The Price of Acceptance: How Respectability Politics Silences, Excludes, and Holds Us Back
In Europe, conversations around race, identity, and inclusion are often dismissed as “American issues,” as if racism, bias, and exclusion don’t exist on this side of the Atlantic. Many Europeans, particularly in corporate and institutional settings, are quick to declare that issues of racial inequality and systemic discrimination are "not as bad here." But let’s be real, anyone who has navigated professional, academic, or public spaces as a Black or Brown person in Europe knows: respectability politics is alive and well in Europe. It is one of the most insidious ways that systemic exclusion persists and it’s holding us back from real change.
From Paris to Berlin, London to Amsterdam, marginalized communities—whether Black, immigrant, Roma, or Muslim—are constantly expected to perform an acceptable version of themselves to be deemed professional, trustworthy, or even worthy of inclusion. The expectation? Speak “proper” European languages without an accent, avoid bringing cultural or religious identity into the workplace, and above all, don’t make people uncomfortable with conversations about race.
The message is clear: You are welcome here, but only on our terms.
The European Respectability Trap
European societies pride themselves on being secular, progressive, and meritocratic. Many believe that “if you work hard, you will succeed.” But beneath this ideal lies an uncomfortable truth: the myth of meritocracy ignores how deeply ingrained social hierarchies, colonial legacies, racialized norms and gatekeeping practices shape who gets access to opportunity—and under what conditions.
Take France’s rigid laïcité (secularism) laws, which disproportionately impact Muslim women who wear the hijab. Or Germany’s struggles with integrating its Afro-German and Turkish communities into mainstream leadership roles. Or the UK, where Black professionals are still significantly underrepresented in boardrooms and politics, often facing barriers disguised as “cultural fit.”
Everywhere in Europe, racial and ethnic minorities are still underrepresented in corporate boardrooms, politics, and media. And when they do make it, they are often expected to assimilate to whiteness—to play by the rules of a system never designed for them. Across the continent, marginalized communities are told that if they assimilate enough, they will be accepted. But history has shown that assimilation does not equal liberation—it only reinforces the systems that demand our silence, compliance, and invisibility.
Professionalism or Racial Gatekeeping?
In Europe, respectability politics often hides behind the facade of “professionalism.” But let’s be honest: many of these so-called professional standards are just Eurocentric norms designed to maintain white dominance.
It’s not just about appearance—it’s about behavior, language, and even silence.
Accent Bias: Studies show that, across Europe, people with African, Middle Eastern, or South Asian accents face discrimination in hiring and promotion. Being multilingual should be an asset, yet a non-native accent is often used as an excuse to question competence.
Dress Codes and Religious Expression: France and Belgium’s hijab bans send a clear message: professionalism means secularism, and secularism means whiteness.
Tone Policing: Black and Brown professionals are often labeled as “too aggressive” or “too emotional” when they speak up about racism. We are expected to be agreeable, never confrontational, reinforcing the idea that white comfort is more important than our truth.
Cultural Erasure: Many Black Europeans feel pressure to distance themselves from their cultural heritage in order to succeed. Whether it’s changing a name to sound more “European”, or avoiding conversations about racism in order to fit in, the expectation is clear: Blend in, or be pushed out.
The Colonial Hangover and European Identity
Unlike the U.S., where racial discourse is shaped by the history of slavery and segregation, Europe’s racial dynamics are deeply tied to its colonial past—a past that many countries still struggle to acknowledge.
The refusal to reckon with colonial history has led to a lack of meaningful discussions about race in many European countries. In the Netherlands and Belgium, the debate over Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) exposed how deeply some Europeans cling to traditions that reinforce racial stereotypes, yet dismissing criticism as “American-style identity politics.” In France and other places, race is not even officially recorded in census data, reinforcing the myth of a “colorblind” society while ignoring the lived experiences of Black and Arab communities facing discrimination. In countries like the UK, where discussions of race are more advanced, respectability politics still dictates who gets taken seriously in diversity conversations.
For Black Europeans, this colonial hangover manifests in a constant struggle for legitimacy—having to prove that they belong, that they are “European enough,” that they are not simply guests in countries their ancestors helped build.
Neocolonialism: A Key Part of The Framework Behind European Gatekeeping
If we really want to understand respectability politics in Europe, we must look beyond the past, and actually examine how neocolonialism continues to shape racial dynamics today.
