A Guardian analysis has found just 4.6% of people in prominent public positions in Manchester – including politics, sport, education, arts, business and health – are Black. The figure is a significant underrepresentation of Manchester’s Black population, which stands at 14.8%.
The Guardian spoke to three leaders in their fields in Manchester on the impact the lack of diversity has had on them, and why they still fight for change.
Keisha Thompson, artistic director
I think it’s frustrating because I definitely feel that when I was growing up in the 90s, I was exposed to more diversity. What I’ve experienced is the rollback and the danger of complacency. Now that I’m able to have those conversations, I’m aware that they would have had projects to increase diversity, but then the funding gets cut or the project comes to an end, and it’s not sustainable. The legacy isn’t there.
It shouldn’t necessarily be the case that I’m one of the first or one of the few. But then it also galvanises me because it means that there’s gravitas to me having this position, and that I should make use of that, that I can be proactive, and I can be vocal, and I can be a symbol of encouragement for young people or my peers. Whenever I’m discussing this topic it’s something that I’m deeply passionate about. But also you get frustrated because the weight shouldn’t be on me. I don’t always want to talk about this. I’m more than just a Black person.
When you read stuff like the McKinsey project reports, organisations that are more diverse do better. Don’t treat people’s life experience like it’s just this kind of baggage, it’s actually something that can be channelled into a skill and give you perspective and nuance.
Since Black Lives Matter people have really started to latch on to this idea of antiracism. It’s all right to sit there and go “I’m not racist” or “I don’t agree with racism”. But structurally this whole economy is built on slavery. It’s in our systems, it’s in our cultures, it’s in our thinking, so we have to actively push against it and dismantle it.
Ekua Bayunu, local councillor
From my perspective, having the experience of an African heritage person is a really important part of your qualification to serve. It isn’t the be-all and end-all in itself. There needs to be a much more nuanced and transparent way of saying, “Well, how do you use that lived experience and that knowledge and those networks to actually benefit society as a whole? What do you bring with that?”
I want young people in schools to know that there are people who look like them in positions of power. But I want them to also see people who don’t just look like them, but have common experiences in terms of class, who have a commitment for actually supporting society as a whole. They see the importance that they’re part of the community and part of society as a whole, and that’s more than just being a Black face.
My background is Nigerian, Irish and English. I have immersed myself in both Caribbean and African communities and learn from both. My role is to open up the doorway that those life experiences can also impact. I’m not there just to say, “This is my experience as a Black person.” I’m there to say this is my experience as a Black person and bring to bear as many of those networks to have an impact because that will make it better for everybody. As a socialist, I genuinely believe when you solve the problems for the most oppressed, everybody benefits.
Evelyn Asante-Mensah, NHS trust chair
I remember in one interview, there was an amazing Black woman who came for her interview, but I could just see the anxiety for the chair and them thinking, “How do I manage this person?” They would have seen her as difficult to control. And so then in the deliberation, the conversation was around “not sure she’d fit within the board”. I said: “I think she’s the best person for the job.”
We were one of the first NHS trusts to release a statement on Black Lives Matter. As an NHS trust, we cannot be political. But it was difficult to see the number of Black people who were dying, including people working within the NHS. That coupled with the death of George Floyd. It was painful, it hurt.
It wasn’t just George Floyd. It was a buildup, just Black person after Black person dying or being killed. I felt that as a trust we had to say something. It was more about showing solidarity with Black members of staff and with Black patients.
You can say things without being a political figure. It’s important to use your voice but use it in a way that is affirmative. When you sit at the table as a Black person, you don’t sit at that table just as a Black person, you bring your experiences with you.
I recognise that I am in a position of privilege and in a position of power. I don’t like that word power, because it has a negative connotation, but it is a powerful position. I sit at the top of the tree, there’s not many people that sit at the top of the tree that look like me. And because I sit at the top of the tree, when I say something, a lot of the time it’s listened to.
