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"A woman of many talents, Williams is the author of the legal thriller, "Without Prejudice", published in 1997 in both the UK and US. She has been listed three times (1998, 2007-8, 2008-9) as one of the 100 most influential black people in the UK, and is the former chair of the London Regional Advisory Council of the BBC."....Cayman News Service March 2009
Her experience includes sitting on the Virdi Enquiry Panel, which found that the Metropolitan Police Service had discriminated against a police officer on the grounds of his race. Williams is also a member of the Bar Council Equality & Diversity Committee (from January 2008), and a trustee and mentor of African Caribbean Diversity, a group of black professionals who aim to make a positive contribution to the African and Caribbean communities and to the economy of the UK.".....Cayman News Service 06/03/2009 |
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Who are your Role Models?
At the risk of being schmaltzy, my parents. Before leaving Guyana, my father was a policeman, and my mother a teacher. They had hoped to transfer their skills into similar jobs here, but neither were able to transfer in 1960. It took until 1968 for the first black police officer. My father started off packing light bulbs as a low grade civil servant. My mother did much better, as court clerk in the Industrial Tribunal for Lambeth. |
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Which part of your life was most memorable to you, and why?
In terms of making me the person that I am, going to Guyana and then coming back to England shaped me. It was a very mixed school, and many of the girls there had accepted negative stereotypes. A careers teacher asked me if I wanted to work in Woolworth's. My own experience showed me the reality. The level of confidence that gives you. As a black growing up in Britain, I had an awareness of racism; I wanted to right those wrongs.
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What are the key factors or pieces of legislature which make this possible? Are they attainable?
Legislature: the Equality Act which comes into force this April. We all know you can have legislation, but there are particular groups who won't benefit.
For example carers for an elderly relative, or children, and when you need to make arrangements, people think that you're not serious about your job.
Minority groups: As to positive discrimination and quotas, I'm not sure where I stand. You struggle through all the adversity to have people think that you got there because of positive discrimination. |
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If you were speaking to young women starting out, what advice would you give them?
Don't think of the unfortunate position, just because you see no-one around to encourage you, no-one who looks like you.
Don't get discouraged.
Be resilient.
Choose a field that you can commit to, not chosen because it 's easy or makes lots of money. Do what you love and the money will follow. Have a mentor; it helps if it's a woman.
Network with other women, doctors and lawyers; people in different but similar professions. Cross fertilisation, from other professional groups. Having said that I've not yet joined the Association for Barristers, and there's one for women Judges.
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©2011 christina@christrainers.com
Christina
Woman on a Mission
Diversity and Leadership Consultant
Alumnus Women of the Year 2008/2009
www.wwom.org |
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