Interview

Walk a mile in my shoes

Dr Diamond Emmanuel talks to Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts in the second of a series of articles in which black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Salvationists share their experiences

HAVING commenced his medical career in Pakistan, Dr Diamond Emmanuel, a Salvationist at Nottingham William Booth Memorial Halls, is now a community paediatrician at Nottingham Children’s Hospital and the designated doctor for safeguarding children with the Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group.

Diamond, who grew up in a Salvation Army family, became interested in medicine in his teens. After graduating from medical school in 1988 he started working at a Christian hospital in Lahore. Once he had completed his paediatric training he moved to another hospital where he became head of the paediatric department. While working there he married Sarah and their two boys were born. The family moved to the UK in 2004.

‘My wife moved about ten months before I did,’ he recalls. ‘She is a nurse by profession, so she came and started working in Nottingham. One of the first things she did was look around for The Salvation Army and she found William Booth Memorial Halls. When the boys and I arrived we joined the corps and we’ve been there ever since.’

‘Everyday racism’ is a term used to describe the behaviour of people who may not be consciously racist but whose normal, day-to-day practices disadvantage BAME people. It’s something Diamond has experienced.

‘Quite a few years ago I went to collect a parcel from the Royal Mail office,’ he says. ‘There were four white people in the queue in front of me, and the lady who was serving handed them their parcels without asking for their ID. When it came to my turn, she said, “Can I see your ID?” It was not a problem because I knew that ID was required, but I thought, “Why did you let the four in front of me have their parcels without showing ID, but when it came to me you asked for it?” She may have looked at the colour of my skin and thought I was trying to steal someone else’s parcel. Some people might think that’s quite a trivial thing but it was not a good feeling; it hurt.’

Diamond has not been subject to overt racism at work: ‘My position as a doctor is such that I don’t get that kind of treatment. I’m so blessed, having such a good group of people working in my department. I’ve never had an issue.’

He is concerned about people in other positions, though, including Sarah.

‘In the pandemic a number of BAME people are actually suffering more,’ he explains. ‘One example is my wife, who works as a nurse. She was asked to take a sample for a virus test without any protective equipment, but would not. The manager put in the notes that she refused to do the test, but she said, “No, I didn’t refuse. I was not provided with the right equipment. I’m happy to do it if you give me that.”’

Having been at Nottingham William Booth Memorial Halls for the past 16 years, Diamond is positive about his experiences at the corps.

‘All I have is praise for the way things are,’ he enthuses. ‘We’ve got a good number of BAME people and they feel very much part of corps. I am a member of the corps council and we have a number of other BAME corps council members.’

Dr Diamond Emmanuel and Sarah

He does know that racism exists in the Army, however, and was glad to see this acknowledged in the recent statement by the territorial leaders (Salvationist, 13 June).

‘It’s good to know there is acceptance of the fact that racism does exist,’ he says. ‘Unfortunately, a lot of people who are subject to racism don’t talk about it because they fear the consequences. So they accept it to the point where they say that there is no racism in The Salvation Army. It’s like what I see in my safeguarding work. A lot of women who are subjected to domestic violence don’t talk about it; they just suffer in silence, because they want that relationship to continue. This statement from the leadership is important as it gives people some confidence to raise their voices.

‘The other good thing is that it says The Salvation Army will intentionally seek ways to confront and fight racism. It’s not that we should be talking about racism because it sounds appealing and makes us look good. We need to take practical measures so people feel safe and are not afraid to speak up.

‘Our God is loving, kind and merciful. He is also righteous, holy and just, and as Christ’s followers we are called to do justice. We need to ensure that the culture of social justice prevails within the Army.’