Diversity schemes for young people - mixed race child.

There’s a tonne of research that shows racism is alive and well in current recruitment and employment practices, it’s not something that can be consigned to the history books just yet, sadly. Schemes like this are intended to counter the impact of systemic racism.

That’s how fair people see things. Take people on their actions and character not their appearance. If only everyone was like that.

That's not an example of equality. Again as with the other thread, words have actual meanings.
That's just a closet racist (you) noticing that black people have personality outside of being black.

Adding to my point : (there's several colleagues I work with that are black, for example) most blend into the background and I couldn't tell you much about them.

One person is the most positive, smiley, happy person I've ever met. (And she's gorgeous 😍) Got the whole package. I love her (inconsequential piece of info: she's black ) but because I've know her since she took me under her wing at 18 (I'm now old) her "blackness" isn't a factor In anything I think about her.

Another colleague is bitchy, gossipy, underhand, plays nice to your face and is the total opposite behind your back, she's a vindictive cow to be honest. (She's black) Funnily enough I've also known her since I was 18 (she hasn't changed ) and I'm also still old.

Ya know what. That right there : that's equality

With all due respect, you’ve said that you work in a multicultural organisation. Surely you understand that that is not the case for every industry? I am simply sharing the reality that not everyone is in that situation. You can’t just poo-poo someone else’s experience because it’s not the same as yours. Sadly there are people in the UK who do not see people who are not white as “normal”. And that attitude is prevalent more so in some industries than others. My DH’s is a classic example of this, although thankfully it is slowly improving.

I think one of the problems with these schemes, and I’m not saying they shouldn’t exist, is the racial stratification that they causes. Look at multiple comments on this thread considering whether your son is “black enough”. I think that’s a very dangerous and unpleasant road to go down. Also the presumption that a person who looks “really black” will have suffered discrimination affecting their prospects. I
suspect that the vast majority of students applying for this placement will have had very little serious disadvantage to deal with.

How impartial do you believe the "news" is ?

I work in one of the most (if not the most ) multicultural employers to ever exist. Funnily enough my black/brown/Muslim/eastern European (I could go on ) colleagues don't get it. They all feel incredibly privileged and most say "back home things are different. You're shunned if you're... Xyz"

Don't start aggro based on your white (because you will be white) virtual signalling and let black and brown people live and be accepted as "normal". And normal means : some will love them because they're funny, some will affiliate with them being because they're important, some will not like them because they're obnoxious, some will hate them because they're ill mannered. You get what I'm saying ? Apply the same values. The good, the bad, the indifferent.

Didn’t know schemes like those existed tbh.

Get out of your ivory tower and open your eyes. Never watch the news?

Why would I lie about something like that?!?! Ffs

It is in an industry that is massively dominated by white privately educated men. Notoriously so.

My DD is similar to your son in heritage and looks. I think it would be awkward once your son got to interview at the company if the interviewer had been interviewing other candidates under the same scheme. He also hasn’t really experienced racism in the same way as some of the other candidates would have — though I’m sure he has experienced some. But I think your son is right.

Do you think its useful to have the best possible people in law? Do you believe that the best possible people are disproportionately likely to be white?
Unless you answer yes, to both these questions then the reason for encouraging people from other groups into the profession should be obvious.

It's a very well known quote about the industry, said by then BBC Director General, Greg Dyke, about 20 years ago.
It's still quoted now because the industry still has a long way to go at reflecting the viewers it makes programmes for. Senior roles especially are still overwhelmingly populated by straight, white, able bodied, middle class men, who went to private schools.
It's not racist for me to acknowledge that despite some improvement in the last 5 years, if you look around most crews, most edits, most production offices, on the whole you are seeing a sea of white faces.

The system of everyone applying as individuals and being selected based on merit isn't working though, is it? Unless you believe white middle class males are the most intelligent, skilled, capable, hardworking demographic of the UK population, and this is why they are over represented in the most powerful and highest earning roles in our society. Do you believe this? Or do you allow for the possibility there's more at play than individual merit?

Ps for anyone who dares: take a look at blackmumsnetters and Muslim Mumsnetters. See how white people as a collective race are thought of.

Muslim Mumsnetters isn't too hostile of white people, granted. But there are threads detailing how oral sex is "disgusting and immoral" and shaming some person who partakes (fellow Muslim).

Virtue signalling white people just have no clue what they're talking about. Stop dividing groups, start uniting us all. Division breeds tribalism. Tribalism breeds war.

I completely and utterly agree with you. It's divisive.

And the people that want this are not looking for equality (we have that. Full stop. In the UK we have equality) maybe not elsewhere on the globe. But we certainly have it here. They are looking to exchange oppressed and oppresser

There should be no oppressed and oppresser. Equality means stop the fucking division games. It's not done many favours has it ?

Hideously white? As opposed to female Olympic marathon runners, is that all hideously black? Please keep any racist comments to yourself they don't belong on here.

But what if he got an interview, has psyched himself up knowing he was allowed to apply with his heritage and then not get anywhere after that because he doesn’t fit the bill?

It’s a very slippery path to be honest.

Sorry.... What type of internship is only open to you if you are a certain colour ? What fresh hell is this ?

Why would it be useful or otherwise to have more black men in law. Why would skin colour make any difference?