Ethnic Discrimination In Hiring — My Personal Experience

Oxford Academia cited ethnic discrimination across the board in the labour market in Russia. It stated this happens everywhere among diverse ethnic groups. I suffered ethnic discrimination in my country as a young professional Accountant.

Years ago when I was a student at London School Of Accountancy as a foreign student, we were allowed twenty hours of paid work. It is common to find most foreign students then working, not necessarily to make ends meet, but always for the joy and fun of the work experience. The main reason most of us did it was that it will be a good addition to our resume when we finally qualified.

Subtle Racism Left Me With Social Insecurity

I was always feeling uncomfortable because of subtle remarks, during my internship in a major Accounting firm then. Always, I would be reluctant to go to work the following day because of the subtle racism. And unable to interact during lunch breaks and the many TGIFs (Thank God It’s Friday) social gatherings that were norms at various venues after the hours on Fridays. I always have an excuse for not attending.

There will always be unpleasant jokes about Africa, and you would find some remarks like whether people still live on trees like monkeys etc. However, I always believed then that racism was because of my colour, being a prominent black lady among the predominant whites at work.

Well, I always thought then, soon I will qualify and go home, among my people, among people of the same colour. I always encouraged myself that this would soon pass when I get back home, to my country. And racism will end. So I thought.

‘’Society has discovered discrimination as the great social weapon by which one may kill men without any bloodshed.’’ Hannah Arendt

Shocked At The First Ethnic Discrimination In My Country

Well, here I was in Lagos, Nigeria, full of hope and looking forward to getting a good high paying job that befits my qualification, as a Chartered Accountant.

With hindsight and information among my colleagues, I got to know that the best jobs then was either in a Merchant Bank or an Oil Company. Nigeria was a top oil-producing country, and major oil servicing companies like Shell, Eni, BP, Halliburton, Siemens, National Oil and all others were present there.

I was lucky to be invited for an interview with a major oil-producing company. I passed the interview and was informed that the person who would be my immediate boss, The Executive Director of Finance was away. The letter informed me that it would be more appropriate to wait until he resumes in two week’s time, and he would invite me for a chat, and we could agree on my resumption date. Fair enough. I was elated and looking forward to my immediate boss invite.

Well, I got the Executive Director of Finance’s letter, and by his name, I noted we speak the same language, which is Yoruba. We chatted in a friendly manner, and he commended by brilliance and pleasantness. The discussion was going on well and I was feeling elated, blessed and happy about my ‘luck’ for securing a good job with a pleasant immediate boss, until GBAM!

And it happened. He asked he was unable to pinpoint my ethnicity because my married name was BENNETT, an English name. He said some people hide their true ethnicity with foreign names. I was shocked that a person of such standing would even be thinking of ethnicity in a country with multiple ethnicities and diverse as Nigeria.

I informed him, I was born in Lagos, and also where my dad was from. His mood changed instantly, so bad that if this man had been a white man, he would have been all red, because he was visibly upset.

The time stood still for a few minutes that seemed like an eternity. Neither of us could talk. Here was I, a JJC (Johny Just Come, a term Nigerians use for new arrivals from overseas). A JJC, because we don’t yet know how to interact with the cultures, and also most of the JJCs, are assuming.

I took up the courage of awareness to ask him if he had any problem with people from my ethnicity. He said, ‘you see, you people are everywhere in this organisation. I recognise that you are all well-read and brilliant, but I am afraid, I really don’t want another one again’. GBAM!!!

My pride was really injured and felt let down and very disappointed at such betrayal in a country I called mine. I told him that it was a shame that my ethnicity would prevent me from the job of my dream. I informed him that when I suffered racism in London, I thought coming home will be very different.

All he said was that ‘’you see you are a JJC, you will soon understand that there is a lot going on in Nigeria. There is a quota for all top post. You coming in as Head, of Finance will unbalance the quota for your ethnicity. I was surprised the Managing Director/Chief Executive approved your appointment without probing into this. It must be your English surname. I will discuss it with him, and I will let you know what we decide.’’ GBAM! GBAM!! GBAM!!!

