On the last day of Black History Month 2025 in the UK, we bring you our final episode of our Black British History Heroes series.
With the help of our Community members, we’ve been celebrating our heroes of Black British History throughout the month.
Watch the fifth in the series of conversations about Black History and our personal heroes as our CEO Liz Mayers talks to Dianne Greyson, Founder of the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign.
Dianne’s choice was a very personal one, and gave us great insight into who has given her the strength, determination and attitude to found the #EthnicityPayGap Campaign – fighting for pay equality for everyone.
We are nearing the end of Black History Month 2025 in the UK.
With the help of our Community members, we are celebrating our heroes of Black British History throughout the month.
Watch the fourth in the series of conversations about Black History and our personal heroes as our CEO Liz Mayers talks to E-J Williams, MCIPD, Managing Director of E-J HR Consulting.
E-J’s choice was an interesting one… And whilst, strictly speaking, it didn’t fit the brief, we can see why she wanted to bend the rules for this person – and just couldn’t say no! 😊
We are half way through Black History Month 2025 in the UK.
We are celebrating our heroes of Black British History throughout the month, with a series of conversations about Black British History and our personal heroes.
In this episode, our CEO Liz Mayers talks to one of our brilliant Accreditation Panel members Karla Inniss about her thoughts on BHM and some of her personal heroes (no, she couldn’t pick just one!) – so grab a ☕ and take a listen to the full conversation here👇 https://youtu.be/XOs3oj9-f6A
With the help of our Community members, we are celebrating our heroes of Black British History throughout the month.
Watch the second in the series of conversations about Black British History and our personal heroes as our CEO Liz Mayers talks to Grace Mosuro, Founder & Director of Aquaintz Consulting here 👇
Today marks the start of Black History Month 2025 in the UK.
In the current political climate, we feel it is more important than ever that workplaces take every opportunity to celebrate and learn more about the diverse people who work for them and are their customers.
To create an inclusive workplace and culture it is important that every person is valued and appreciated as themselves. Learning about different communities and their contributions, expanding our world-view is a good way to start appreciating and celebrating our differences and seeing our similarities.
With the help of our Community members, we are celebrating our heroes of Black British History this month.
Kimberlé Crenshaw, a Columbia University law professor, is recognised for first using the term Intersectionality, in 1989 in her paper, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex.
Intersectionality recognises that an individual’s identity is not a single story but a rich tapestry woven from various threads of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion & belief and other protected characteristics and social categorisations.
Each thread affects the way we experience and navigate the world.
For Equality, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives to be successful, it is essential they are approached intersectionally, taking into account the whole person at the same time.
Every year from July 18 to August 17, we celebrate South Asian Heritage Month—a time to honour the rich tapestry of cultures, histories, and contributions of people with roots in South Asia. This includes communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The theme for South Asian Heritage Month in 2025 is “Roots to Routes“. This theme explores the journeys that shape South Asian identities, focusing on how migration, heritage, and personal stories influence who we are today.
Award winning Journalist, Broadcaster and Author Babita Sharma is a Patron of the South Asian Heritage Trust. Her first book, The Corner Shop (followed her BBC documentary ‘Booze, Beans & Bhajis: The Story of the Corner Shop’), is a brilliant look at “Roots to Routes”, chronicling the human stories behind the British corner shop. It explores part of British Asian life that is often stereotyped but plays a crucial part in British life and communities.
Many South Asian communities have shaped the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the UK and beyond. From the arts and sciences to politics, cuisine, and activism, their influence is woven into everyday life.
This month is not just about celebration—it’s also about reflection, education, and empowerment. It’s a chance to:
Celebrate identity: Embrace the diversity within South Asian cultures, languages, and traditions.
Share stories: Honour the journeys of migration, resilience, and belonging.
Challenge stereotypes: Break down misconceptions and amplify underrepresented voices.
Build solidarity: Connect across communities and generations.
In the workplace, this month is also a great opportunity to celebrate colleagues of South Asian heritage, to learn about their culture and stories to increase understanding and create a better sense of inclusion and belonging.
Here are a few ways you can get involved this month:
Host or attend local events: From Lunch and Learns, Indian head massage workshops or yoga sessions, film screenings to panel discussions, there are many community-led events happening across the UK.
Explore the cuisine: Team lunches, trying different South Asian cuisines. Or why not try cooking a dish from a different South Asian country each week.
Read South Asian authors: Dive into works by writers like Arundhati Roy, Kamila Shamsie, Nikesh Shukla, Hira Ali, Moni Mohsin or Babita Sharma.
