Finding your voice: A Q&A on heritage, identity and building inclusive communities with Alice Dearing OLY and Dr Frances Akor

During Black History Month, Alice Dearing, former Olympic swimmer, UKAD Athlete Commission member and founder of the Black Swimming Association, spoke with Dr Frances Akor, UKAD Board Member and Consultant Pharmacist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, about navigating identity and professional life in sport and science. Below is a summary of their conversation originally shared with colleagues at UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). 

Alice: Frances, can you tell us about your heritage and how it's shaped who you are? 

Frances: Both of my parents are Nigerian. They were both born and raised in Nigeria and they're both from the same tribe - the Yoruba tribe. They met in England after coming here separately. My dad worked with my grandad (my mum’s dad) in a theatre before my dad knew my mum. And the story goes that my dad really liked my grandad and said "oh, you know, you're such a nice man. I'm sure you have lovely children." And my granddad said: "yes, I have a lovely daughter that's just moved to England"… and it went from there, the rest is history. 

Alice: What was your experience like growing up as a Black woman in the UK? 

Frances: Growing up in Hackney, I didn't really think about my colour when I was young. When there's a lot of people that kind of look like you, you don't really think about it. But when I moved to a school in North Finchley for secondary education, I really felt out of place. I was the only one from Hackney, and I felt like there were some stereotypes thrown at us - myself and the other Black girls. 

Alice: Can you tell us about those stereotypes, particularly around sport? 

Frances: I was pushed to do sports, which I actually really enjoyed. But I think because I felt like there's an assumption that I'm going to be really great at sport, I kind of was like, I don't think I want to do this. I'm going to show them that I'm more of a nerd than a sporty person.  

Alice: That's such an important point about rejecting limiting expectations. How did your family approach education and opportunities? 

Frances: My mum was very pro-education and I think she probably felt like irrespective of your colour and everything, if you're well educated, it will create opportunities for you. I think it is good to give your children the best opportunities, but really understand who they are. If they are naturally academic, encourage them in that way. If they're naturally creative, encourage them there. Luckily for me, I was quite academic, so that worked. 

Alice: Let's talk about food and culture. What does food mean to you and your family? 

Frances: Food was a really big part of my family growing up and I didn't really appreciate it at the time. My mum and dad still cooked quite traditional Nigerian food, but she didn't only give us Nigerian food. We had steak and kidney pie with beans, macaroni cheese, lasagna, shepherd's pie. For me, I love food from everywhere. When I married my husband, who was born and raised in Nigeria, I tried to cook him all Nigerian food for the first three weeks, and then I was like, I've realised I've not been brought up like this. I need my lasagna. I need my chips. 

Alice: How do you think we can build more inclusive communities, particularly in professional settings? 

Frances: I think at its core, it's relationships. Really widening relationships because it's relationships that support growth and turn opportunities into things that really happen. Most of the roles I've gotten recently have been brought about because of a relationship. Somebody saw the role and said: “This job literally has your name on it”. It's really about trying to build relationships as well as understanding and respecting that people are different. 

Alice: What advice would you give about being authentic in professional spaces? 

Frances: Wherever you go, because nobody's 100% like you, you're going to feel like you fit in sometimes and you're going to feel like you don't fit in sometimes, but actually just do you respectfully. I think increasing understanding so that you can form useful relationships is really helpful.