Professor Jonathan Wilson has spoken to Emerald Publishing’s podcast on how we’ve responded to COVID-19 and #BlackLivesMatter – and society’s next steps to address racism in our organisations and institutions.
‘COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter are forcing people to address some of these issues but they have been around for a long time,' Professor Wilson said in the podcast.
‘Some people would argue that they have experienced less racism because they've been at home and they've not been out in the streets.
‘But there is a worrying number of stories of abuse of policy or stop-and-search during COVID-19. Key workers working for the NHS have been pulled over coming away from a shift. There was a black nurse pulled over by the police, potentially facing handcuffs, being asked ‘what are you doing breaking lockdown?’
‘There’s a lot of just having to prove yourself – and when you add up the stats, that’s terrible.’
The podcast, which was released earlier this week, also explores:
- How businesses responded to the pandemic
- What it means to experience racism
- What it takes to build a diverse organisation – and why that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a culturally sensitive one
- Why diverse communities need a more holistic and nuanced approach to inclusion
