I was once told by someone in the Human Rights Commission that I experienced more racism than anyone they had ever met. When I thought about that statement, I realized my experiences relating to racism occurred with people who, I believe, meant no harm. Interestingly, these people were not my colleagues, but other business-related relationships.
As a senior professional engineer, I have been fortunate to work in some amazing world-class companies. Thankfully, my colleagues always treated me as a qualified member of the team and NEVER said anything I took offence to. As well, they didn’t make a big deal about my membership in the Peepeekisis First Nation.
I have, however, been told many things by others in our industry. Things which I felt obliged to politely address, as I believed these individuals were unaware of their mistakes.
My list of the top ten things NOT to say to Indigenous employees includes common, not to mention funny, remarks that I’ve heard over the years. Here are the first three I’d like to cover:
- Do not assign them to Indigenous jobs or projects without asking first.
- I often hear Indigenous engineers, accountants, and other professionals are offered roles in office or project positions which are dedicated to Indigenous issues. Believe it or not, that is not always what we want.
- Take away: We are quite aware how to apply for job postings. That being said, I also have many Indigenous friends who are honoured to work in Indigenous consultation or related roles, and they’re doing a fantastic job.
- I have also found, once some people find out I am Indigenous, they ignore my professional experience entirely. At times, it only took mere seconds for their entire attitude towards me to change from respectful to patronizing.
- Do not say, “Good for you!” when you learn they are university graduates.
- When I was a Senior VP with a global project delivery company leading a location with over 2,500 people, we were considering work with a smaller engineering company in a neighbouring province. For some reason, during the introductory conversation with their VP, he asked, “You are Aboriginal and an engineer? Good for you!” As if that were not enough, he then launched into his resume details and said, “Well, I don’t know what you call a large project, but I’ve worked on projects up to a billion!” Several of our projects at the time were much larger, but I did not want this individual to feel awkward by comparison. I let it go. In all honesty, I did not know how to react at the time. I could be wrong, but the flow of the conversation left me with the assumption it was my Indigeneity which led him to assume my work experience was inferior to his.
- Do not assume an appointment is a “token.”
- For most of my adult life, I have sat on numerous public and private boards and achieved the PSGov, Public Sector Governor designations. Occasionally, I apply for boards though executive recruitment firms. I was appointed to the Board of an electrical system operator five years ago. Having worked on numerous power projects and crown boards, this particular appointment seemed like a good way to apply my engineering education in a volunteer role. After a rigorous interview process, I was appointed to a three-year term.
Soon after I received the confirmation of my appointment, I shared the news with a senior manager in a company I was visiting. His first exact words were, “Was that a token appointment?” I was shocked at his question. Aside from the person’s position, he was also a newcomer to Canada and a person of colour. Later, in a moment of vulnerability, I wondered if he was right. I believe in my experience and my fit on these Boards. Then I pondered how would I feel if I were indeed a “token.” After thinking about this possibility for a few days, I raised it with him the next time we met. He was immediately defensive and told me that he had often experienced racism. I then informed him that his comments violated his company’s code of conduct and was actually a form of bullying. In the end, my colleague was sincerely apologetic and, thankfully, better conversations followed.
These are true stories from my past, and I believe I have a responsibility to challenge the questionable behaviors I have experienced. Some may think of my reactions as thin-skinned. In the moment, comments and actions from dominant culture can, at times, feel caustic. Sometimes, it can even hurt. Just know this; it is our actions which follow these racist statements which matter. I do not always have a playbook of sorts to follow in this territory, so I simply think before speaking and try to educate to the best of my ability.
For those of you that know me well, you undoubtedly understand this conversation enters my zone of mild discomfort. In business, however, the difficult and vulnerable conversations are the most important. So, now that I have told my stories, tell me yours.
Stay safe, everyone, and stay tuned for part II of our series next week!
~ Gary and the staff at Bosgoed Projects
