the touch tone phone or Gladys Mae West who helped to invent the GPS, the worlds history would be very different. These amazing people’s lives should be taught in all schools to everybody and not just in Black Saturday school to the few lucky children like Akala who was lucky enough to attend one. We should all know about the accomplishments of these very special people because without them the world would be a very different place. The fact that we only spend one month of the year thinking about black history, says an awful lot about the society we live in and what is seen as real history as opposed to black history. It begs the question: ‘whose history are we celebrating during the other 11 months of the year?’ Over the annals of time, black history was not just made during the month of October. Last week an article was published by the HSJ with the headline ‘Equality Lead says race equality will not change in the NHS in the next 10 years’. I own up, I did say that to Nick Kituno, the HSJ reporter that I spoke to, however what I said needs to be put into the context in which I said it. I explained why I believed that 10 years was not a reasonable amount of time to see the changes that we all want to see in our society. The racial inequalities that we see in society today have evolved and developed over 400 years. Therefore, achieving fairness and equity across the board, closing the gaps on inequality, equal pay, differential attainment etc, will take a lot longer than 10 years. But of course when you speak to journalists, particularly HSJ journalists, they write what they want in order to sell their story and unfortunately people believe what they read. It’s often the case: because a journalist says it, it must be true. The truth is this – the system that we all live and work in, will take a lot longer than 10 years to change, and if we are to be brutally honest, with some of the leaders we currently have holding sway in our world, I personally don’t see a break through anytime soon. I suppose it’s a hard thing to acknowledge that, despite all the energy and effort we have put and are putting into closing the inequality gap, believing that we won’t be living in utopia in 10 years’ time is some admission, particularly from the now retired Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) director. Yes, the WRES has made, and continues to make, positive change on this challenging agenda (perhaps the most challenging of all agendas in the NHS). At the same time, we also know that more work needs to be done to really shift the dial of inequality. But let’s be very clear here – more work needs to be done by those implementing the strategy on the ground, not just those that are producing the strategy. After all, a strategy is only as good as those that are implementing it. Yes, we can at least agree that the pace of change for people of colour is often unhurried at best and positively snail like at worst. I suppose many people believe that as its BHM negative thoughts and views should be put to one side and there should be a positive air about things. These days, BHM for me, is more of a time to take stock and reflect as opposed to just celebrate. Race equality is a long-term project; I have been working in that space for many years and the pace of change is slow and initiatives and interventions need to change as society changes in order to make sure what we are doing will make a sustained difference. My departure, and that of the wonderful Dr Habib Naqvi, from the WRES team is the perfect time for the CPO and the new very senior managers (VSMs) for equality, diversity and inclusion, to take a look at the WRES programme, and perhaps revise it, improve it and make it fit for a changed and very different post-pandemic future, compared to the one we thought we would have before Covid-19 hit us hard. The WRES initiative set out to raise awareness of race inequalities and to help win hearts and minds in the NHS and beyond, I believe it has succeeded in doing that. However, all programmes and initiatives, no matter how successful, must be evaluated. The WRES programme is under the scrutiny of the independent evaluation being carried out by the University of Sheffield. It will be important for the new leadership on this agenda to take learning from that evaluation, and to implement it as appropriate. Finally, during this BHM I would like us all to remember and celebrate all non-white staff working in the NHS. These are people that, from its inception in 1948, have helped the organisation become one of the best healthcare systems in the world. I don’t need to rehearse the statistics here; people know without a doubt that in the absence of this group of staff, it would have been nigh on impossible for the service to have got through the last six months of the pandemic – perhaps the most difficult time we have ever known in the NHS’ seventy-two years. Today, as I write this blog, Covid-19 is on the rise again, and again we will need to look to those black and minority ethnic members of staff to help support the health and social care system. Clapping and cheering the NHS for a few weeks during the pandemic and perhaps raising a glass of wine to celebrate BHM is great, but I believe that by remembering the energy, sacrifice and toil that people of colour put into their work every day, can only be truly demonstrated if there is equity of access to services for patients and equal opportunities for staff all year round and not just during BHM.

RCN Presidential Elections

August 20^th 2020

Dear colleagues,

Many of you will be wondering about the reasons for our decision to withdraw our candidacies for the election of President of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). We owe it to you, the members, and the staff of the RCN to explain our decision.

