Tumi Mhlongo is proudly stepping into the role of chief stew on Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8. Not only because her hard work and dedication on Below Deck Down Under, coupled with a fantastic attitude, paid off with this promotion. But also for what it means for the community she is representing.
Tumi is a native of South Africa. The country is marred by a history of apartheid, and the population still struggles with race relations in general. So her promotion into a position of management holds greater meaning than just the professional credentials.
Of course, all peoples of non-Caucasian descent can be inspired by Tumi’s story. And as the new season premieres, she is speaking out about the significance of her role, as well as the lack of diversity in the yachting industry.
There are few people of color in management positions
“I’m gonna just say there are not a lot of people of color that are in chief stew or management positions in the industry,” Tumi told The Messenger. “They tend to like to keep us down under. I think I only know three so far. There’s probably more, but it’s difficult, especially with a bigger size vessel.”
It’s interesting to note that Tumi is speaking of the yachting industry as a whole, but the statement rings true for the Below Deck series. Therefore casting for the micro-environment that is the reality TV show is a true indicator of the whole population in the yachting industry.
As for the symbolism of being chief stew in a predominantly white industry, Tumi admitted to feeling a lot of pressure.
“That’s definitely something that made me really nervous, because you don’t want to fail. You don’t want to give them a reason not to put you in this position. So I really can’t screw this up,” she concluded.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 8 continues Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TUMI’S PROMOTION AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF IT? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HER COMMENTS REGARDING THE LACK OF DIVERSITY IN YACHTING?
