Damilola Onamusi
The talent is out there - you’re just not reaching them
who haven’t educated themselves cannot be responsible for educating others. This will only lead to the deepening of unconscious bias, which is the reason most diversity and inclusion issues exist. Push for diverse candidates Too many organisations are lazy when it comes to recruitment. This laziness means you almost always end up with a candidate pool that reflects whoever the hiring manager is. Do more to get your listings on job boards which are used by a more diverse pool. Enlist the services of organisations such as Social Fixit, Freelance Queens, I Like Networking and Out The Box to help you. The talent is out there, you’re just not reaching them. Shine a light Those ‘most respected’ or ‘rising talent’
lists often lead to more opportunities and more visibility, which is why it’s important they shine a light on those who have often had their light dimmed. If you see a call for nominations, don’t assume your black event friend has seen it, send it to them with a little note saying ‘Nominate yourself, you’re great and the world should see this’. Alternatively, you can nominate them on their behalf. Push for change How inclusive is your workplace? How does it recognise talent and hard work? Organisations will rarely look at their policies unless they’ve been called out - and the only people that can do this are the ones who work there. Don’t be afraid of speaking up and pushing for change. Use your privilege and position in the company, if senior, to curate a place where meaningful and productive conversations can happen.
a meeting or take a more senior role in the event planning process. Listen Many black event professionals won’t speak on the issues they’ve faced in the workplace out of fear of being told they’re wrong or being unfair. This isn’t right and needs to stop. But if they do speak out, it’s important not to invalidate their experiences just because you haven’t personally experienced it or heard of it happening to others. Listen and empathise with them while validating their experiences. Call out the performers Don’t let people fool you with their LinkedIn posts on how much they’re doing for D&I. Look at the content they engage with, comment on, share etc. If you see something that doesn’t match up with their grandeur, call it out. Why? Because people
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