Celebrating Black History Month 2021
Last month was Black History Month, and to celebrate we shared resources and content on our social media platforms and among our staff.
Celebrating Black History Month is very important to many of us at the HCPC. As individuals, it gives us an opportunity to share and embrace our culture, educate and learn from one another. To many it is more than a month, it is a reality and a cherished experience that lives with many of us daily.
Our staff were able to take part in fun interactive activities via Microsoft Teams, such as Afrobeats workout classes, Soca fitness classes and live cooking classes. We also made sure colleagues were aware of the various events taking place in London to celebrate Black History Month, such as:
- The James Barnor Photography Exhibition
- Black Food Market Festival
- Black Eats London, a directory of Black-owned restaurants
- Black History Tube Map, which celebrated the rich and varied contribution Black people have made to London and the UK
On social media and internally we have shared inspirational quotes from key figures including:
- Michelle Obama – “History has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
- Marsha P Johnson – “You never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights.”
- Rosa Parks – “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”
- Audre Lorde – “There is no such thing as single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.”
Black History Month has ended - what’s next?
Black history doesn’t just happen in October, it goes beyond that. As an organisation we are all responsible to drive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all the protected characteristics.
EDI is a key priority in our organisation and we are committed to being a fair and inclusive regulator. Our EDI strategy sets out our long-term ambitions around EDI and details how we will not only meet our legal responsibilities, but how we will go beyond these, and be an active and strong advocate for the principles of fairness and equality.
We also recently welcomed our new Strategic Lead for EDI at the HCPC Adrian Barrowdale. Adrian will be taking the lead in making sure the HCPC is not only fair in the way that we regulate, but that we are using every opportunity to ensure that registrants are treated fairly in the workplace and in their training, and that our registrants are equipped to meet the diverse health needs of the 21st century UK population.
Adrian is really excited to join the HCPC at a time when so much change is underway, and will be working closely with departments across the whole organisation to ensure that we can meet our ambitions. In the coming months he will develop our EDI action plan, setting the practical steps every team will need to take to deliver on our promises. We are looking forward to working alongside Adrian going forward.
We can continue to learn more about Black culture and the lived experiences by speaking with your colleagues in the Black community. You can find a wealth of resources on Black history here.
We hope next year we can celebrate Black History Month in person and attend some events together.