October is Black History Month!

October marks Black History Month in the UK, which began in the US in the 1920s, and was first celebrated in the UK in 1987.

It allows everyone to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture.

Black History Month 2023

People from African and Caribbean backgrounds have been a fundamental part of British history for centuries. However, campaigners believe their contribution to society has often been overlooked or distorted.

Black History Month is also celebrated in local communities, where museums, care homes and workplaces explore a broad range of topics, from Britain's colonial past, to migration, and music.

For 2023, the theme is "Saluting Our Sisters" and the #WEMATTER movement, where people are encouraged to find out more about the exceptional achievements of black women, especially those who have had their contributions ignored, ideas appropriated, and voices silenced.

Conversations about race are important to have in the workplace because it supports an organisation's anti-racism work, and encourages a two-way dialogue and conversation about race.

This is important for building relationships, rapport, and trust among colleagues.

Black History Month in the workplace

Race is one of the nine "protected characteristics" covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Race discrimination:

• includes racial harassment and victimisation;
• can happen in any aspect of work, including resulting from decisions made at work or from how people behave towards each other;
• could be a regular pattern of racist behaviour or a one-off incident;
• can happen in the workplace, at work social events or when people are working remotely.

At work, the law protects the following people against discrimination:

• employees and workers;
• contractors and self-employed people hired to personally do the work;
• job applicants;
• former employees.

Someone could experience racial discrimination from anyone they come into contact with because of their job, including other people at work, customers, and members of the public.

Race discrimination includes:

• direct discrimination - when someone is put at a disadvantage or treated less favourably because of their race, the race of someone they know or have a connection with, or their "perceived" race;
• indirect discrimination - when a working practice, policy or rule applies to everyone but puts a person or group at a disadvantage because of their race;
• harassment - when someone experiences unwanted behaviour related to race, such as racist language;
• victimisation - when someone is treated less favourably as a result of being involved with a discrimination or harassment complaint.

If someone has experienced or witnessed racial discrimination at work, they can make a complaint to their employer. The employer should take it seriously and look into it as soon as possible.

Employers should make sure that:

• reporting race discrimination is as easy as possible;
• anyone who experienced or witnessed it feels safe, protected and supported;
• anyone accused of race discrimination is treated impartially and fairly.

If you are an employer or manager, you should look into any discrimination complaint in a way that is fair and sensitive to:

• the person who made the complaint;
• anyone who witnessed it;
• anyone accused of bullying or discrimination.

Steps for preventing race discrimination in the workplace

All employers should take steps to try to make sure racial discrimination does not happen at work. As an employer, you should:

• aim for a culture where everyone accepts that racial discrimination is not acceptable;
• recognise and promote the benefits of a diverse and inclusive organisation that does not exclude anyone because of race.

Measures that are specific to preventing race discrimination include:

• talking about race;
• creating a race equality action plan;
• appointing a race champion;
• having race allies;
• setting up a staff race network;
• ethnicity pay gap report.

Things to do for Black History Month

Celebrating Black History Month and supporting black colleagues is extremely important. If you are searching for things to do for Black History Month at work, Inclusive Employers have provided a few suggestions:

• create a safe space by taking action to make workplaces a safe space for black colleagues and customers by reviewing your policies and protections;
• share Black History Month facts and knowledge with those in your organisation;
• attend webinars and events to raise awareness on why it is important to educate ourselves on this topic;
• celebrate all aspects of the culture through Black History Month recipes, food and learning;
• promote the visibility of black and other non-white colleagues within an organisation, by inviting them to share their experiences, if they are comfortable and want to do so;
• volunteer with black-led charities and non-profit organisations;
• share resources with your colleagues to help deepen their understanding of what it means to be anti-racist, and how we can support black, and other multiracial colleagues.

Beyond Black History Month

This discussion and learning should not just be for the month of October. Instead, the focus should be on integrating Black History into mainstream education, news and culture.

There is a growing consensus that we cannot rely on Black History Month alone to address systemic issues of racism, nor can we rely solely on what is taught in schools.

We all need to be conscious of the positive achievements and contributions of black people in our countries as well as the relevant colonial history. We need to take individual responsibility for our education, and levels of awareness and reflection.