You might have been aware that originally four people were proposed as candidates for the election for the position of RCN President and that shortly after the election commenced, two of the candidates were disqualified. This was nothing to do with either of us; we both have followed the rules of the election and were prepared for and looking forward to a positive and stimulating election process. A process that would put nursing and nurses in the spotlight.

Unfortunately, following the disqualification of the candidates, there has been a persistent and very negative campaign against us on Twitter. Our integrity, morals and values have been questioned; something that as professional nurses we have both found deeply offensive and very painful. Since the other candidates were disqualified, we have been subjected to the most horrendous and soul-destroying bullying and harassment on Twitter, a campaign run by a group of people that believe they have the right to intimidate us.

We have both had long, successful and productive careers in nursing and are held in high esteem nationally and internationally. We, in turn, hold our profession in high esteem and appreciate the hundreds and thousands of nurses of all grades, both inside and outside the NHS that have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic. They deserve praise and to be valued, remunerated and recognised for their worth.

Being a nurse is important to us, as is the Royal College of Nursing, hence our joint decision to withdraw from this election process to stop further embarrassment for ourselves and the college. For us this has been a trying and very difficult time, our grateful thanks goes to those of you that have supported us, openly and behind closed doors. It has not been a pleasant experience or one that nurses should seek to do to each other.

Ultimately, our joint priority is to protect the reputation of the College, our General Secretary, some Council members and the members of staff that work at the RCN, which we believe is being damaged by this situation.

It is therefore with regret that we have decided to withdraw.

In our opinion nursing is the best profession in the world. We are held in high esteem by the public, who have every confidence in us as a professional body; neither of us are prepared to bear witness to or be part of anything that will ruin the reputation of nurses, nursing or our Royal College.

 

Yvonne Coghill, CBE, MSc, RGN, RMN, HV

Professor Julie Green, Professor of District Nursing. PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), PGCert, RGN, BEd, SFHEA, Queen’s Nurse. 

 

Covid19 – Why inclusion is a verb.

Northwood in North West London, is in my opinion very beautiful, leafy, green and with an abundance of magnificent and very large detached houses, many on plots of upwards ½ an acre. It came to me on one of my early morning walks as I ventured past some of these houses, that we are genuinely not all in this covid19 situation together. Let’s be honest, surviving lockdown in a one bedroomed flat, in a tower block, as a single parent with 2 children under 5 is a very different proposition to being in lockdown and living in one of the houses I walked past in Northwood.

We are now well into the third week of lockdown and what is becoming clearer is that some people are more at risk of getting the virus than others and indeed some people are more likely to die. Sobering and very scary thoughts. The current evidence shows that older people and men are more likely to succumb to the virus and black and minority ethnic (BME) people are also at higher risk.

Last week was an extremely difficult week for many of us, we began to hear of the deaths of our medical, nursing and social care colleagues, horrible at the best of times, made worse by knowing they died because they contracted the virus. I was particularly struck by the deaths of some of our black and minority ethnic (BME) colleagues, at the end of last week we had lost 5 BME doctors and several nurses, a midwife and care worker, today less than a week later we have lost a total of 10 doctors from BME backgrounds. This is a shocking and unprecedented figure. My thoughts and condolences are with their families and all families that have lost loved ones.

Over the weekend, the intensive care national audit and research centre (ICNARC) published some data from critical care units participating in the Case Mix Programme (all NHS adult, general intensive care and combined intensive care/high dependency units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus some specialist and non-NHS critical care units) The report contained data on all confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to ICNARC up to midday on 03 April 2020. I was astonished to read that even though BME people only make up approximately 13% of the total population in the UK 2011 census 35% had contracted the virus and had ended up in intensive care.

I did what I always do when I am unsure and worried about what data pertaining to race actually means, I contacted my friend and world expert on health and race Dr David R. Williams of Harvard University and as always, David was willing to give up his precious time to talk to me about these truly troubling statistics.

He said that the data was not surprising and that in the US and UK the patterns were strikingly similar. He shared a lot of information, research and findings with me, which only served to confirm my fears. He said that people from BME backgrounds acquiring the virus, becoming sick and dying at a higher rate than their white counterparts was as a consequence of the lives that many BME people live.