Educate yourself and others: Learn about the history of South Asian migration, colonialism, and the contributions of South Asians in the UK and in your community. The Migration Museum in London makes for a great day out!
South Asian Heritage Month is a celebration of identity, resilience, and joy. It’s a reminder that heritage is not just about the past—it’s about how we carry it forward, shape it, and share it with others.
Let’s use this month to listen, learn, and uplift. Because when we honour each other’s stories, we build a more inclusive and compassionate world and workplace.
Today marks the 77th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in Essex. Onboard were over 1,000 passengers, more than 800 of them from Caribbean nations such as Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados.
They were the first of tens of thousands of workers who came to Britain as citizens of the UK and Colonies, invited to help rebuild the country after World War II. This moment marked the beginning of what would become known as the Windrush Generation—a group whose legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of modern Britain and the families of EDI Accreditation founders too.
A Legacy of Contribution
The Windrush Generation played a pivotal role in shaping post-war Britain. They filled critical labour shortages, working in sectors such as:
Healthcare: Many became nurses and support staff in the newly formed NHS.
Transport: Others worked as bus drivers, conductors, and railway workers.
Construction and Industry: They helped build the infrastructure of a recovering nation.
Beyond their economic contributions, the Windrush Generation enriched British culture through music, food, literature, and activism.
Despite having been invited to the UK, promised opportunities for a better life, many people faced discrimination, hostility and hardship when they arrived.
The stories of our own families, arriving here as teenagers full of hope and optimism are hard to hear, but inspiring. Gruelling shift work, families living in one room, facing daily racism and abuse, it is a wonder they stayed at all. But we are so glad they did and are thankful for our rich history and fantastic families, because of their determination and sacrifice.
The Windrush Scandal: A Betrayal of Trust
Despite their contributions, many members of the Windrush Generation faced a devastating betrayal decades later. In 2018, it emerged that hundreds of long-term UK residents—many of whom had arrived as children—were wrongly detained, denied healthcare, employment, and housing, and even deported by the Home Office.
The Windrush Scandal was the result of the UK’s “hostile environment” immigration policies, which required individuals to prove their right to live in the UK. Many Windrush migrants, having arrived as British citizens, had never been issued formal documentation. The scandal prompted public outrage and led to the resignation of then-Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
An independent report by Wendy Williams in March 2020 described the scandal as “foreseeable and avoidable,” highlighting systemic failures and institutional racism.
In 2024 a review, also conducted by Williams, released after legal pressure, concluded that over 30 years of racist immigration legislation directly contributed to the Windrush Scandal.
The report found that:
Immigration laws were deliberately designed to exclude people of colour, particularly those from the Caribbean and other former colonies.
These policies were not race-neutral; they were shaped by a post-imperial mindset that sought to limit non-white immigration while maintaining economic benefits from former colonies.
Despite a formal apology from the UK Government and the creation of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, many affected people are still awaiting full compensation and justice. With Professor Patrick Vernon OBE FrHistS, who campaigned for the national day of recognition calling for a public inquiry into the Windrush Scandal.
Commemoration and Moving Forward
In response to the scandal, the UK government established Windrush Day to honour the Windrush Generation and their descendants. Initiatives like the Windrush Day Grant Scheme and the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station in 2022 aim to preserve their legacy and educate future generations, but whilst so many are still fighting for justice, this feels performative and tokenistic.
So, as we commemorate the 77th anniversary, and give thanks for our families sacrifices and strength, it is not only a time to celebrate the Windrush Generation’s contributions, but a time to remind people of the ongoing fight for racial justice for the Windrush Generation and their descendants. You can support the fight here: https://justice4windrush.org/
Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. The day celebrates the joy and resilience of trans and non-binary people, while also combating disinformation, discrimination, and hate.
The day was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall, who wanted a day to celebrate the lives of transgender people while acknowledging the challenges they face.
Today, 15 years later, Transgender Day of Visibility is more needed that ever. With governments in the UK and USA targeting trans people, attempting to remove their rights, making their paths to gender affirming healthcare more difficult than ever and transphobic hate crimes increasing, there has never been a scarier time to be a trans person.
The USA has been grabbing headlines since Trump’s inauguration. With his immediate and extreme Executive Orders aligning with Project 2025 removing Trans rights, before moving on to women and everyone else. People have been likening the dystopian reality unfolding in the US to the book and television series The Handmaid’s Tale. If you want to know more about what is happening in America, Erin Reed is a great LGBTQ+ journalist who gives regular and insightful updates about anti-Trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation there.
