On Sunday Noel Clarke won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the BAFTA’s and gave a moving acceptance speech. In the speech he dedicated the award to the “under-represented" in the film industry and effectively reshaped notions of black pride when he said he would not apologise for the ”arrogance” he showed when he won the Rising Star Award 13 years ago. He was not going to say sorry for “popping his collar” because it was an act of defiance, as people like him are not meant to win these awards.
I found the speech moving, and enjoyed its mixture of both pride and humility as Clarke described his journey in the industry and his attempts to “elicit change in the industry”.
But there was one part of the speech that troubled me. He said “I stand on the shoulders of giants, I am not here without the people before me”.
The idea of “standing on the shoulders of giants” is a common one and is frequently cited by black, and other people from under-represented groups, to acknowledge the people who have paved the way for their own successes.
I have used the phrase myself and even wrote a blog piece titled “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants”. I also created an open-source document for people to add the names and profiles of pioneering “giants” of colour in the media industry.
However, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the phrase and in many ways I do not think it does the justice to the people who paved the way for us. Most importantly it does not adequately recognise the sacrifices they made. Let me explain why…
First of all, it is important to understand where the phrase comes from. It is thought it can be traced back to the 12th Century and was first used by the French philosopher Bernard of Chartres describing how philosophers see further by building on the philosophical works of those that proceed them. The phrase gained popularity in England when the noted scientist Isaac Newton wrote in 1675: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."
When Isaac Newton used the phrase, he was referring to scientists and thinkers who had gone before him and he was merely adding to their achievements. Importantly the scientists that went before Newton had, for the most part, been celebrated and recognised for their contribution to science while they were alive, while they were working.
In contrast, when it comes to black people, and others from underrepresented groups, much of the time we are following on from people who are more like fallen warriors in a battlefield. They are the walking wounded who have sacrificed their careers to enable us to be where we are today. For instance, they might have lost their jobs as a result of trying to break barriers, they might have been seen as “troublemakers” and foregone promotions, and we should not forget the mental health damage that many people suffer from working in what is far too often a toxic industry.
That means the people who came before us might be “giants” but we are not standing on their shoulders. They are no longer standing up! We are benefitting from the foes they have slain and the fights they have waged on our behalf.
That’s more like the right metaphor.
On a similar note, a few years ago a woman corrected me when I congratulated her for breaking the glass ceiling. She said, quite calmingly, “mine was just the final push - the ceiling was weakened by all the women who cracked their skulls on the previous attempts”.
This woman was not standing on other women’s shoulders. For her she was standing amongst women who had suffered and sacrificed much more than her and most importantly had not reaped the benefits.
So, why does this phrasing matter? Am I just being a pedant obsessing over whether Noel Clarke used the right metaphor, and myself for that matter - just a few years ago?
For me the issue went beyond mere semantics a few months ago when I found out about the story of Barbara Blake Hannah, the first black person to appear on British TV in a non-entertainment role in 1968. She landed the job of on-camera reporter for daily evening show Today With Eamonn Andrews on Thames TV. But after nine months she was dismissed, allegedly because her employer came under pressure from viewers who called in daily to say: "Get that n***** off our screens."
She was the pioneer who paved the way for every black newsreader in the UK who came after her. But in paving the way, her career was totally sacrificed.
And this is where the metaphor becomes important and how we view Blake Hannah. If we see her as simply a giant whose shoulders black TV journalists stand on, we owe her nothing but gratitude and respect.
If, on the other hand, we view her as a fallen soldier who made sacrifices which we, as black journalists, are benefitting from - then we owe her something far more tangible.
That’s why I believe there should be, in the media industry specifically but also in other sectors, a new charitable fund to financially help these pioneers who have had to sacrifice to pave the way for progress.
All the broadcasters and large independent production companies could contribute to this independent fund. The fund would then be distributed, in much the same way the Film and TV Charity works, in giving grants and ongoing support to people who have left the industry or have made material sacrifices in working in the industry. Or to put it another way – people like Barbara Blake Hannah needs real support not just a plaque.
Let us support the pioneers because they might be giants but they still need a helping hand.
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