Ethnic minority women as candidates

In April 2008 femocracy interviewed Merlene Emerson, Liberal Democract candidate for the London Assembly in the London 2008 elections, on her experiences as an ethnic minority candidate. Listen to her experiences as an ethnic minority woman candidate and why she thinks political power is not in the hands of ethnic minority women.

A transcript of the interview has been reproduced below.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I’m a mother of three boys, a City solicitor before, and now I volunteer for a mediation service. I’m also Director of a housing partnership.

What made you decide to get into politics? Have you always been politically active?

Well actually it took a very long time if I’m to tell the truth because I first arrived from Singapore as a law student in 1979, but it wasn’t until almost 25 years later that I made a conscious decision to join a political party and become British.

On whether I was always politically active; when I was at university, at King’s College, I did join a CND march to Hyde Park and protested against the rise of overseas students’ fees; however, I just didn’t think I had the right to speak on domestic English politics until much later.

Research done by Fawcett has found that the underrepresentation of ethnic minority women in politics - so the few MPs that we have and the low number of ethnic minority women local councilors - is giving the message to ethnic minority women that politics has little to do with their lives. What would be your response to those women who share that kind of sentiment?

Well, politics is all about bread and butter issues – where you send your children to school; where you go for medical treatment; how you look after your elderly parents; these are all issues which are important to women – and  especially to ethnic minority women, where the family is important. So I would say politics is everything, it controls every area of their lives; but the power of politics is not in their hands at the moment especially if they’re not registered to vote.

Staying on the point that some ethnic minority groups are underrepresented on the electoral register, and women as well as some ethnic minority groups are less likely to vote, what message would you give to those ethnic minority women who are not registered to vote?

Well I’d say that in some countries people would actually fight and die for democracy; now we’ve chosen, those of us who are migrants, to live in a country which is free, democratic, and has these rights, so they really should seize the opportunity and it’s a shame if they don’t.

What do you think can be done to increase the number of ethnic minority women MPs and councillors?

Well there are actually many efforts now, for example your organisation Fawcett’s efforts which have done wonders. It’s only been 90 years since women had the vote and 50 years ago the first peer that was a woman was appointed, so even looking in this country it’s only been around 100 years that things have changed.

So moving ahead I think there will be opportunities for ethnic minority women to become more involved in politics and it should come from grassroots level; the local community groups should be encouraging it on a cross-party basis, and we should also get the media more involved; and most of all the public, of course, because we count on the public to vote for us.

Do you think you have encountered any particular barriers or difficulties due to your race or your gender during your political career, and if so how did you overcome this?

Well, it’s very hard to say that if someone reacts to me in a certain way it’s because of my gender or my race so I try to keep a very open mind. I must say, when I tell people I’m running for the London Assembly it’s greeted with sort of raised eyebrows – “Really? You? Unlikely…”.

So overcoming stereotypes as to what a Chinese woman is capable of doing in this country - in a way that has spurred me on to try and push the boundaries slightly as I feel it’s very important to have more diverse representation whether it’s at local government level, regional levels such as London or eventually I’d like to see more MPs as well at Westminster. There are only two ethnic minority women MPs at the moment in Parliament.

What advice would you give to those ethnic minority women who are aspiring for a career in politics?

Well, to say advice – I’d say encouragement is more important because a lot of women just don’t feel they have the guts or courage, so courage and conviction are very important. First they must find it within themselves the drive, the motivation to feel it’s important to contribute to society, to have a voice, to make that statement. So once they’ve found that motivation, then the tips would be: choose a party that they feel they can join with a clear conscience, one that gels with their philosophy and policies; and then engage, not necessarily with politics first, maybe with a voluntary group, or there are some paid posts as well if they feel they can’t afford to give their time for free, so for example some housing associations, the parole board may pay for the time; join a school maybe as a governer, so getting experience with different associations at a community level. And then when the time is right, when they feel they want to put more time in standing for a seat, then go for it!

Is there anything else you’d like to add in terms of ethnic minority women and politics, and women in general and politics?

Well, I’ll say: have courage, don’t give up, try try again. For me this is my second attempt; I stood once for local government for my ward, and now I’m trying for the London Assembly, and I know even very prominent MPs have had to go a few times before they get elected. So don’t give up, and put your big toe in first before you take the plunge!