This is the first in a series of blogs to celebrate Black History Month. This year, we are focusing on the experience of our colleagues of African and Afro-Caribbean descent.“A young man came to me looking for professional advice. He had been looking for work and wanted to know what he could be doing differently. I told him that he needed to cut off his dreadlocks simply because dreadlocks look unprofessional and I would never hire someone with dreadlocks”. I am paraphrasing quite a bit here but these were the words spoken by a well-known politician at a diversity event I attended during university that was aimed at students from an African or Caribbean background. Upon hearing those words I immediately examined the braids on my head and thought to myself would my hairstyle ever be considered as unprofessional? I looked around at the many faces in the room, faces of confusion and disappointment. I could tell we were all thinking the same thing, what did this young man’s dreadlocks have to do with his ability to work in a professional environment?
Aminat Oladipupo - 18 Oct