Our UK Black History Month celebrations have been in full swing since the month kicked off on October 1st. In case you weren't aware, this national celebration aims to promote and honor the valuable contributions of those with African and Caribbean heritage to British society and to foster an understanding of Black history in general. This year's theme is ‘Saluting our Sisters’, which highlights the crucial role that Black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change and building communities in Britain. Black History Month is commemorated in the US in February.
Elevate, our Employee Resource Group for our Black employees and their allies, put together a series of events and programming over the course of the month that helps educate our employees in a fun, immersive way.
We started off the month with a lunchtime screening of the documentary, "In Our Mothers' Gardens", which follows Black women from across the globe as they unlock the stories of their mothers to redefine holistic lives rooted in radical self-care and healing.
We then had two back to back days of events: an expertly guided walking tour that explored the fascinating contribution of Black Londoners to the unique history of the Culture Mile BID area, and a conversation between Raj Paranandi, our COO of EMEA and APAC and Elevate executive sponsor & Michael Barrington Hibbert, Co-founder of 10,000 Black Interns. Our employees joined both in person and virtually to hear Raj and Michael discuss their personal journeys, the importance of networking, belonging in the City and how Black people have been creating space for themselves. This was then followed by a happy hour, where London employees were treated to Rum Punch and Patties!
We then closed out the month with a final event - a book club discussion of "Black Cake" by Charmaine Wilkerson. Talk about a jam packed month!
Our Black History Month celebrations wouldn't be complete without tapping into the perspectives of some of our own employees, so we asked four members of Elevate to share a little more about themselves and what this month means to them. Get to know:
Ade, Debbie, Marissa, Carlos
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Ade: Every day is different, I’m on a great team and get to communicate with everyone in the business, which gives me a better overall understanding of people’s roles and responsibilities. I enjoy fixing issues and being the local IT problem solver, and I also like helping everyone get the most out of the tech/devices that we offer.
Debbie: Welcoming all our staff and clients to the London office and making sure everyone is taken care of - we have such amazing people visiting from all over the US, Europe and Asia. My life experiences have taught me how to be a good team player and communicator. I understand my strengths and can easily relate to others by listening, showing respect, and supporting those in need - all of which make it easy to enjoy my job.
Marissa: The role is highly collaborative. I find it rewarding to be at the intersection of technology, research, business and design.
Carlos: I love the fact that I can use the data to tell the story of how the business is performing and help internally and externally to improve processes and grow the business. I've always liked to work around data!
How do you/your family celebrate Black History Month, and what does it mean to you?
Ade: We usually go to a few tech and creativity networking events and I like being around like-minded people. To me, BHM means reflecting on and celebrating the achievements and progress made by black people in the UK and globally.
Debbie: We always spend it with family and friends: eating and drinking around the house, then we continue celebrating - whether it’s a rock night out at the O2 or a party presenting the history of our culture. As we move forward, people around the world are becoming more aware of the importance of diversity and inclusion and I want to make sure that those of mixed heritage also understand the black history and culture of various African and Caribbean countries.
Marissa: It is a time of celebration and reflection, to embrace the history and honor the achievements of black individuals and their contributions to society. As a family, we attend many events to enlighten our black history knowledge. We recently went on a guided tour in Liverpool, which included a visit to the trading ports and the International Slavery Museum.
Carlos: I’ve lived most of my life in Portugal where they don’t celebrate this occasion, so the Black History Month celebration is something new that I’ve experienced since I moved to the UK. I always try to provide my children with positive examples of people in different aspects of Black Culture that made an impact. From art, to literature, to sports, etc. Despite understanding the importance and the reason behind it, I would prefer not to have it celebrated in one month. Most other cultures don’t have a specific period to celebrate and highlight their traditions since it’s part of everyone’s narrative during the entire year, and in my specific culture, it’s hard to highlight all the positive aspects in a short period of time.
What makes you proud of your background/to be Black?
Ade: I take pride in my heritage, especially from a black British perspective, as there is a vibrant mix of different cultures, which enables me to appreciate the diversity amongst us all. I’ve always valued the sense of community that we often display.
Debbie: I find everyone in the world wants to associate themselves with the Black culture, which makes me believe in our progress: from the Notting Hill and the Trinidad and Tobago Carnivals, so many other carnivals in the Caribbean islands have taken off, all celebrating Black culture… plus the St Lucian Jazz Festival, which, of course, started with our music.
Marissa: In the face of historical and contemporary challenges, I feel as a race we are resilient. I am proud of my heritage, diverse culture and rich history that influences my identity and values today.
Carlos: I love all the values that surround our capacity to climb the highest mountain and come out smiling on the other side.