Black History Month 2024: Reclaiming narratives

Lindsay Jack, the Law Society’s Head of Diversity, Careers, and Outreach, considers how best to promote allyship and engage meaningfully with colleagues, clients, friends and others during Black History Month, and beyond.

Black History Month runs through October every year in the UK, inspired by Black History events in the USA that began with a week of activities in February 1926. The concept expanded across college campuses into the 1960s and President Gerald Ford officially recognised Black History Month in 1976. It was first celebrated in the UK in October 1987.

In the UK, the month has a focus on black British experiences and this year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming narratives’ “marks a significant shift towards recognising and correcting the narratives of black history and culture.” This must start with learning, and with focusing on stories and histories. A wealth of resources is available at the link above, just for starters.

Allyship through education

Seeking out ways to further your knowledge and understanding is a great way to engage with the theme of this year’s celebration. Aim to support and promote black excellence by sharing events you find; tell people about them with a view to attending together or sharing details about the event afterwards. Make a conscious decision to read literature written by black British voices. You can engage with multiple media to further your understanding and broaden perspectives across literature and the wide lens of culture, including art, film, performance, exhibitions and more. Actively listen to people telling their stories. Learn about an organisation whose work you have been meaning to check out.

Allyship through amplification

Be vocal, share the stories you have learned and start discussions with those around you. If you use social media, share your learning there and tag artists/authors/contributors to increase their visibility. Seek ideas and input from your colleagues and friends and empower yourself with the knowledge needed to advance discourse. Do not rely on the voices of those who are historically under-represented and/or marginalised to be the sole voices telling their stories – share that work and play your part in reclaiming narratives.

Looking beyond October

Black History Month is just that – a month. It is of course a very important month, but it is vital that we continue to listen and learn all year round to promote and encourage a legal profession that is more reflective of the society it serves. Within the legal sector in Scotland, we are lucky to have Fair Justice System for Scotland engaging multiple stakeholders to progress its aim of diversifying the justice sector. Their annual conference held in summer brings together a wide range of participants, and their collaborative approach challenges us all to scrutinise policy, procedure and practice and to work together for change.

The Law Society of Scotland’s Racial Inclusion Group published its report in January 2022 and we have committed to undertaking a review of its recommendations with a view to assessing progress and revitalising that thread of our equity and diversity work. The Law Society team will begin this review this month.

Brianella Scott – Racial Inclusion Group member and Assistant Solicitor to the Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry – spoke powerfully at a recent Diversity+ event at Edinburgh’s Parliament Hall to mark the opening of the Scottish Legal Year. She implored all those present to read the Racial Inclusion Group’s report and engage with its findings so I will happily echo that call to action.

For those for whom Black History Month brings explorations of your own identity, history and narratives it is vital to remember to lean on those around you for any support you might need. Take the steps you need to in order to look after yourself; prioritise your own welfare. As Audre Lorde – self-described ‘black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet’ – says: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”