Neocolonialism—the continued economic, political, and cultural dominance of former colonial powers over their ex-colonies—does not just manifest in global trade policies or exploitative economic structures. It also operates through ideas, values, and narratives that sustain white European dominance.
This is why:
African, Caribbean, and South Asian professionals in Europe are often expected to show gratitude for simply being “allowed” into certain spaces, as if their mere presence is a privilege.
European nations often refuse to fully acknowledge their colonial past, choosing to erase or sanitize history rather than confront its lingering effects.
The “model minority” myth is selectively applied to certain groups while others are labeled as “unassimilable” or “too radical” when they challenge the status quo.
Europe’s refusal to fully reckon with its colonial past enables the continued policing of Black and Brown bodies in professional, political, and social spaces. The same countries that have been extracting resources, labor, and wealth from the Global South now expect those same communities to abandon their identities in order to be seen as legitimate members of society.
Internalized Racism: When Gatekeeping Comes from Within
Respectability politics is not just enforced by white-majority institutions. It is often internalized within marginalized communities themselves.
Decades of colonial rule and systemic exclusion have led to internalized racism, where some Black and Brown Europeans unconsciously adopt the very biases that uphold their oppression. This manifests in several ways:
Policing each other’s behavior: Advising younger generations to “not be too Black” or “not make trouble” to avoid discrimination.
Rejecting African, Caribbean, or Arab cultural markers: Encouraging people to Europeanize their names, accents, or even hairstyles to “fit in” better.
Distancing from activism: Avoiding conversations about race or actively discouraging others from speaking out to maintain their own hard-won proximity to whiteness.
This internalized gatekeeping is a direct product of colonial control over identity. When people internalize the belief that success requires detachment from one’s racial or cultural background, they unwittingly reinforce the very systems that marginalize them.
Beyond Assimilation: Building an Inclusive Europe
If Europe is serious about inclusion, it needs to move beyond the superficial optics of diversity and address the systemic barriers that force marginalized communities to conform.
Decolonizing Professionalism: European companies and institutions must challenge outdated ideas of professionalism that reinforce white, Eurocentric norms. This means valuing multilingualism, respecting cultural and religious diversity, and rejecting bias against non-European accents.
Creating Space for Difficult, Uncomfortable Conversations: Europeans often dismiss racial discourse as an “American import,” but racism is not a foreign concept. Europeans invented it. We need open, honest conversations about race that acknowledge Europe's colonial history (past and present) and its impact on today’s inequalities.
Putting an End to Gatekeeping: We must unlearn the internalized racism that tells us we must dilute our identities to succeed. True empowerment comes from rejecting respectability politics and showing up as our full, authentic selves and supporting each other in doing so. True allyship means amplifying marginalized voices, not gatekeeping who is deemed respectable enough to lead these discussions. It means embracing discomfort and understanding that real change does not come from assimilation—it comes from structural transformation.
Redefining Belonging: Europe cannot claim to be a leader in human rights and democracy while upholding invisible barriers that force Black and Brown people into a suffocating respectability trap. Inclusion should not be conditional.
Black, Brown, and immigrant communities should not have to prove their worth through assimilation. It’s time to redefine professionalism, leadership, and success—on our terms.
This starts with:
#Disrupt — Deeply challenging biases, having uncomfortable conversations, decolonizing mindsets, and dismantling the Eurocentric frameworks that define professionalism and leadership. This means calling out exclusionary policies, challenging discriminatory hiring practices, and refusing to accept “diversity” without systemic change. Disrupting also means rejecting performative allyship and demanding accountability from institutions that uphold structural racism while preaching inclusivity.
#Elevate — Amplifying marginalized communities and centering their experiences in these conversations—not as an afterthought, but as the foundation for real change. Elevation means not only giving people a seat at the table but changing the power structures that dictate who gets to sit there in the first place. It means investing in Black and Brown leaders, ensuring that representation is substantive and not tokenistic ("Representation only matters if you matter to the people representing you"), and actively dismantling the glass ceilings that keep marginalized voices from shaping policy and decision-making.
#Impact — Build systems that not only acknowledge past injustices but actively dismantle the current structures that sustain exclusion. This means rewriting policies, changing hiring practices, diversifying leadership authentically and meaningfully, and ensuring that equity is not just a buzzword but a lived reality. True impact is measured not by optics, but by real power shifts and sustainable, long-term transformation.
Disrupt. Elevate. Impact. That is how we move forward.
Interested in joining a community of professionals invested in making a concrete impact and shaping the future for the next generations? Join #MyBlackCareer9Box
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