Following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, US on May 25, anti-racism protests swept across the UK, with coverage on national and social media that will have been impossible for pharmacy professionals to have missed.

Mefino Ogedegbe, UK Black Pharmacist Association (UKBPA) board member, says a side effect of the COVID-19 lockdown is that more people have been engaged with news stories about this unrest.

“Pharmacists are likely to hear about the numerous protests that have been going on globally and more locally and reflect on their own thinking and potential preconceptions about black pharmacists, [such as] having the assumption that they're less competent to do their jobs,” Ms Ogedegbe says in a C+D podcast.

Pharmacy professionals may also reflect on black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) people being more likely to face disciplinaries and recruitment bias, Ms Ogedegbe adds.

“If we can actually change the mentality of the people at the top of organisations, then this hopefully can filter down to employees at all levels so that they would be more empowered to speak up if they do see any forms of either direct or indirect racism in the workplace against their colleagues,” Ms Ogedegbe says.

Listen to the podcast to hear more from Ms Ogedegbe, as well as UKBPA president Elsy Gomez Campos and board member Martin Eguridu, on:

• How pharmacy professionals can educate themselves about racial discrimination
• Why pharmacy recruiters should blank out the names of job applicants
• How some black people may be less likely to speak up if they have a problem
• The importance of talking about white privilege without getting defensive
• The UKBPA needing allies in pharmacy organisations

You can listen to the podcast below. Alternatively, subscribe to C+D's podcasts on iTunes or by searching “Chemist+Druggist podcast” on your preferred Android podcast app.

Please note, the sound quality of this podcast may be affected as it has been recorded remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak

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