Book Review - The Race to The Top: Structural Racism And How To Fight it by Nazir Afzal

Britain is becoming more diverse in its makeup year after year. According to census data mixed race people are the fastest growing demographic in the UK. Everyday more and more people of global majority heritage are coming of age and entering the workforce in the UK. Yet despite this increasing diversity, the positions at the head table where all the important decisions get made, are still mostly in the hands of older, white males due to systemic, institutional, and structural racism. The popular perception of racism is that it is a purely interpersonal thing, and that overt hatred is a necessary component of it. When people think of racist hate crimes; racial slurs spring to mind first. The reality is this more obvious racism and discrimination is just the tip of the iceberg with structural, institutional, and systemic racism making up the unseen base hidden beneath the waters of obfuscation and plausible deniability, buried deep in the bones of British society. The Race to the Top: Structural Racism And How To Fight It by Nazir Afzal is an examination of the invisible hand of structural racism and how it keeps people of global majority heritage down. At times a searing indictment of British society, and at times a hopeful guide to how things could be better, it shatters the myth that Britain is in any way a meritocracy.

Afzal takes a top-down view of equity and equality, especially when he discusses racism in the workplace. The book, as a whole makes a very strong case for the importance of increased diversity among those at the top of the pyramid. It is divided into chapters devoted to many aspects of British society including sports, politics, film and culture, and religion to give a few examples. In each of these chapters Afzal uses statistical evidence, and the testimony of people he has interviewed to show the root of structural racism is in the top jobs. He also shows the key to dismantling structural racism and creating real equity and equality for all also lies in those top jobs. In the chapter on religion for example Afzal casts a light on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and his attempts to push for greater diversity in the church of England. While not allowing the church to skate by without any reproval Afzal seems to hold Welby specifically as an example of an older white man in one of the top jobs who is at least trying to do the right thing and use his position and power to push for real change. If the system is challenged or questioned by regular people, they are at best ignored, however it becomes more difficult to ignore the questions and challenges when they come from someone with Welby’s position with the weight he carries. Afzal points out that Welby has taken steps like refusing to ratify appointments unless one person of colour, and one disabled person are on the shortlist. While it might not seem like that big of a step on its own, and is certainly the kind of policy that could be worked around by bad actors, it is nonetheless an example of the kind of action that can be taken, action which should be more widely spread because if people of colour are to even stand a chance at getting the more powerful jobs they at least need the opportunity to show they deserve them.

While Afzal aims the majority of his criticism at those in charge, the rest of society doesn’t get off lightly. One common thing that comes up time and again in many of Afzal’s interviews with people of colour is the microaggressions the interviewees suffer on a daily basis from not just their bosses, but their peers and colleagues too. Microaggressions are dismissed by many as not being that bad or being chalked up to unconscious bias. It feeds into the perception mentioned above that for racism to matter it needs malicious intent. It’s as if some people consider microaggressions to be ‘accidental racism’, so the victims should just be willing to let it go and not take it personally because it doesn’t count. The problem with that view is that as the interviews in this book show the pain, stress, and hostile environments created by this ‘accidental racism’ is very real. Unconscious bias is something all of us carry within us to some degree, and I include myself in that, but it shouldn’t be used as a get out of racism free card. If someone killed somebody by accident, say by hitting them with their car, they don’t get to say I didn’t mean it and go home scott free. They get arrested for manslaughter because the victim is still dead. Similarly, while microaggressions may be unintentional, harm is still caused, and people’s careers are still stifled.

Afzal also doesn’t pull any punches as he tears apart the idea that Britain is a meritocracy. He devotes a significant percentage of a chapter to charting the career of the MP Gavin Williamson. He uses Williamson as a prime example of the rigged system in place hiding under the guise of meritocracy, and how it allows certain connected people to continuously fail upwards. As Afzal rather bluntly puts it: “Despite failing in every position he held in Government and leaving a trail of chaos in his wake, Williamson was continually promoted into bigger and better jobs. And to cap it all, when his position as Education Secretary became totally untenable and he had to be removed from the post, having lost the confidence of parents, teachers and trade unions, the Prime Minister rewarded him with a knighthood.” He compares the way Willamson and other high profile white men have continued to receive big job after big job despite incompetence with the treatment given to people of colour and women in similar positions. A trend he noted is the glass cliff phenomenon, where women and people of colour will frequently get promoted to leadership positions when things are in dire straits setting them up for failure before they even start.

Reading all of this it would be easy to dismiss this book as nothing more than two hundred and fifty-six pages of complaining with no answers, but that is not the case. Afzal does offer some positivity especially in one chapter which he appropriately titled ‘Hope’. In this chapter he mentions that he asked each of the people he interviewed if they could share something hopeful. While many of those he interviewed didn’t share anything, several did and their words collected in this chapter are uplifting, especially compared to the rest of the book. Many of them pointed to Gen Z and how they’re much more politically minded, and far more concerned with issues of race, equality, and equity than previous generations. As for other signs of positive change that could be nurtured and grown in the future, Afzal points to tech workers like Khyati Sundaram who used her coding and AI skills to build a behavioural science tool for fairer hiring. According to Afzal her software is already being used by major companies and has led to increased hirings of people of colour in the tech industry. This is just one of several examples of good work to make real concrete changes to industries and the way things are done. Afzal uses these examples, and the optimism of some of his interviewees, to point to a possible path forward……to a Britain with true equality and equity whilst recognising that it will require a lot of struggle to make it a reality.

In conclusion, The Race To The Top is an eye opening and sobering look at the current state of Britain. It pulls back the curtain on British society and reveals meritocracy for the mass delusion it is. It shows the extra stumbling blocks, and walls structural racism puts in place for people of colour in work which are largely invisible to white people like me as we don’t need to be aware of them. When I first chose this book, I was concerned it could be a dry read consisting of interviews and data but I found Afzal is far more withering and at times almost scornful in his writing than I expected. While reading it becomes clear his words carry the weight of his own personal experience trying to succeed despite structural racism stacking the deck against him as well as the experiences of others. While Afzal seems to radiate a frustration and impatience to make things better, his writing also carries a deep sense of empathy for the people he interviews noting several times throughout the book that many of the people he spoke to did so anonymously out of fear of potential retaliation or threats to their careers. Through this book Afzal gave a lot of people a voice to speak their truths and he does so with compassion. Ultimately, I think this is a book that should be shared widely so their voices can be heard by as many people as possible, especially white people like me who arguably need to hear it the most.

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