Series 4, Episode 15: Identity and Belonging - Black students’ experiences of racism within higher education
07/29/22 • 34 min
In this episode, Rachael Wilson is joined by Lateesha Osbourne to discuss her pHD research into black students’ sense of identity and belonging within higher education.
Lateesha is a psychologist who applies a DEI lens to her work and in particular has significant expertise in race equality. She has worked with EW and Challenge since 2015 when she joined our team as Training and Business Development Officer and, after being away for a little while studying for her doctorate, is now back as a consultant working on a range of innovative client projects.
Lateesha explains the findings from her research which included gathering insights through focus groups with Black students on their experiences of racism. Lateesha analysed how experiences of racism affected the students’ sense of identity and belonging, and the strategies that they adopted to navigate the campus culture. Her findings provide us with a microcosm of other institutions and workplaces and an insight into the experiences of minority groups.
Rachael and Lateesha discuss how these findings can be used to inform the ways in which we go about breaking down workplace barriers to inclusion and belonging. They discuss how creating a culture where employees feel able to speak up is crucial to employees’ wellbeing, progression and performance.
Follow Lateesha Osbourne on LinkedIn or Twitter to keep up-to-date with her latest news and work.
Follow EW Group and Challenge Consultancy on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion or get in touch to find out how we can help you build a more inclusive workplace.
In this episode, Rachael Wilson is joined by Lateesha Osbourne to discuss her pHD research into black students’ sense of identity and belonging within higher education.
Lateesha is a psychologist who applies a DEI lens to her work and in particular has significant expertise in race equality. She has worked with EW and Challenge since 2015 when she joined our team as Training and Business Development Officer and, after being away for a little while studying for her doctorate, is now back as a consultant working on a range of innovative client projects.
Lateesha explains the findings from her research which included gathering insights through focus groups with Black students on their experiences of racism. Lateesha analysed how experiences of racism affected the students’ sense of identity and belonging, and the strategies that they adopted to navigate the campus culture. Her findings provide us with a microcosm of other institutions and workplaces and an insight into the experiences of minority groups.
Rachael and Lateesha discuss how these findings can be used to inform the ways in which we go about breaking down workplace barriers to inclusion and belonging. They discuss how creating a culture where employees feel able to speak up is crucial to employees’ wellbeing, progression and performance.
Follow Lateesha Osbourne on LinkedIn or Twitter to keep up-to-date with her latest news and work.
Follow EW Group and Challenge Consultancy on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion or get in touch to find out how we can help you build a more inclusive workplace.
Previous Episode
Series 4, Episode 13: Overcoming adversity - A personal story about diversity, acceptance and driving a culture of workplace inclusion
In this episode, Sush Bastola, Sales Director at the EW Group and Challenge Consultancy, meets Graci Harkema to discuss overcoming adversity and creating a culture of belonging in the workplace. Graci is a US-based diversity specialist.
Graci shares her moving and inspirational personal story from being born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during civil unrest with little chance of survival, to being adopted, moving to the USA, realising her sexual orientation and ultimately accepting herself for who she is.
Graci says: “I was living for others’ expectations instead of accepting my own identities. For so long I saw my identities as my shame instead of my strength.”
Sush and Graci also discuss how employers can develop authentic leadership and truly be inclusive to support an internal culture which makes employees want to stay. Graci shares insights into how her past colleagues and employer supported her through her journey and helped her feel a sense of belonging in the workplace where she could be her authentic self.
With increasing pressure from customers, staff, networks and communities to develop more ethical and inclusive practices, they explore how fostering an inclusive culture not only gives organisations a competitive edge in the marketplace, but also positively impacts the bottom line as a result of stronger collaboration and teamwork which directly contribute to the productivity and service the organisation provides.
Follow Graci Harkema on LinkedIn and Twitter or visit her website. Graci’s memoir ‘Rising: From a Mud Hut to the Boardroom - and Back Again is now available for pre-order and will be released in Spring 2023.
Follow EW Group on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in diversity and inclusion or get in touch to explore how we can work with you to build safe and inclusive environments at work.
Next Episode
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Rail Industry: Improving Gender Representation and Inclusivity
In this episode, Tash Thomas is joined by Dante Frederick, Diversity and Inclusion Partner at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the rail industry and the important DEI work GTR has been undertaking.
Exploring some of the DEI challenges facing the rail industry, Dante shares insights into the initiatives GTR has put in place to improve diversity in their workforce, from inclusive recruitment practices to appeal to a more diverse range of candidates, to developing an inclusive culture where all employees feel valued are able to be their authentic selves.
Tash and Dante discuss the lack of gender representation in particular roles in the rail force, and the success that GTR’s initiatives have yielded so far, such as a doubling in the number of female applicants applying for train driver roles and achieving a 50/50 gender split of new train driver hires.
On the benefits of diversifying the workforce, Dante comments: “It’s not just a tick box exercise. There is so much value in diversity of experience and perspective. If you have a team made up of the very top of whatever the focus is, if they are all from the same background and same perspectives, there will have the same blind spots and they will make the same mistakes. And as soon as you diversify, even a little bit, that really opens things up for creative problem solving and catching things that otherwise may not have been seen. There is tons of data that speaks to this.”
Tash and Dante also explore the benefits of employee resource groups (ERGs) and share tips for successfully setting them up and how to take account of intersectionality in your approach to ERGs. They also discuss the importance of collecting diversity data and how this can help inform business decisions, but also the sensitivities many may feel sharing data on their protected characteristics.
Follow Govia Thameslink Railway on LinkedIn.
Follow EW Group on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news and thinking in DEI or get in touch to find out how we can help you build a more inclusive workplace.
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