Travers Smith LLP is proud to be marking Black History Month 2020 with a series of activities throughout the month to celebrate and promote the contribution of black communities.
This year, we will be marking this annual event with a series of activities including:
- Publishing a series of weekly podcasts where members of the firm's BAME group interview black leaders and influencers, including; Jacqueline Taiwo of TowerBrook, and Natalie Morris, a journalist at Metro newspaper.
- Premiering an exclusive video showcasing and celebrating black music and musicians. Performers include: Kora player Kadialy Kouyate, The Decus Quartet, who'll be performing music by modern and classical black composers, and an uplifting set by The PowerHouse Gospel Choir.
- Hosting a Black History Month-themed quiz.
- Running a virtual cooking session, a collaboration between the firm's in-house Kitchen team and members of its BAME Group, to explore the links between food, culture and identity.
Creating an inclusive workplace where people can be themselves and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background, is a key priority for Travers Smith. The firm has made some good progress on BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) inclusion over the past few years, but is acutely aware that these is much to do. This year, the Black Lives Matter movement brought the ongoing challenges that the BAME, but particularly black, community still faces to the fore. Since June, the firm has implemented a number of initiatives and sped up its actions in order to fully support those in the firm, and the wider society. These include:
- delivering the first part of its anti-racism and effective allyship training series for all staff and partners
- publishing its ethnicity pay gap report
- signing up to Rare Recruitment's Race Fairness Commitment
- signing up to the Law Firm Anti-Racism Alliance (LFAA) to promote racial equity in the law
- providing financial support, via the Travers Smith Foundation, to charities which support BAME, but particularly black, communities
- scaling up its ongoing support for and work with its diversity, CSR and pro bono partners - including Your Start-up, Your Story, Justice, and more - to help dismantle structural racism and to better support our BAME, particularly black, communities.
If you would like more information, please contact Mahesh Varia, Partner and Chair of the Travers Smith BAME Group, or Chris Edwards, CSR & Diversity Director.
