This shocking piece of news demonstrates the deep-seated racism that besets the STEM sector. Many young black students end up pursuing non STEM careers because they are being put off by the gatekeepers. I remember when I was taking my GCSEs – well, it was O Levels back then – and I was told by one of my teachers that science was not for my kind! In fact, when I was literally going into the Exam Hall to take my biology exam, he told me right at the entrance, not “Good luck!”, but “You’re going to fail this exam!” Imagine that! Here I am, a young 16-year-old being told just before my exams that I was going to fail.
Do you know, it took me 15 mins after the start of the exam before I was able to hold my pen steady. For 15 mins, every time I picked up the pen to write my name, my hand trembled and I couldn’t write. It was an hour exam! This attitude that certain (rational) subjects just don’t belong to certain people because of their colour (and the spelling of their name) haunts us even when we reach what society regards as the respectable heights of our profession. Even with an OBE Professor Robert Mokaya cannot get funding!
People ask me why do I do the work of EDI. Well, it’s because, despite stories like these, I still believe in the human spirit of EDI – yes, EDI are human qualities, not mere characteristics – and that wherever I am, I can brighten the corner where I am if only to make it better for my kids, their friends and their neighbours.
#diversity hashtag
#diversityandinclusion hashtag
#diversityequityandinclusion hashtag
#diversityequityinclusion hashtag
#diversitymatters hashtag
#diversityinclusion hashtag
#diversityintheworkplace hashtag
#diversityinclusionequity hashtag
#diversityrecruitment hashtag
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#diversitytraining hashtag
#diversitymanagement