The facts are that BME people globally are more likely to acquire diseases and when they do they are more likely to die from them. Numerous studies have been done to try to understand this phenomenon, the most well known of these is the work done by Arline Geronimous on Biological Weathering. In short, she describes that age not only captures the time you have been alive but the experiences you’ve had in that time. Bad experiences, for example being discriminated against and having to live in a hostile environment for long periods of time impact on an individual’s psychological and physiological health, meaning they are more compromised and likely to become ill and even die at a younger age than their white counterparts. What I found particularly fascinating about her work was the fact that class, wealth and fame do not insulate BME people from being weathered and that middle class, well paid, professional people, like many of our doctors were just as likely to experience the outcomes of being weathered as poorer people.

When I give talks on race equality I try to ensure my audience understand what the consequences of living in a society that doesn’t always consider your needs does to individuals from BME groups and how inclusive behaviour helps to mitigate some of the risks associated with exclusion like stress, depression, low self-esteem and a lack of confidence.

In the UK people from BME backgrounds are more likely to be in lower paid jobs, so called gig economy work, live in poorer housing and have less access to open spaces and healthy lifestyles, the social distancing that is required at this time can be problematic for people that live in multiple occupancy buildings with high numbers of people living together.

About a month ago Sir Michael Marmot published a report about Life expectancy in the UK he stated that many people that were in poverty would have shorter life expectancies, he went on say, “Some ethnic groups face much higher rates of poverty than others, particularly those from Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds where rates of poverty after housing costs are taken into consideration are as high as 50 percent”.

Together the findings from Sir Michael Marmots report, Dr Williams work on race and health and Arline Geronious’ work on biological weathering, tell us something about why people from BME backgrounds are possibly more susceptible to Covid19.

This evidence gives lie to the statement that we are all in this together, we certainly are not. It would seem that even though the virus does not discriminate, our Prime Minister, Matt Hancock and Prince Charles are testament to that, as consequence of the pervasiveness of discrimination across the globe, with some groups being ‘othered’ for centuries, their ability to respond strongly to a crisis such as the one we are currently going through is severely compromised.

Thankfully, the issue is beginning to be highlighted and discussed by people across the country and an article was written about it in The Guardian newspaper further illustrated and highlighted the situation. Inequality and particularly health inequality is an important issue and for those of us from BME backgrounds, a life or death one.

Covid19 highlights the importance of inclusion and compassion in our country. Many people that are on the front line are from BME backgrounds, doctors, nurses, bus drivers, cleaners, shop assistants, these people are in essential jobs and play key roles in keeping the country going. It is true that they are being valued and appreciated for their contributions to society at this time. However, we should value, respect and appreciate the contributions of these people in good times as well as bad. During this unprecedented time, it is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on what is of value and what is not. We should consider that everyone regardless of background deserves the opportunity to thrive, not just survive. I am told that I am unrealistic, idealistic even and the world which I describe and aspire to couldn’t exist and is called utopia, well maybe, but I believe the consequences of the health and social inequalities that human beings have created across the globe can be seen glaringly and most obviously during times of crisis like this and they are much too serious, damaging and devastating for us all to ignore for a minute longer.

For all the fallen heroes and heroines of the NHS that have given their lives in service of other people and the country. Forever in our memories.

Communities, Colour and the Corona Virus

I started to write this blog last week and must admit it’s been a struggle. I have not been able to find the words that have enabled me to express the feelings I am having about the challenges we are facing as a consequence of Covid19. At the weekend I saw a video tweet from comedienne Gina Yashere.  The video reminded people of the contribution of staff from a diverse range of backgrounds but particularly people of colour (PoC) seeing it helped me to find the words to write this piece.

Getting the balance right in demonstrating care and compassion for all staff in our NHS but also making sure the work we have been doing in the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) team for the last 5 years isn’t completely forgotten is a real challenge.

I find myself thinking a lot about the members of staff working on the front-line in the NHS, regardless of background or banding, I know how hard, frightening and difficult it must be for you and your families. As a nurse myself, I know first-hand how hard it is to be surrounded by very sick people.  It’s easy for people to say, “we’re all in this together” from the safety of their homes, not so easy when you are in the thick of it. Basically, what front-line staff are doing every single day, during every shift, is laying their lives on the line and for that they deserve the countries unreserved gratitude and praise. My respect and thanks go to them all but particularly to the families of the three doctors that gave their lives fighting this virus.

