Black History Month: Some Industry Reflections

October is Black History Month in the UK. Originating in the US and celebrated in the UK since 1987, BHM shines a spotlight on Black African and African Caribbean Diaspora achievement, and creates opportunities for everyone to share in, celebrate and understand the impact of Black heritage and culture in Britain.

Black History Month has its detractors as well as advocates: Why focus on Black history for just one month instead of integrating it more deeply into the mainstream history curriculum and celebrating the culture throughout the year? What’s the point of an annual celebration, when Black people continue to be marginalised in British society? Both are valid criticisms, and I’d encourage everyone to read more to understand the perspectives of those for and against it.

I’d even more strongly encourage you to take a look at PR Week’s Black History Month-inspired series, focusing on the experiences of Black PR professionals in the sector. The stories report the findings of the PRWeek UK and the UK Black Comms Network-commissioned survey of Black and mixed black-heritage professionals in the industry. They make for disheartening reading with Black and mixed heritage PR professionals reporting receiving less written and verbal praise from their employers than they did four years ago and less praise compared to white colleagues. A majority of the Black pros surveyed also reported feeling overlooked in pitch ideation sessions.

The survey found respondents are more likely to receive a pay rise (14%) than they are to receive a promotion (6%), and that a lack of career progression, and a paucity of leaders and role models from Black and mixed  backgrounds means that two thirds of the surveyed pros are considering leaving the industry altogether.

Sobering figures indeed.

Personally, I’d love to see Black history recognised as an integral part of British history and mainstreamed into the curriculum - and culture - year-round. Until that happens, as agency professionals, let’s take a moment during Black History Month to reflect on how as colleagues, and especially as leaders, we can ‘get out of the way’. Creating an even playing field, with the same career development opportunities for Black and mixed heritage PR pros as everyone else, leads to a richer agency culture and ultimately, more nuanced, and impactful campaigns. In other words, a win for all.