With Black Lives Matter protests continuing around the world, black BJTC alumni have been sharing their experiences of working in the broadcast industry. Simi Jolaoso is a former MA Television Journalism student from Goldsmiths, University of London. She is currently reporting and presenting news at BBC South West, and has previously worked at ITV. She won the BJTC’s Steve Harris Award in 2017.
What has life been like for you this last week?
I’ve spent a lot of time on social media sharing videos, sharing my thoughts and comments, trying to encourage people to talk about Black Lives Matter.
Seeing all these videos and being reminded of all these killings, it breaks my heart. And I’m tired. You get to the point where you feel, ‘Why should I feel this way? Why should I feel tired?’ Why should anyone feel tired of justifying their existence – which is essentially what black people are doing. We’re meant to be here, we’re meant to be protected and served by the police. We’re meant to be loved, we’re meant to be embraced, we’re meant to be treated the same as any other member of society. But instead we’re being treated like we are less than worth it.
It’s been tough seeing the protests and seeing people having to fight for their voices to be heard. And then, what’s worse is seeing some of the responses. The Black Lives Matter hashtag trended again and people were replying with comments like ‘All lives matter’ and ‘It’s not just black lives’. It made me realise that nothing much has changed since BLM began more than five years ago. We’re still having the same conversations.
So I’ve spent the last week using social media to try and educate people and get them to understand that this is a global problem, it’s not an American problem, racism exists everywhere, including here in the UK.
The main point that black people are trying to get across is that we can’t keep fighting this ourselves. EVERYONE has to fight against this. We’ve been marching and protesting and boycotting for decades, and nothing has really changed.
I’m encouraging people to speak to their neighbours, parents, brothers and sisters, and friends of all races about what’s going on, and get them to understand that we all have a part to play. Just because you are not black doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be tweeting about this or sharing this, because it’s a problem that affects you as well. And if you are not actively speaking up against racism, it’s got to a point in history where that means you’re complicit in it. There’s no excuse. I think people are understanding that.
It’s also very weird that racism is being seen as a political standpoint. It’s a basic human right to not be discriminated against. It has nothing to do with politics. That’s why it’s so important we galvanise people and let them know it’s their fight as well, it’s not only my fight as a black person, no matter which political party I vote for.
I was heartened to see my Instagram filled with black squares for #BlackoutTuesday. Some of the people sharing it were people who, I know, merely two years ago would not have posted anything to do with Black Lives Matter. It was just such a beautiful moment. It showed they are aware and willing to do something about it. For a long time people weren’t. They were just too afraid of the backlash, or couldn‘t be bothered because it didn’t affect them directly. People are understanding now that it affects all of us. It’s a small thing but I was grateful for it. I’m just hoping those same people will then take action in their lives, their workplaces and their homes.
Do you feel a turning point may have been reached?
On the one hand I feel very tired, like every other black person, of not being listened to. We’re tired of asking to be treated fairly. It’s past fatigue. I feel emotionally exhausted and upset that we have to keep shouting and keep asking for equality. At the same time, I’ve got a sliver of hope that things will change, but they are not changing fast enough. Unfortunately there are still people in positions of power who still deny that racism exists. It’s great that people are coming out, but if things aren’t being acknowledged at the top, are they ever really going to change? Slavery only ended in America because Abraham Lincoln listened and did something. The same with FW De Klerk with apartheid South Africa It’s only when you’ve got people on your side who have some sort of influence that things change. Unfortunately as much as we can shout and protest, we need people at higher levels to listen to us. There is only so much we can do. And that’s why I say, as much as I’m hopeful because people are FINALLY acknowledging that racism, institutional racism, prejudice and discrimination exist – it’s a first step in our fight against it during this modern era. Those structures are still going to be there for a long time. Perhaps my grandchildren might see real change. I know it’s not going to come anytime soon. But you have to hold on to that bit of hope that we are progressing and society will be transformed. But when that will happen, who knows?
Is there anything you’d like to share about your experience as a black journalism student that you feel white people need to hear?
White students need to be aware of the experiences of the students of colour in their classroom. I was one of three black people in a class of 19. If a white student could acknowledge that things might be more challenging as a person of colour in that space, and just say: “I’m here as an ally. If there is anything that you feel I can use my privilege for to help you with, let me know,” that could be helpful. Or: “If I ever use a microaggression or negative stereotype on you, there’s no excuse, pull me up on it.” This shows you’re willing to help create a safe space for those who may already feel like such a minority, because that can be a very lonely place.
What a lot of white people are afraid to do, is to talk about race to a person of a different race, and say openly that they want to learn. People need to understand it’s OK not to know. It’s OK to be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Be open about how you don’t know it all but you are willing to learn and are happy to be corrected. That’s important. We are at a point where people should be comfortable talking about race and not saying they “don’t see colour”. Because the fact is you do see that I’m black. But instead, say that. Say, “the fact that you are black is not going to change the way I see you,” don’t say you don’t see colour. Because when you say that, you are invalidating my experiences as a black woman. You are saying that if I find something challenging because I’m the only black person in a class, that’s invalid because YOU “don’t see colour”.