• Dr Amged el-Hawrani
• Dr Adel el Tayar
• Dr Habib Zaidi

It seems to me that globally we were poorly prepared to deal with this kind of threat, an unseen and deadly enemy that does not discriminate between people,  Covid19, does not care if you are black or white, rich or poor, gay or straight, able bodied or with a disability, it affects people from every class and every background, that much we  know. We also know that because of the inequity and inequality in our world, some people will be more adversely affected by this disaster than others.  As I looked at the faces of some of the poorest people in South Africa on TV, all black, It became glaringly obvious to me that though the virus doesn’t discriminate, Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock can attest to that, as human beings we do, which means the impact of this pandemic will be so much worse for some communities than others, many of the communities most affected by this virus worldwide will be people of colour who happen to be amongsthe poorest most disadvantaged people in the world.

I live in London, one of the biggest and in my opinion one of the best capital cities in the world. There are 10 million people living and working here, it is a vibrant, busy, cosmopolitan city and approximately 45% of people living and working here come from backgrounds other than white British.

The underground system is used by more than 2 million people a day, overground train hubs, like Euston, Kings Cross and Waterloo bring many more people into the capital on a daily basis. Along with the people that live and work in London, the capital welcomes 30 million visitors a year.

It is therefore not surprising that during this current Covid19 crisis that London has become the epicenter of the outbreak in the UK. More people are contracting the disease, becoming sick and dying here than anywhere else in the country.

According to data published by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in October 2018, there are now more nurses from a black and minority ethnic (BME) background than white nurses in London.  The research shows that in London’s NHS there are now 27,982 nurses from a BME background with 24,847 nurses identifying as white, Overall 44.9% (92,487) of all staff working across London trusts are from BME backgrounds.

The chart shows the numbers of BME nurses in London at band 5 in 2019. The majority of them are from backgrounds other than white, which means that many nurses from these backgrounds are on the front line. The evidence is that staff from BME backgrounds in our NHS and particularly in London, have a poorer experience in the workplace than their white counterparts. The inequalities manifest themselves in many different ways, but through the WRES we measure them in the number of people that are appointed from shortlisting, the number of people going through formal disciplinary processes and from the staff survey questions on bullying and harassment.  The importance of compassionate, thoughtful and inclusive leadership at this time cannot be underestimated. For too many years people from BME backgrounds have not been treated fairly or equitably in our NHS, yet  we are relying on nearly half the medical workforce as well as 1 in 5 nurses and midwives from these backgrounds to step up and do their duty and maybe like the afore mentioned doctors, pay the ultimate price.

No doubt we will learn from the experiences we are having during this time, be they good or bad we will learn a lot about ourselves and others, about the society we live in and perhaps the kind of society we’d like to live in. When a woman, a stranger paid for my bread at the weekend because I didn’t my debit card with me and told me to pass on the kindness when I tried to give her the money, I was deeply touched, no one has ever done anything like that for me before, it was an outstanding act of kindness during these dark times that I will never forget and I will indeed pass on that kindness.

The praise and gratitude that was expressed for our NHS on Thursday 26^th March when the nation “clapped for carers” was wonderful, it was not segregated or filtered, it was wholehearted and genuine support for all members of staff. I suppose what I am saying, is that we continue to show how much we value all members of staff that work in the NHS, regardless of background or status and that the society we live in stays kind and thoughtful when this is all over. We must never forget the sacrifices being made by our staff and their families.

Whilst this unprecedented and unusual situation continues, make no mistake it will become harder and more testing for us all, it will become increasingly important that we acknowledge each other’s contributions and commitment to the NHS and wider society. As humans’ beings, we are bound by common cause and purpose, we are interconnected and interdependent, even when we try not to be. We are more alike than we are different, no matter our colour.  I believe many people in Britain are now learning the true meaning of the South African saying Ubuntu, which roughly translated means ‘I am because we are’

 

 

For Caroline, Megan and me.

