Striving for equality

Claire nix

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Thankfully there is no scientific evidence to back up this prejudicial statement where people are concerned. Carl Honoré, in the Radio 4 programme, Four Thought, on ending ageism said it is not even true about dogs! The programme established that spending time with people of different ages makes us happier – and less ageist. After all, nothing shoots down stereotypes more than getting to know the people being stereotyped. I guess this is probably true in challenging all stereotypes.

Each year I sign up to a Career Development Institute Code of Ethics to renew membership of my professional institute. This includes the commitment to:- actively promote equality and diversity and work towards the removal of barriers to personal achievement resulting from prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination.

This means I should make supreme efforts in my professional life to promote equality and diversity and watch out for the risk of unconscious bias where unintentional responses may stem from deep seated social stereotyping.

One of the reasons I was attracted to the careers sector was the role it can play in helping everyone to realise their full potential. When careers work is done well, a school and college thoroughly analyse the needs, starting points and circumstances of its learner community. It then plans careers activities and personal guidance to help students explore a wide range of options, encounter positive role models and open doors to positive futures. A state school in Lambeth will have less social and cultural capital than an independent school in Surrey and with proper planning and delivery, it is possible to establish greater equality in the students’ career horizons. There seems to be something really valuable in helping people find satisfying work that recognises their unique value and builds a healthy society.

So, it is possible to make some difference through skilled careers interventions but in the end, societal barriers can feel too deeply entrenched to tackle. One of the well-respected writers in the careers field, Tristram Hooley, has set up a guest blog Black Lives Matters, Black Careers Matters to invite debate and discussion in recognition of the deep-seated concerns we all feel currently. He says very powerfully: as a white person living a relatively privileged life in the UK I can listen, read and try and amplify black voices. I can also argue that we are all linked, that injustice for one is injustice for all, that solidarity is the only way to organise a society and that we need to move forwards steadily (or ideally rapidly) increasing equality, democracy and justice. He points to some of the statistics that demonstrate entrenched and continuing inequality in the labour market and points to his primary source for those statistics. ETHNICITY, RACE AND INEQUALITY IN THE UK: State of the Nation Edited by Bridget Byrne, Claire Alexander, Omar Khan, James Nazroo and William Shankley.

So, combatting prejudice and striving for equality is a strong professional concern for me.

It is also a personal concern. For my 60th birthday celebrations we went to the Southern States of America, took part in the Alabama Civil Rights Trail and visited the Rosa Parks, Lynching and Freedom Riders Museums as well as the Martin Luther King Centre. One of the powerful messages that came through to me was the central role of black community churches in advancing civil rights. Some commentators are now saying that the part played by churches then has been taken up now by sports people, actors and musicians. We have all seen the huge impact of Marcus Rashford in the argument about food poverty and school vouchers. Is it possible that Stormzy and Lewis Hamilton have greater reach and influence than our church leaders?!

I am hopeful that we can as a church be part of a productive dialogue about what a racially just, equal society looks like, to recognise in line with the statement on racism the Biblical base for equality and to see how we can contribute. I have been thankful for some of the open and honest conversations with members of our church family recently about the daily pain and struggle of racism and to try and share that grief and to try and stand alongside in solidarity. To quote Bishop T D Jackes: We are loved in the skin we are in. We are all precious in God’s sight. Our day of prayer against racism was a powerful opportunity to pray that the darkness of prejudice and racism is overcome with God’s light but it feels like we have more to do.

-Clare Nix