The Silenced Voice by Marcia Morgan

Author:Marcia Morgan [Morgan, Marcia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Business & Economics, Workplace Culture, Social Science, Discrimination, Race & Ethnic Relations
ISBN: 9781784529178
Google: umi-zQEACAAJ
Publisher: PANOMA Press
Published: 2020-09-16T02:47:10+00:00

The above excerpt is quite shocking. You get a sense of Ella’s turmoil and her reluctance to disclose what had happened. Mike Cavadino et al. (2013) postulate that many complaints of excessive use of C&R, especially with racial undertones, do not get reported, and when they are, those involved are not made fully accountable. The officers involved in the C&R incident were suspended during the investigation. The prison officers’ suspension, however, did not prevent Ella’s victimisation and harassment.

The repercussions she encountered from her colleagues illustrate the hostile environment she found herself in. The statement ‘I was sent to Coventry’ was used to emphasise this. ‘Sent to Coventry’ is an idiom meaning to deliberately ignore and ostracise someone and acting as though the person no longer exists. Within the prison context, this is particularly dangerous for prison officers as they rely on each other for support and protection against manipulative and violent prisoners (Kauffman, 1988). This would have exacerbated Ella’s situation, knowing that she might not have the backup of other prison officers if she needed it.

Ella may have encountered isolation because of her gender and racial minority status. I found in my study (Thomas, 2016) that black women were located on the margins of their organisation because of their gendered racialisation. Ella was now subject to an even more hostile environment because Ester betrayed her trust by reporting the C&R incident. The reporting of the C&R incident was deemed to be a betrayal of the prison officer code (Kauffman, 1988).

There is an element of self-isolation on Ella’s part, perhaps to protect herself from further pain and victimisation. Ella describes the rumours that were circulating at first, and then a change in approach when her colleagues attempt to find out Ella’s account. By this time the cohesive relationship had been severed and the dynamics between Ella and her fellow prison officers had shifted. Ella states that she had one friend, Naomi, and had no desire to associate with her other colleagues as they had wrongfully judged her and created a hostile environment. Again, this response can be traced to the final stanza of the poem in which there is an acceptance of the bad treatment by others. Whereas the final stanza refers to the narrator feeling powerless to control the situation, in Ella’s situation she has accepted being ostracised by her fellow prison officers and in turn decides to shun them, apart from one individual, Naomi.

It is hoped you have been able to get a sense of how black women become space invaders when they enter prisons as employees because of their gender and racialisation. This is because they share neither race nor gender with the dominant group – white men – hence, they are ostracised, whether intentionally or unintentionally, because of white privilege.

However, do not feel overwhelmed if you experience isolation and/or exclusion in the workplace or HE. You are not alone, and you can make your situation tolerable by making your space welcoming, a picture or object can lift your spirits.

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