I see colour. It’s constantly been brought up in my life. I’ve been told I look like Naomi Campbell and numerous other black people who I look nothing like. I’ve been told I’m quiet ‘for a black girl’. I’ve been told I’m pretty ‘for a black girl’. At uni I cut my hair into a short afro and someone said: “How do you expect to make it in the industry, looking like that?” Someone once said to me: “Oh, you’ll make it in journalism because they are looking for people like you – a black woman. You’re on trend.” She’s also the kind of person who would say she doesn’t see colour.
You do see colour and it’s OK to acknowledge that. I think students nowadays are good at that. They talk about things that make them uncomfortable. They find it much easier than older people. So, keeping up those conversations and listening to people of colour around you, and understanding those experiences is important. And if you’re not sure, then say you’re not sure and that you want to find out more.
What would you like to see the industry as a whole doing?
The UK media needs to wake up to the fact that it can be part of the solution. We have to stop driving narratives of “us vs them” – we need to stop giving people with bigoted views platforms to speak. Many media organisations focus on stories they know will create a divide rather than the stories that celebrate diversity. They feed off that. We need to change that.
As much as we like to talk about America’s problems, or other industries that aren’t up to par, we have to look at ourselves. Why are we still having to do BAME paygap reports? It’s a horrible feeling to find you are being paid less than others who have the same or less experience than you. It’s such a crap feeling to know someone thinks you are worth less than other people, solely based on the fact that you have a different skin colour. A lot of media companies need to start paying their black journalists well and equally. They need to start employing more black journalists. I’ve been in too many newsrooms where I’m the only black journalist there. There’s no shortage of good people for them to employ. That would then help with our coverage of the news. We are supposed to reflect the audience we serve.
Listen to the black journalists in your newsroom. We are there for a reason. Ask us questions, use us. We can provide perspectives that others can’t, so listen to those perspectives and take them on board. And then maybe we’ll stop only seeing black people on TV news when it’s about race or knife crime. It’s so important our newsrooms are diverse, because there is so much strength in diversity of thinking.
And it’s OK not to have all the answers. I don’t expect you, as a white woman who’s spent her entire life in the UK to be conscious about perpetuating negative stereotypes about Africa, for example. That’s why I should be there to let you know. That’s why we constantly get these negative narratives in the media, because there are not enough black people to say “No, you can’t do that, and this is why.” We in the UK media need to look at ourselves, to see what we can do better, before talking about anywhere else.
What else would you like to see happen?
I’d like to see this conversation continue in all sorts of spaces. Don’t call out racism only because there is a black person in the room. If everyone partaking in a conversation is white and someone says something racist or prejudiced or derogatory, call them out. People are more likely to listen to those who look like them or are the ones they trust and that’s how we’re going to tackle racism.
We need people to use their privilege to protect others. Like the example of the young white woman who shielded the young black man who was kneeling in front of the police. By doing this she said: “You have a right to do what you are doing and I’m going to use my privilege to protect that right.” She knew her privilege was that the chance of her being shot at, compared to him, was almost slim to none. It was a simple, yet mighty, gesture that spoke volumes.
Every black person you’ve met has experienced some sort of racism, microaggression, discrimination, or has been stereotyped. So it’s a privilege to be able to learn about racism instead of having to experience it your whole life.
Acknowledging your privilege and then using it to protect the rights of black people – that is the next step. After that, the important step is to dismantle that privilege. No-one should feel less respected or disadvantaged because of their skin colour than another person. No-one should be more privileged than another person. We should all be on an EQUAL playing field, but we’re not there yet.
And for black journalism students, who are going through all of this AND dealing with complete upheaval to their studies due to COVID-19 – is there anything you’d like to say to them?
I’d say, I know you’re tired, but let’s use that energy and anger towards something good. Anything they are feeling – upset, regret, hopelessness – they should channel those negative feelings into their ambitions and focus on why they chose to become journalists in the first place.
As journalists we’re supposed to be drivers for change – we’re there to create awareness, we’re there to shed light on injustices, to make sure people’s rights are protected. It’s important to remember that and channel our energy into being the best journalists we can. You owe that to yourself and to future generations. Tell the stories of the people around you. Thank goodness we are in an age where many media organisations are open to stories being pitched to them from the black community. Use your contacts and focus on being the best journalist you can.
We need to work hard to give our future generations the opportunities our parents didn’t have and continue the growth within our community.
When I started thinking about journalism at the time I started uni, I remember actively googling ‘black female journalists’ and ‘black female news anchors’ to see other people who look like me, and I hardly found any. The ones I did find were mainly working for programmes like BBC Africa. Those I did find, I researched further to find out how they got to where they were, and I thought: “I need to get to that stage, and I need to do better than that, so the next young girl who wants to be a journalist, doesn’t have to look so hard.”
That’s what we ALL need to do.
You can follow Simi on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or contact her via her LinkedIn profile or website. If any BJTC course leaders would like Simi to speak to their students, she is open to such opportunities. The views and experiences expressed in this article are Simi’s own, and not those of the BBC. Any emphasis in the article is also her own.
The BJTC would encourage you to download our free e-book ‘Everybody In – A Journalist’s Guide to Inclusive Reporting for Journalism Students’ as a practical guide to assist with inclusive newsgathering.
The BJTC is committed to improving diversity in our newsrooms to ensure that black stories are told and black voices are heard, amongst all the other voices that make up our community.
