Bridging the barrier of ‘black’

STELLENBOSCH. – The local chapter of the nationwide organization the Black Management Forum (BMF) is looking to recruit more multi-racial members in 2014 to better diversify the society as a whole.

To accomplish this, the BMF is faced with the battle of bridging the barrier created and implied by their name. This can only be achieved by “changing people’s perceptions” explains the current treasurer for 2014, Pumla Msibi, who also manned the recruitment station in the Neelsie Student Center. She adds that the committee decided to use ‘Don’t be afraid of the B(e)’ as their slogan for the year in the hope that it will help them to better achieve their goal since people of other races seldom approach her table.

According to Vincent Moloto, the current chairperson, the racial demographic expansion of the organization is not coming of the ground at all due to a name that knowingly causes a barrier for non-black students to join. “We understand that seeing the word ‘black’ in Black Management Forum creates this idea that the society is only open to black people, even though that is not the case.”

Due to a distinct reluctance from bureaucratic leaders higher up the BMF’s corporate ladder, the name of the organization has not changed since it was founded in 1978. “The BMF is a historic body that traces its origins to the Apartheid era when it was aimed at improving the lives only black South Africans,” Moloto clarifies. But today, twenty years into our democracy, he feels that the younger generations of BMF-leaders needs to re-evaluate the use of the word ‘black’ because without change the hope of diversifying enough to include as many members from all of South Africa’s races as possible will be nothing more than a dream.

Consequently the local BMF chapter is going the extra mile to try and recruit more new non-black members into the society. Above and beyond the use of the slogan to lure and satisfy potential members, the BMF is again planning to team up with the mainly Afrikaans society Adam Tas for their annual Heritage-day festivities in September. The Lesbigay society is also on the invitation list. The hope is that by mingling in an informal setting around a braai will show the openness of the BMF to other races and groups.

The final sum of new recruits that have already signed up during recruitment week in the Neelsie is yet to be tallied, but the expectations are for the number to be around the 120 mark. Furthermore the specific racial classification of these new recruits is also still to be determined.

Moloto is confident that their campaign will bare fruit, but admits that getting more white, coloured and Indian members is only the first step in creating a multi-racial society. He adds that the next important step will be to get these members to actively participate in the society and not just merely be “a name on a member’s list”.