Black Professionals are Over-Mentored and Under-Sponsored

I am of the opinion that talent from minoritised communities is over-mentored and under-sponsored across multiple sectors. There simply too many mentoring schemes and not enough jobs being given out.

Aspiring marketers and publicists of colour invited to take part in The Bookseller's new mentorship scheme - a headline from a piece in The Bookseller. I read the piece in full:

"This partnership is about redressing that imbalance, ensuring that aspiring publicists and marketers of colour not only enter the book industry, but are nurtured, seen and empowered to lead within it. Real change starts with real access, and this targeted mentorship programme is a powerful step toward a more inclusive publishing future"

I agree with every word of this and I think the intention is absolutely fundamental and valuable but I still think that yet another mentoring scheme is not what is needed for marginalised talent particularly from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Why do I say this? Because I can name at least 5 phenomenal mentoring schemes within the PR industry itself which aim to tackle lack of opportunity and lack of diversity across race, gender and class lines. I think the over-mentoring of Black talent happens across multiple industries and is something that we need to address quite urgently.

Black and Asian Talent doesn't need more mentoring they just need to be given a chance, what does that mean? It means just let them try, let them flourish, let them fail, let them thrive. Why do they need further moulding when many have already undertaken years of study and hopefully already been mentored either within their educational settings or in their desired industries. Why can't there be other ways to give talent a chance? What's the worse that could happen? They fail? They make a mistake? Surely that can't be worse than some of the complaints I hear from Black and Asian authors about how their marketing and publicity campaigns are handled across the publishing industry.

Are we suggesting that Black, Asian and ethnic minority talent in PR and communications needs to be perfect before they are given roles or opportunities? Is that not infantalisation?

Let me be clear I'm not criticising the intentions and the minds behind this scheme but this is a wider issue - there is a lack of imagination when it comes to how the gap it closed and it cannot be solved by mentoring. Black, Asian and other ethnic minority groups need money (so that means they need jobs, contracts and promotions), they need sponsors (people who will speak up for them when they're not in the room), they need advocates (people who will speak up when they make a mistake or feel threatened).

I suspect I've burnt more bridges here and I'm sure I'll be unpopular for this, but let's push for more daring solutions to what is in fact a self-inflicted problem. Let's imagine spaces that go beyond what is expected and let's change things up a bit. In an industry that is creative let's tap into that creativity when looking for solutions.

Mentorship has its place but without real sponsorship, Black professionals whether they are Black PR professionals or in other sectors remain stalled at the gates of leadership. Advice without action is no longer enough, if the industry truly values diversity, then it must be willing to put power and pay behind Black talent. It’s time to stop talking about potential and start investing in progress.

My thoughts on something that I doubt will change.