As Black History Month draws to a close, Birmingham City University celebrated inspirational, successful black women in a panel hosted on the 30th October, 2023.
With funding generously provided by the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity, (LHCMD), Birmingham City University invited four women to speak on their challenges, and successes in their fields, and offer advice to current students and staff.
The panelists included Selina Brown, a children's book author and the CEO and founder of the Black British Book Festival, Justice Williams MBE, an entrepreneur and founder of Black Business Magazine, Tobi Ordain, founder of Black Ballad, and Sanity, a music artist who represented Birmingham at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
All of these women are from Birmingham.
The panel started discussions about the importance of uplifting black women, not just for their struggles but also for their achievements, and implored people not to overlook the contributions, past and present, the community has given.
"Black people were not the writers of history," Selina said, when asked to name the foremothers who have inspired her, reminding everyone that many important members of history have been neglected.
This is an extremely important thing to remember, not just during Black History Month: there are contributions and achievements made by black people that were not recognized by history, and whose names will not appear in the history books, because they were not credited by their white peers.
When the topic of inequalities was raised, it was a valuable reminder to young journalists and starting entrepreneurs.
It can be disheartening to know statistics, such as less than half of journalists in the workforce being female, or 0.2% of journalists in the media industry are black.
However, panels like these offer the opportunity to hear stories that show there is a chance to overcome these challenges and be successful in spite of setbacks.
"The spiteful stereotype of the aggressive black woman is used against us," Tobi said, "[but] I am not going to dull myself down; those stereotypes are something I have to face head-on."
Sanity shared advice on how she overcomes the challenges she faces in an industry where she is not fairly represented.
"The only thing I can do is be authentically myself, and let over black women know it is okay to be in these spaces," she said.
The idea of cultivating your own space to belong was a valuable theme that was carried throughout the panel.
The participants agreed that "if people don't respect you, you're not meant to be in that space."
"Take up space, don't be afraid to create spaces for you and your people."
The panelists also offered advice on career development, including how to handle being a perfectionist to the point where your work may be impacted. and how to exist in career settings.
Their statements included ideas that success isn't linear, and to achieve your goals takes time, but they stressed the importance of not limiting yourself when setting your targets.
The theme of this year's Black History Month was 'Saluting our Sisters', designed to open conversations about the contributions black women have made to history and how they have shaped and influenced communities.
One of the main messages that was shared was to "be unapologetic," and "always be intentional in how you come across."
Opportunities like these, where young professionals can hear from experts and pioneers in the industry are invaluable for not just career development, but also for personal growth.
Black History Month. Photo via Flickr
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