Cecile Wright, The Woman Behind The Wonder

Of 14,000 Professors in the UK, only 10 are black and female. Of these, Cecile Wright is the only one in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Born in Jamaica, she spent her childhood in early ‘60s England, at a time when scientific racism flourished, and David Pitt fought for equality at the House of Lords. In many ways, Cecile’s chosen discipline (Sociology) speaks deeply to her own personal experience of social injustice and racial inequality.

In Part 1 of our 3-part interview, Yaaya discovers the woman that is Cecile Wright; her prolific success as a Professor and an author, and her struggle to aspire to the very heights of academia.

And so the conversation begins …

Yaaya:

Cecile, Yaaya is delighted to meet with you! What influenced you to agree to be interviewed?

Cecile W:

Thank you for the invitation! I am aware that there are narratives about black women, but those narratives tend to perpetuate stereotypical images. We don’t get the breadth of what black women within the UK are doing, and the contributions that they are making. So where there is an opportunity and the space to present one’s life story, I am happy to do so. It’s about adding to a more all-embracing record of black women within the UK.

Yaaya:

Your professional profile is very impressive. You have undertaken PhD examinations at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions (Cambridge). You have published research and authored books. But, who is the ‘woman behind the wonder’? Behind all of this, who is Cecile Wright?

Cecile W:

In my mid-50s, I am beginning to ask myself “Who am I” (pauses). I have been motivated throughout my life by issues of social justice and inequality. Issues around opportunities as they have been denied through education; and issues around wider social exclusion, through being trapped in disadvantaged, poverty-ridden situations, because of circumstance.

And attempting, through my work, to give a voice to people who experience those unfortunate situations. What I found is that people have aspirations and dreams, and given the opportunity to realise them, things could transform...

Ultimately, I am a political animal, who has used the space that I have been given to try and realise some of my passionate concerns around equality and injustice.

Yaaya:

Why pursue what might be perceived as a docile career (academia), and not politics?

Cecile W:

In my mid-50s, I am thinking of going into politics. It has taken me nearly 30 years. Why? (pauses) I didn’t know how to. I didn’t have the confidence, the social network, or the hand-holding. Nobody told me, as a black woman, that I could go into politics. And I was waiting to be told. Nobody told me I could be a university professor. Nobody told me I could be a successful academic. A lot of the things that I have done throughout my life have been happenstance. I have been waiting to be told I could do it. I don’t know why. But I am not (waiting) anymore.

Yaaya:

You have had a successful career. Why do you think that is?

Cecile W:

I don’t see it as a successful career. I have done things to a degree that I felt I could do, but I still feel that many of them have happened by chance. I haven’t sat down and planned a career. These things happened because they’ve been situations that I’ve been passionate about. I have been a member of the Labour Party since I was 18. Had someone said to me at 25 ‘have you ever thought of politics?’, I probably would have been in politics. It has taken me nearly 30 years to realise that I have been in the wrong place.

Yaaya:

Let us go back to the 25 year old Cecile. Why did you feel that, as a black woman, you could not go into politics?

Cecile W:

In the same way that I thought as a black woman, I couldn’t get A-levels, go to university, get a PhD, an academic post in the university, or become a Professor.

Yaaya:

Yet you have done all these things?

Cecile W:

Yes! Perhaps my attitude is to pick challenges and overcome them. Perhaps I’ve been pushing the boundaries all along. Throughout most of my formative years, I’ve been in situations where I’ve been the odd one or two. Grossly, grossly isolated (pauses) and having my being, existence, ability and potential challenged.

Throughout my academic career, I have had the ‘right to be there’ challenged. (pauses) Outside of my immediate circle, I won’t have had wider, affirmative images around me in society that tell me ‘there is scope for you’. And that hasn’t stopped. Being a professor has been a non-stop struggle. It’s very challenging being a capable and able black woman with aspirations. I have no self-doubts regarding my ability, but it has been hard not to doubt.

Yaaya:

Look back across 30 years. What’s been the best thing about being a Professor?

Cecile W:

What is intriguing is how white colleagues see me as incongruous: a black woman who is also a Professor. But that’s just in the UK, not in the States. My name is often confused with Cecil, the male version. I am often mistaken for a white man. So I get invited to events, and this black woman turns up! (laughs) I have gone out of my way to attract black students to do Masters or PhDs where I can. I am really pleased that I have had the pleasure and the privilege of being a part of their lives, and of assisting them to realise their potential.

Yaaya:

What do you do to relax, when you are not teaching, publishing research or authoring books?

Cecile W:

I try to go to the gym 3 times a week and on 2 occasions, I do yoga.

Look out for Part 2 of our 3-part conversation on Thursday 9th May 2013, where Cecile Wright discusses her life challenges, passions, and political activism.