Blog: Introducing the Ethnicity in Maritime Network Book Club
In July 2020 we launched our Ethnicity in Maritime Network, as part of the Diversity in Maritime programme, to bring together individuals from culturally diverse backgrounds, and allies, to shine a strong spotlight on the specific problem of racial inequality. The aim of the network is to:
- Help identify barriers to change and where the Diversity Working Groups should be focusing efforts
- Enable individuals and organisations to recruit, retain, empower and support individuals from a culturally diverse background
- Act as disruptors to educate and enable individuals and organisations to acknowledge and challenge racial conscious and unconscious bias in the workplace
- Share resources, good practice policies and toolkits that support individuals from a culturally diverse background across the UK.
The network has now met three times and we are starting to turn conversations into initiatives. One of these initiatives is the Ethnicity in Maritime Book Club. The Book Club has been developed from conversations during network meetings by Samaa Addo, Marketing Manager and D&I Lead, Baltic Exchange and Julie Lithgow, Vice Chair of the Network.
What is the Book Club?
The Ethnicity Network Book Club will be a series of informal and intimate online meet-ups that give its members an opportunity to read, listen and discuss books that broaden the knowledge and understanding of race and the impact of racism.
How does the Book Club work?
The Ethnicity Network Book Club is co-hosted by Julie Lithgow and Samaa Addo. In each session we will discuss the selected book, unpack the major themes, share our reactions and questions and contemplate the meaning and implications on our lives and the world around us. We also hope to occasionally host some guest authors too!
We host our virtual book club via Zoom and use Goodreads as our ‘virtual bookshelf’. The book club sessions will take place roughly every six weeks.
Why a Book Club?
The power of a network is being able to turn barriers into solutions and ideas into reality. I asked Samaa why she came up with the idea of the Book Club and her response was: I think that the death of George Floyd this summer really sparked people to take a closer look at the issues of race and racism in society today. I wanted to create this book club to give the network a chance to reflect on how these issues affect us, our peers and how we relate to each other as colleagues in the maritime industry.
Are you interested in finding out more? Click here.