If You Are Not A White Able-Bodied Man, You Must Be Exceptional To Stand Out
Pushing the equity boundaries
What does it take?
What does it take to put your hand up in a room where no one looks like you?
To be the first to state in a Boardroom that you are gay?
To defy the prejudices established by society on what a leader should look like?
To break the rules and risk your safety to participate?
When we see someone from a racial minority become a Fortune 500 CEO, an actor with dwarfism succeed in Hollywood, or a woman become President of her country, we collectively clap and celebrate diversity.
Yet, these sparkles of progress toward equity and inclusion often create a dangerous and misleading narrative:
“Anyone can make it to the top if they work hard.”
“See? It’s not about gender or race; it’s about talent and qualification.”
Equity: not a pretty picture
According to Qualtrics, in 2023, 37 out of the top 50 CEOs of Fortune 500 are white men. There’s been some progress looking at the evolution from 1980, when 100% were white men, but the picture is neither colorful nor encouraging.
If you don’t belong to the category of white men, the odds are against you. Why?
Because you most likely have to be the first at something, knock on doors, bring down walls, and go the extra mile to get an entry ticket others have for granted.
You must be willing to be the exception to join the game. You must be ready to be the first and carry a heavy torch to pave the way for others to follow, even if it means sometimes burning your hands.
‘Too girly’
When my friend astrobiologist Angelica Angles entered the classroom to study astrophysics in Stockholm in 2001, the professor kindly warned her she was in the wrong class. Looking around, she realized she was in the right class but was the wrong gender and was told she looked too girly to be a scientist.
All the male students laughed while she blushed, as the only female student in the room. She kept going and has since obtained a Post-doctorate in astrobiology, collaborated with NASA, and spoken at a TEDx in Hong Kong, ‘In the search of Life on Mars.’
She was willing to be the exception and become exceptional to stand out.
‘You can’t possibly be the solicitor’
When Saajandeep Singh decided to become a solicitor in his country of birth, Hong Kong, his biggest challenge was not the lonely hours of study, the complex laws, or the fierce competition but the turban on his head, a reminder not only of his faith but also of the discrimination suffered by the Sikh minority in the workplace and beyond.
It took a few weeks for the security guards at the Court of Justice to understand that the man with the turban was not the Deliveroo guy but the solicitor. He was willing to be the first turban in the Court. Be the exception and become exceptional to stand out.
‘You can play the elf’
When actor Peter Dinklage had his breakthrough moment as Tyrion Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones in 2011, despite his achondroplasia (type of dwarfism), the world applauded his success and celebrated inclusion.
In a throat-cutting profession such as acting, Dinklage had to marry talent with courage to defy an entire industry and reject to play the roles offered to him for years, mainly as an elf or leprechaun. He was willing to reject the status quo and be exceptional.
‘Girls can’t run’
As a mum of two young daughters and an amateur triathlete, I still feel goosebumps every time I see pictures from the Boston Marathon in 1967, during which the race marshals and male participants tried to physically stop Kathrine Switzer from running. Her sin? To be the first woman ever to run a marathon.
Was she the only woman of her generation able to run 42 km? Probably not, but she was the first to be willing to do something exceptional.
Looking beyond
Should the most talented person in the room get the job? Absolutely. However, if that’s the only parameter we use to evolve as a society, there will be little evolution. We must look beyond.
Who is in the room in the first place?
Equity is much more than gender and minority quotas and is not solved in the panel interview.
It starts at home when, instead of telling little girls they are pretty, we encourage them to be brave and strong.
It starts at school by picking books where the hero is not always a blue-eyed charming prince but perhaps a black boy or a little girl in a wheelchair.
It starts by looking at the room and asking ourselves who is missing and who might need an extra hand because it’s not easy to be in a room where no one looks like you.
It starts by asking the opinion of the people who are often not seen or heard because the voice of the majority is louder.
It starts by acknowledging that not everyone was invite to the room and that we need perhaps a bigger door…or a brand new room.
For articles on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, check out my website www.veronicallorcasmith.com.