When Megan Markle and Prince Harry got married on the 19^th March 2018 at Windsor Castle, like millions of other people I watched the event on TV with an overwhelming sense of pride and joy. Pride that a member of the British Royal family, someone at the pinnacle of the British establishment had chosen to marry a divorced woman of mixed heritage. The joy was that in arranging and planning her wedding, Megan did not shy away from her African roots, indeed the opposite was true, she embraced them, from the brilliant Kingdom Gospel Choir, to the multitalented Sheku Kanneh Mason and who could ever forget the awe inspiring Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon. Megan was clearly a woman proud of who she was and strong enough to say to the world, “this is me”. I loved her for that. That was less than two years ago. It took less than two years for the joy and happiness of that day to turn into something entirely different, the absolute opposite of what we all felt on the day of the wedding, to the point where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced on January 8^th 2020 that they were leaving this country and their Royal duties and to live in Canada.

What followed that announcement was a flurry of commentary from people about the rights and wrongs of the said departure. What was really unnerving though was the amount of vitriol and bile that was being spewed about the Duchess, when less than two years ago, she was hailed as the fresh new and inspiring addition to the royal family and our society.

As the news began to sink into a shocked and amazed country, several well-known commentators decided to join in the ‘lets knock Megan’ club. I was appalled by some of the things that were said, Eamonn Holmes , openly talking about the fact that he had never met her but he just didn’t like her, then of course Piers Morgan, making unpleasant and derogatory comments about her. All of this was too much for me to bear, so like many other people, I took to twitter to voice my opinion. What followed was an experience that I will never forget.

My tweet on January 16^th was in response to some very negative social activity about Megan, particularly from certain high-profile men in the media and was in response to some horrible things being said about the Duchess.

My tweet said, “Recognise a pattern here? Ignorant, arrogant, older white media men @Schofe @piersmorgan @EamonnHolmes using their privileged positions on the airwaves to question the reality of an unfair and inequitable UK society. #RacismStillAlive

I am guessing that many people reading the tweet would say that it was a bit rash and foolish for me to write that , I accept that and on reflection I would agree that perhaps i could ahve worded my tweet differently, however what happened next really shocked me. Piers Morgan responded to my tweet with four words,

“Don’t be so Racist”

That’s when the online abuse started. The comments I received following his response were astonishing. I am not someone that is easily shaken or upset, but the vitriol and unpleasantness being heaped upon me from around the world took me completely by surprise. It was not a pleasant experience.

The experience made me reflect on the experiences of other women, women like the Duchess of Sussex,  Diane Abbott MP and of course the late Caroline Flack all of whom experienced something similar but for much longer periods of time. The amount and kind of abuse that I endured for 48 hours, (with the likes and retweets) was enough to leave me feeling shaken and upset, however to receive such unpleasant and cruel remarks on a daily basis would surely affect your mental health, sense of self and wellbeing.

I dealt with the experience by telling myself that those people didn’t know me, rationalising and talking myself up was my way of coping with the onslaught. That said, there can be no mistake, being trolled is an unsettling and anxiety provoking experience.

The people writing the tweets, the so-called keyboard warriors, seem not to know or care about the consequences of their actions and seek to heap maximum distress, hurt and pain on their hapless victims, there then becomes what can only be described as a feeding frenzy where the trolls seek to outdo each other with the levels of unpleasantness they can generate, safe in the knowledge that the messages are anonymous and there will be no repercussions.

When Caroline Flack, tragically died on the 15^th February, it made me really think about the tweets I had received in January, the tweets and comments the Duchess and others receive on a daily basis and how low it makes you feels. The fact that these people not only receive these comments on twitter, in the newspapers, on the radio as well as by letters and email is terrible, the distress they must feel incalculable. I can imagine depression and anxiety would descend on the individual very quickly, with nowhere to turn and no way to turn the tap of vitriol off I am not surprised, Megan decided to leave the UK and sadly Caroline took the ultimate and irreversible way out.

Recently, a colleague told me that they too had experienced online trolling and how frightening it was, she was shaken up by it and so was her teenage son.

Being trolled was definitely one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had, it truly was nasty.

Caroline Flack posted a tweet a while ago which her friends retweeted after her death. Its poignant and oh so true.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.