I left the office, sad, disillusioned, and with so much hate for such a system that allocates quota ridiculously like that. So to those crying racism here in the UK (I live in the UK now), this definitely cannot happen in the UK, at least not openly in a way to cause you depression. Agree, there are subtle ones, but any open one gives you a legal redress.

So what are talking about? I say this all the time to my friends here in the UK, racism (which indeed is a form of discrimination)is worse in our home county. One reason why we can all shout about it, but we can’t go back home, because we have no legal redress at home. We just sulk, and sulk and then look elsewhere. A very pathetic situation in Nigeria.

Because I am uncomfortable where things are subjective and judgemental, and has no room for truth, I know I will not be happy to work in the organisation. So when the company later invited me to claim my ex-husband ethnicity to resume on the job. I declined the offer. He is from the oil-producing minority ethnic group.

I had British citizenship, hence I found myself moving back to the UK, years later. Yes, a black lady in a predominantly white country, but at least a little bit of justice is upheld here than where I was born.

Racism Is Lack Of Education And Awareness

Since my experience in not securing a job in the oil company, I have examined the cause of racism and ethnic discrimination. What makes those people become racist? I found out that it was a lack of education. Not the book knowledge as such, but people refusing the openness and awareness that education offers.

During my internship, you always find people asking if Nairobi is in Nigeria, signifying their lack of simple geography.

For Pete’s sake, Nairobi is the capital of Kenya in East Africa. Nigeria is in West Africa. Two separate countries in Africa. You will listen to an American speaking as if America is the world, yet most have not even stepped out of America, and do not know about other countries or cultures.

People refuse the wisdom that education teaches. Hence we can have a highly qualified person, like the Executive Director of Finance, but still primitive in his thoughts and actions. These people are set in their ways.

‘’True wisdom will enable a man to judge others with an impartial mind.’’ M. K. Soni

There Is Diversity In Nature

I always say nature is the language of God. Nature teaches us diversity. Look at all species of animals, plants, indeed all creatures, there are thousands of them. The marine scientists agree that they still do not know the many species of fish and other marine animals in the ocean, as they keep coming across new ones every time.

I was reading about butterflies and was shocked to learn that they only live for about four weeks. With such beauty, how come they have a short life span? I was more shocked to learn that there are about 17,500 species in the world. We human do not even have that many, yet we cannot live in peace with each other.

It is not only SOME whites that are being racists. Racism is in all races, Blacks, Asians, and in those in between.

You find ethnic discrimination in all countries with ethnicity, The Rwanda genocide killed about one million in the fight against the ethnic Tutsi. What about the ethnic violence in South Sudan? It is happening all over, in Asia, in Europe, in the American etc. Some cultures have the cast system, who can never intermarry. This is still a kind of ethnic discrimination.

The Russian Experience

The European Sociological Review (Volume 36, issue 1) cited ethnic discrimination in Russia because of the large ethnic groups in the country and concluded that there is ample discrimination in the labour market, with strong discrimination in visible minorities all across the country.

What Lesson Is There For Us Here?

The lesson is simple. Nature is the language of God, and Albert Einstein said it better in this quote.

‘’Look deep into Nature, and you will understand everything better.’’ Albert Einstein

Nature Denounce Racism

A young academic author at the University of Malaysia, Shin Jie Yong wrote an article, titled, How Racism Provokes Cellular Ageing, Stress And Inflammation.’ He concluded in his papers,

‘’Racism affects people at genomic level — akin to loneliness, poverty, and caregiver burden — spuring inflammation and stress while debilitating immune function.’’

We don’t really need to say more. To any racist out there, you are killing yourself gradually. There is diversity in nature, and in all creatures. Open up your mind, open your eyes, and open up your senses, smell the flowers. The world is only beautiful because of its diversity and inclusion.