News / Institutional Racism
New course looks at overcoming systemic racism in the workplace
Race has been a topic at the forefront of many people’s minds over the last year in particular, where the Black Lives Matter movement sparked conversations around systemic racism in everyday life.
Racism and discrimination in the workplace also continue to be prevalent for many employees, where 37 per cent of people of colour say they have been bullied, abused or singled out because of their race.
In a world where 57 per cent of black women have suffered a mental health problem due to workplace bullying, it’s clear that organisations need to do more to learn about racism and what tools they can adopt to tackle issues.
Bianca Jones is a qualified Mental Health First Aid England instructor at EDP Training and was a panellist at the Bristol24/7 Presents 2021 series, exploring mental health and burnout in the workplace.
On the importance of tackling racism in the workplace, Bianca said: “In my work life I experienced many times what we call covert racism, like so many other black people and people of colour.”
“This is not unusual and unfortunately happens all the time. Microaggressions are usually a comment or statement laced with discrimination and prejudice, it’s a part of systemic racism and is how people have been conditioned by society.”
To address the issue that is common in many workplaces, Bianca has launched a new course for organisations to understand and address systemic racism and the disparities that this causes in the workplace.
The course aims to create a non-judgemental space to learn about racism – and help the mental health of those who are affected.
“Racism itself is a massive risk factor to developing poor mental health, which can help us understand why Back people in particular Black men are five times more likely to develop psychological disorders in the first place,” says Bianca.
“The basic and first step everybody can do is learn about racism. Understanding racism and acknowledging it in all its forms is key. To be an anti-racist organisation or individual, we need to explore how we could be playing a part of the structures that make up our society.”
“I have been working with companies over the last year specifically on this topic and it was clear that there is a gap around what racism is. The Race Ahead course means everybody in the workplace will have a baseline of knowledge and tools to be able to start being an anti-racist ally.”
To learn more about the Race Ahead course, visit: www.edptraining.co.uk/race-ahead-course
Main photo: Bianca Jones
Read more: ‘Dramatic economic and social change is needed to make Bristol a more equal place’
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
