Celebrating Black History Month: Stories from our community

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re sharing the voices and stories of our team, reflecting on what this month means to them. Find out about the rich history, culture, and contributions of the black community both within Gowling WLG and beyond.

Yasmine’s story

Yasmine Allwood, Trainee Solicitor, Commercial Litigation team:

I am Yasmine Allwood, a trainee solicitor currently in the Commercial Litigation team at Gowling WLG. I’m also co-lead of EmbRACE, our internal ethnicity and race employee network, dedicated to championing inclusion and celebrating diversity both internally and externally.  As part of our Black History Month activity this year, we want to take time to reflect on the significance of Black History Month to members of EmbRACE.

Being of mixed heritage with a white mother, my experience of Black History Month in my younger years was limited to history lessons in school learning about the horrors of the slave trade. These lessons unfortunately never touched on the rich abundant history of black people around the globe, and it was only as I grew up that I found myself at Black History Month events learning about how instrumental black people were to the development of the world we know today. For example, learning that Jack Daniels – a favourite whisky of mine – was actually created by Nathan Green, an enslaved man, which represents the talented and resilient nature of black people at the time. Similarly, it was through Black History Month that I came across Dame Linda Dobbs – Dobbs rose through the ranks to become a judge while still giving back to communities throughout the Caribbean and Africa. I found this inspiring as I was able to see how I could harness my career in law to give back to communities that were important to me.

I continue to be inspired every day at Gowling WLG, working with a range of people who come from a range of backgrounds. This is vastly different to what my expectation of working in corporate law would be like – intimidating partners, long hours and hostile colleagues – as instead, I find myself surrounded by friendly people who encourage me to bring my whole self to work. I believe the sentiment too because it is the diversity of its people that make Gowling WLG what it is. The firm is aware that black talent is underrepresented throughout the legal sector, so by celebrating Black History Month, the firm reaffirms its inclusive culture, celebrates its black colleagues and educates allies on how they can help to make positive change.

Funmi’s story

Funmi Adeyemo, Trainee Solicitor, Corporate, Finance and Tax:

For me, Black History Month is about sharing the varied experiences and achievements of black people. Popular media often portrays one kind of “black experience”, and this often has negative undertones.

From past Black History Month events, I’ve discovered the incredible contributions we’ve made to art, music, science, and many other fields. I’ve also listened to the experiences of my fellow black lawyers and how they overcame adversity to achieve success in their careers.

Black History Month is also a celebration of community and solidarity. Historically, black people have often relied on their communities to withstand oppression. The origin of Blues music demonstrates this resilience and underscores the importance of fostering strong, supportive communities. As the daughter of Nigerian parents, I’ve seen first-hand how crucial community is in many aspects of life. For instance, the church was a key source of support for my parents and other immigrants as they navigated the challenges of adapting to a new country. Community is something we should all bear in mind in the push for racial diversity. On a daily basis, we should assess how we are fostering inclusivity and support within our own circles.

Are we creating spaces where everyone feels valued and heard? Are we actively challenging stereotypes and promoting diverse voices? By making these conscious efforts, we can build stronger, more inclusive communities for everyone.

Rosielee’s story

Rosielee Sinclair, Support Analyst, Business Information Systems:

Black History Month is the “official” time to acknowledge black people and their achievements and contributions to society but what about the other 11 months?  When you read what the media writes and how they portray black people in general, the differences in reporting styles, the headlines, nuances and slights, it does not always paint a positive picture.  Our history is one of royalty.  We did not start from slavery, which appears to be the preferred narrative.

I don’t tend to celebrate Black History Month in any overt way, I “celebrate” every day of the year.  Being black is not something I can pick up and put down when it suits,  I know that I am black every single month of the year.  It is important for Black History Month to be marked because it is probably one of the only periods of time when focused, positive attention is directed towards black people in society.

Allies can continue to get involved by asking us questions about how it feels to be a black person in the world today and understand our experiences.

To end on a positive note, if I had a choice in the afterlife to come back as anyone else, it would still be as a black woman! Black Girl Magic!

Richard’s story

Richard Wilkes, Senior Designer, Business Development:

In recent years, I have started to question the validity of Black History Month. Is highlighting the impact of the black experience within one month still the right move to make or simply a grand box ticking exercise? We could easily debate the pros and cons for an eternity. Regardless, I still do view Black History Month as a great opportunity to remind us all of the black cultural impact on the UK landscape.

As the first-born British addition to the family, I fully embraced the best of West Indian and British values. How I loved a Sunday roast with roast beef, potatoes and gravy paired with rice and peas and festivals. It was, and still is, a seamless and natural mix. Or visiting cousins during bygone hot summers and watching my Dad and uncles slam down dominoes, drinking Guinness and simultaneously managing a heaving barbeque.

The above are just loving snapshots and our collective experiences would need more than a month to do it justice. Although I believe black culture should be marketed more as part and parcel of the British experience, Black History Month is an important event in making that a reality.

Celebrating together

You can see that Black history Month means different things to different people – it can be a month full of celebrations, or a month full of learning, but it certainly is a month for everyone.

This Black History Month, we are putting on an array of events to embrace the theme for Black History Month this year which is “reclaiming narratives”. Our EmbRACE network have organised a book club event, that includes a recommended reading list full of black authors from a range of genres. Members have voted and decided to focus the event on “Girl, Woman, Other”, a book which fits nicely with the theme as it explores 12 women’s journeys in Britain over the past 100 years. For the finale of Black History Month, we are hosting a celebratory event which explores the impact music has had on black communities. Music has always played a key role in black history and so this event will explore music’s impact on black communities throughout the years while giving attendees the chance to hear the diverse range of genres stemming from black communities.

We hope that everyone finds opportunities in their workplaces and communities to get involved in Black History Month this year.