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Celebrating Black History Month

October marks Black History Month, the annual celebration of the history, culture, achievements and contributions of black and brown people in the UK and Ireland.

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Throughout the month our BDP Belonging network held a programme of internal events and initiatives to provide opportunities for discussion and learning, with an exciting line-up of guest and employee speakers and participants.

We kicked things off on the 1 October with a talk from our first guest speaker Dian Small, The Cultural Architect, who discussed developing racial awareness and the misuse of the term BAME in the workplace. The online event was followed by a Q&A session chaired by architect, Daniel Walder.

Human Space, our own inclusive design consultancy, then led a virtual Think Tank on 7 October in collaboration with BDP Belonging. The workshop provided a platform to exchange ideas about what race, colour and culture means to all of us and how to create inclusive spaces for all.

Historian, BAFTA award-winning broadcaster and film-maker Professor David Olusoga OBE, then took centre stage for an inspiring talk about black history in our Courageous Conversations live event on 11 October. Chaired by Alan McKenzie, project manager, it was followed by a panel and Q&A session with Juliana Santos graduate public health engineer, Sonia Watson OBE from Blueprint for All, and Bola Abisogun OBE from the BPIC Network.

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Juliana Santos went on to give a fascinating talk at the end of the month, which explored the historical facts of black legacy in Brazil and her personal experiences as a mixed-race woman.

These activities were supported by a number of Black History Month local studio activities, training opportunities and a Safe Spaces anonymous online platform where we invited our employees to exchange experiences, learning and dialogue.

Our thought-provoking programme of events and initiatives provided an opportunity to explore a range of perspectives and ideas, which are contributing to the ongoing conversations that are shaping our commitment to provide a positive and nurturing environment, for both our employees and the users of the built environments we create.