Why I Decided to Become a Diversity & Inclusion Consultant
Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash
If you had told me 5 years ago that I'd be opening my own business in France as a diversity and inclusion consultant, I'd most likely ask you what does that even entail?
However, after 2 years of living in France, I wonder why I hadn't thought about it sooner.
Living in France often feels like a dream. I realise every day how lucky and privileged I am to be able to live and work in a country that many people only ever dream about visiting.
It's so weird being able to visit places that were first introduced to me in my secondary school textbooks. Never in a million years would I have imagined that I'd be free to roam around gold-covered rooms and museums housing artifacts crafted by the mysteriously talented hands of ancient Egyptians.
However, it is often in these extravagant spaces that I realise how privileged I am to even be able to step foot in them. Sometimes, instinctively, I look around these rooms to see if there are any people who look like me.
Many times it's pretty much only me who looks like me, whether it's at the university where I lecture, at the real estate conference I went to out of curiosity or even at the Meetup events I attended in the hopes of forming new friendships.
I constantly think about how diverse Lyon appears to the outsider. I've visited many cities in France, both small and large, that do not even compare to the wide array of colours found on Lyon's public transport. The moment I choose to venture out in the city, I know, without a doubt, that I'll be exposed to a symphony of languages, including but not limited to, a variety of African languages, Arabic, English, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.
Yet, whenever I walk into a busy office or more recently, due to Covid-19, join a video call for a job interview, I'm faced with white French people. Many of whom don't even have a general idea of where Latin America & the Caribbean are located, even though Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana are in this region.
The irony of this should not be lost on you given that the current president of France referred to landlocked French Guiana as an island during his election campaign in 2017.
It's scenarios like these which led me to reflect on the trajectory of my life, dig down deep inside and ask myself what I could do to bring about a sliver of hope for those who love this country unconditionally but still yearn for change, better representation and just plain ole visibility.
This is why I decided to take a risk and become an entrepreneur. Hopefully, it can lead to a shift that will lead to a greater movement based on empowerment and that one thing we all wish for: a chance to be heard.
