Tokenism
Most of us have heard the phrase “he/she is the token black person” in jest. Often something said in a social situation being the only black or asian person in a white friendship group, party or dinner. It’s laughed off after addressing the elephant in the room, making most feel more comfortable. Yes most, but not all. The most harrowing place to hear this sentence or see this phenomena is in the workplace.
Walking in on your first day to what was sold as “an equitable and inclusive company” to see not much besides caucasian faces filling the room. By now, if you haven’t heard of the word tokenism, you have an understanding of its meaning from the examples given. However, if you’re still unsure, this definitions will bring clarity:
Kristen Martinez, a counselor at Pacific NorthWell in Seattle describes tokenism as what happens “when someone is viewed by the dominant majority group as a member of a minority group: for instance, a Black person surrounded by white people,” (Gillespie, Health.com 2020).
The APA Dictionary of Psychology defines tokenism as a noun; “the making of a perfunctory or symbolic gesture that suggests commitment to a practice or standard. Particularly by hiring or promoting a single member of a previously excluded group to demonstrate one’s benevolent intentions. For example, an all-White company may hire a token Black employee to give the appearance of organisational parity as opposed to actually eliminating racial inequality in the workplace.
Tokenism depends on the prevailing norms, structures, and conceptualisations (e.g., of ideal ingroup and outgroup members) of the cultural context in which it is embedded”. Tokenism comes under the performative equity, diversity and inclusion umbrella, as people or organisations who don’t genuinely want to make the effort to be diverse and inclusive. It can be seen as a basic tick box exercise to fill quotas, gain leverage such as funding and/or to just silence outcries. Yes, for busy, high-profile companies or medium sized startups with little time and resource, simply ticking a box is more appealing. However, once one learns the implications of tokenism, it becomes an issue that cannot and should not be ignored.
Tokenism can have a huge impact on mental health for those who are the tokens. They can be left to feel lonely, undervalued and pressurised to be the single voice of an entire demographic which is impossible. Contrary to immense pressure and visibility in being the voice for all minorities, being the token black person in an organisation can also make one feel isolated and invisible. It is a well-known fact that human beings not only need connection, but thrive on it. A common avenue to making connections is finding common ground and similarities with another person. If you are the only black person in an organisation, this can be extremely difficult. Yes, one can bond with someone outside their race, but simple “home comforts” and cultural links immediately break down barriers. This is especially true in the western countries such as the UK, USA and Canada where there are high levels of African and Caribbean diaspora.
Finding a fellow black person who understands your cultural norms and has had a similar upbringing and thus understands your lived experience is comforting. In the workplace, it is key to have such connections in order to have a healthy relationship with work. Without this, it is an undoubted detriment to one’s mental health which can slowly infiltrate work performance by lacking a sense of belonging.
Based on this, it is essential that HR managers, Chief People Officers, and CEOs bother to abolish tokenism whether it be intentional or not. Of course, it should be a priority to diversify and make an organisation more multicultural. However, this should not be done haphazardly, lacking genuine intention. Looking at the recruitment strategy for the company is necessary in order to see how recruitment is being done, and what campaigns can be run to bring a more diverse and well qualified inflow of candidates. Doing an internal audit of the company demographic makeup should be carried out to ensure that there is no current practice of tokenism (although it will be visually blindingly obvious). Finally, keeping the wellbeing of ALL employees at the centre will help drive the right actions and attitudes to tokenism as it has no place in today’s society; it started in the 1950s - a time with lack of enlightenment. No one should feel alone at work and people from all races, cultures, ethnicities and experiences have a right to be amongst those from their backgrounds.