Diversity schemes for young people - mixed race child.

[Florencesndzebedee]

I have a dc who is currently an undergraduate. I am mixed race, my dh is white. Dc is fair skinned but, through my heritage, also has black heritage (my dad is from the Caribbean).

The landscape is tough at the moment getting work placements/internships but some of these schemes are open to dc of black heritage only. My dc is reluctant to apply as he said he’d feel like a fraud, purely on looks - he looks like he might be Spanish or Greek but has blue eyes. The criteria are quite vague other than under represented people )within the organisation) of black/african /Caribbean heritage. I feel like he is entitled to apply and these schemes would give him more options.

Does anyone have any experience of these particular schemes or how they select?

If you believe a baby displays racial prejudice..... You and me are done corresponding.

A baby is incapable of forming complex thoughts. So it cannot possibly be rooted in stereotype/preconceived ideas/prejudice. It's literally impossible. It's an absolute joke of a point.

Totally illogical - loads of stuff is illegal but still exists - heroin, rape, murder?!

I already said up thread that my wording wasn't correct and led to it being misconstrued (understandably)

Don’t give them any more crazy ideas, we’ll be having babies with white skin cancelled before they can speak next

I came back to say this. No books read or recommended, just some platitudes. It’s not going to cut it I’m afraid.

Racism itself may be a modern term. The act of treating people as subordinates because of their skin colour or perceiving them as uncivilised isn’t. Huge parts of Africa were not poor before colonisation and the slave trade. Read up about Benin.

How is being aware of a prejudice and discrimination divisive?

Or... You could just accept that the end point is the goal : to not be racist towards people.

So if that's done via living by simple platitudes instead of reading your books , why is that a problem?

You seem to think that only highly educated people are capable of not being racist. That's very judgemental and ignorant (do you have a class bias ?) could be unconscious?

I'm not white but I believe the way forward should be completely blind interviews/job applications, where the applicants sex, education facility, race, disability or any other protected chracteristic is hidden.

I don't believe reverse racism helps in any way, and actually harms the country's social cohesion and productiveness. It is racism to assume that someone will or won't succeed based on their skin colour.

You seem to be getting a hard time here and I don’t want to add to that but what you’ve just said is basically gaslighting as I’ve said nothing of the sort. I’m sure you are well intended.

Thankyou for putting your head above the parapet and offering your voice from a non white perspective. Its a very balanced opinion. Unfortunately I think all black and brown people are treated as a monolithic by the extreme left (the educated ones) and they assume all people from ethnic minorities are "angry" and actively want positive discrimination.

But is it everyone's end goal? I think that's wishful thinking and exactly why we need intentional action rather than wishy washy buzzwords. It would be lovely if everyone was dedicated equality, but they aren't so we must make them.

@PreciousTatas is not white. Maybe listen to her perspective. Because although she's only one voice from a non white background, her opinion is more valid than both yours and mine.

You are acting like you know what black and brown people want and people like me who opt to live by old fashioned values of "live and let live " seem to be racist to you.

You seem to be getting a hard time here and I don’t want to add to that but what you’ve just said is basically gaslighting as I’ve said nothing of the sort. I’m sure you are well intended.

You're... Having a conversation with yourself...? 😵‍💫

I have a black husband and 3 mixed race sons. I may be white but I have seen and heard racism and discrimination first hand.
It's great that that is their experience, but it isn't necessarily representative of the experience of every black or brown person. Racism or discrimination is not experienced in the same way or at the same rate by everyone. Their opinion is absolutely valid but no more or less so than my husband for example. I want everyone to be able to trust the everyone else will treat them fairly. But in my opinion we are not there yet.

Only true way to ensure a pure echo chamber.

I pointed out her voice was only one voice : so don't start all that with me.

You do realise, as many black people will tell you (blackmumsnetters for example states it a lot ) that your proximity to blackness doesn't give you insight into lived experience.

Or do you pick and choose which parts you listen to ?

If you are the oracle of how not to be racist. Live by your own standards.

Meanwhile, me and others don't need to read a thousand books or learn about history in minute detail: the aim is just to treat people like any other. If you don't like that or want to critisize that: feel free. But don't try to Instill your one perspective of how to be anti racist on to others and make out they're ignorant, stupid, a crap human because they have the end goal but achieve it in a different and more simplified manner.

The hypocrisy of you getting your proximity to blackness out when cornered is very telling +it's a well known taboo to do that to the black community) but you should know that

I'd didn't say my proximity to blackness gives my voice any credibility. Where have I said that? But my opinion is absolutely based upon what I see and hear every day as well as the hatred I have received personally for merely having black family members.
I don't disagree with your aim to treat everyone nicer. That should be everyone's goal. But not everyone is nice.
I don't speak for anyone or claim to hold any authority. I disagree with you personally and your ill thought through baseless wishy washy platitudes.

Quite. It's not Yaxley-Lennon's end goal. It wasn't Lucy Connolly's end goal when she tweeted to burn that hotel down. It's not the end goal of anyone who sent Jess Carter or Bukayo Saka racist hate messages. It's not even the end goal of people who aren't actively racist but just don't really care or think about the fact that POC face some issues that they might not.
The UK may be less racist than other countries but it's still got a long way to go.
Obviously it would be great if we all wanted to end racism. Obviously it would be great if we got to the point where schemes like the one the OP mentions aren't needed. Obviously it would be great if a woman, POC, disabled person, queer person, working class person had exactly the same likelihood of becoming a CEO as all those white guys called John. We aren't going to get there organically though and sometimes relatively small bits of action, like this scheme, are needed to level the playing field.

I think we all know who I’m responding to.

Find a way of doing it without excluding white people or lowering the standard of living. You have about 3.5 years left to make your case.

Erm.... I don't think we do.... 😵‍💫

I have no idea why you think I'm advocating for lowering the standards of living!?!
It's not about excluding white people, it's not about white people, it's about including people of colour (or other under represented groups) in places where that isn't happening more naturally.

I don’t think I can make my point any better than you did with this amazing example of mental gymnastics. Thanks.