RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS IN THE WORKPLACE
So you’re a refugee?
“So you’re a refugee”?
Five years ago, an older White British man asked me this question.
Wait, what? Did this White guy just ask me if I was a refugee?
Let me set the scene. I was in Amsterdam for a week-long training on behalf of my UK based international non-governmental organisation (INGO). The training was on monitoring and evaluation of U.K. funded Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) projects for persons working in the international development sector.
It was during the morning break session and this White man approached me — the only Black female participant at the training — and asked me where I was from.
I told him I was born in Montserrat in the Caribbean and came to the U.K. due to a volcanic crisis and have lived here for over twenty years.
I was in utter shock when his response was:
“So you’re a refugee”?
Why would that automatically be his first response? Why the instant label? Why would you feel bold enough to ask someone you just met that question?
And so what if I was a refugee? How would that change anything? Was I not qualified to be at this FCDO training? Would he give me a…
