A sisterhood for success.
Numbers don’t lie. Based on the latest census data, people of colour make up 13% of the UK population. And yet, only 3% of the UK’s most influential people come from that group. This is a large enough disparity that shows how diversity and inclusion remain a big burning platform.
Closing that gap begins with understanding what lies behind it. Among other reasons, young adults from ethnic minorities (especially first and second-generation UK-born) tend not to have the connections or networks that their white counterparts might have.
Enter Daisy Boateng, a Londoner who moved to New York during the month that George Floyd was killed and the Black Lives Matter movement took off.
A successful black professional herself, Daisy has built a powerful network throughout her career in the Beauty industry — many of whom are, in her own words, “amazing women of colour”. She felt compelled to pass on these partnerships to the next generation. And so the Step-Up Sorority was born.
Daisy, tell us a bit more about the work you do at the Step-Up Sorority.
We find jobs for young women of colour. That’s our top priority, and we do it in one of three ways. The first way is we provide direct employment by arranging internships through our Sorority with our corporate partners, such as L’Oreal, Jo Malone, and Soho House. The second way is representation — we expose young women to industry role models that look like just them. We want them to know that there are young black pilots or young Indian graphic designers so that they feel confident to apply for those jobs themselves. And then the third and most important way is through connection. We have a mentoring scheme that happens twice a year in January and July, where we pair 60 big sisters and 60 little sisters and help them on a guided program into the specific industry they want to enter. Once a year, we run a graduation ceremony where we celebrate those that have secured employment through the program.
Why should diversity be an imperative for everyone?
Diversity is the most important thing for me, especially being a black woman. Because having different thoughts in a room, it’s the richest type of conversation you can have. And which business wouldn’t want to have that? It helps you avoid blind spots. It helps you avoid pitfalls because you have someone looking at each mirror and each window of the topic and the discussion.
Why are initiatives like Step-Up Sorority crucial in making a difference?
It starts with attainment disparity at universities, where you start to see a gap between white students and students of colour that get a 2.1 degree or above. Currently, that gap stands at 24% for black students and 13% for overall minority students*. When you ask these students why they are dropping off in college or university, they say it is because no one looks like them. No one represents them. The curriculum doesn’t represent them. And at some point, they lose confidence. They don’t see a future for themselves after their degree, and they start to switch off.
This might seem fine, but 66% of recruiters will only hire you if you have 2.1 or above. There is now a blocking point for minority young adults to get into a job.
At Step Up Sorority, we target universities. 90% of our members are 18 to 21 years old, and this is the age where we can show them: Look, here is someone who looks like you. There is a film director that looks like you. There is a fashion designer that looks like you. There is a barrister that looks like you. Focus on using this network, ask them questions, and build a community, so you can get out of university as a success.
Without groups like Step-Up Sorority, you really don’t have that direct representation of “people who look like me””, which is a big factor in people progressing confidently in their careers.
*University UK May 2019 report “Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students attainment at UK Universities”.
Tell us about the impact you made so far and your plans for the future.
The Step-up Sorority has been running for three years, and 24% of those that join our mentoring program are now in employment because of the connections that they made.
The way to keep this going is by getting more big sisters to join our fight and more corporate partners that authentically believe in our mission. To become a big sister to our database of 1500 little sisters, you can go to https://thestepupsorority.com/ and apply to join. You can also find us on Instagram. If you are a corporate partner that believes in our mission, please get in touch as we are looking for one partner each quarter to take on a key topic.
Daisy is the Founder of The Step-Up Sorority, an AVP for Advocacy & Influence at L’Oreal, a devoted wife and a mom of a beautiful baby girl.
If you would like to hear more, become a big or little sister or partner with Step-Up Sorority, please contact Daisy at hello@thestepupsorority.com