Whilst, for some, it might feel like a more subtle attack in the UK, the Labour Party has been a huge disappointment to the LGBTQ+ communities since coming to power. With ongoing debates about gender recognition, gender affirming health care, single-sex services, and the impact of the Cass Review on youth gender services, and the government taking steps to clarify legal gender definitions – Trans rights are definitely under attack. The Labour government backtracked in February on promised reforms to make it easier for people to legally change gender.
Wes Streeting, Health Secretary claims to be “led by the evidence” but consistently relies on so called “independent evidence” which, at best leaves Trans voices out and at worst, is deliberately anti-trans. The Sullivan Review (commissioned by the Conservatives but being accepted by Labour) to review how data and statistics record gender identity and “biological sex” is yet another example. The review was led by sociology professor Alice Sullivan. However, Sullivan has ties to anti-trans groups such as Sex Matters. Her association with gender-critical groups should have been seen to compromise her position as an independent reviewer and was a “clear sign of bias” but is something the Health Secretary appears willing to overlook.
Aside from the government’s failing to understand, listen to or represent Trans and Non-binary voices, the media constantly echoes and amplifies anti-trans sentiments, spreading misinformation and stirring up hatred.
What is clear to us through our work, is those with strong anti-trans opinions, have rarely met or know any trans people. Their views have been entirely shaped by scare-mongering headlines.
That is why on this day of Trans Visibility we want others to actually see and hear about Trans people from Trans people. Get to know the human beings who are debated and vilified by a government and media who doesn’t know them.
Our Trans Inclusion Charity Partners Global Butterflies provide Trans and Non-binary Inclusion training, workshops and consultancy to help organisations become more inclusive. Their Global Butterflies Fund was established to support organisations working to advance human rights and protections for trans and non-binary communities in the UK and worldwide raising £33,000 in 2024.
Their founders Rachel Reese and Emma Cusdin said “Transgender Day of Visibility is a day where we celebrate the positivity, strength and resilience of transgender people worldwide. It’s a day where we come collectively together, in the face of growing discrimination towards our community, and stand tall, proud and unbowed. We need all our allies, on every day but especially this day to be loud and active.”
So, in these worrying time for Trans & Non-binary people what can you do to show your support and be a better ally?
In the workplace:
Ensure you have a zero-tolerance approach to transphobia and misgendering
Have positive policies affirming your commitment to equality and respect in the workplace
Ensure Leadership teams and hiring managers have been trained on Inclusive Leadership and hiring practices
Train employees on inclusion topics, including Trans & Non-binary inclusion regularly
Encourage participation in Employee Resource or Special Interest Groups for shared support and learning
Create a safe and inclusive culture where all your people have a sense of belonging and can show up as their authentic selves
Personally:
Learn – educate yourself. Seek out podcasts, books and blogs (start with the ones listed above) that will increase your understanding and help you see the human stories behind the headlines
Always make the effort to use people’s preferred pronouns – if you accidentally mess up, apologise and do better in future
If you hear someone being deliberately or repeatedly misgendered, speak up and correct the mistake
Call out transphobia wherever and whenever you see it
Be an ally to anyone who you see experiencing transphobia
If you care about equality, diversity and inclusion in your workplace, check, do you have a Trans & Non-binary inclusion policy or plan? Do you have Trans or Non-binary staff or customers who you think you could support better?
An International Day of Remembrance is not enough. Most “Days of Remembrance” are not enough to truly honour the victims of whatever atrocity took place, be it a murder, a massacre or a war.
For the estimated 15 million victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which lasted almost 400 years, it is definitely not enough.
Some would argue that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was abolished so long ago the victims are no longer alive, so is it still relevant? While it’s difficult to definitively pinpoint the single “last” enslaved person’s death, Hannah Durkin, at Newcastle University, identified an enslaved woman, captured in Africa in the 19th Century and brought to United States called Matilda McCrear who is thought to be one of the last. Matilda died in Selma, Alabama, in January 1940, at the age 83. Daniel Smith, who was believed to be one of the last children of an enslaved person, died on October 19, 2022, at the age of 90. Which brings the distant past frighteningly close.
Even for distant descendants of enslaved people, the implications are still felt today. Our founders’ families are of West Indian descent. The Mayers name undoubtedly linked to John Pollard Mayers, Joseph Mayers or Joshua Mayers Gittens. All registered owners of enslaved people in Barbados. The Pearson name also has ties to the Slave Trade in Jamaica. Surnames giving clues to their ancestral families histories. Family trees that come to an abrupt halt, with DNA tests now the only way to trace their true origins.
There have been many campaigns for reparatory justice in the form of economic and social compensation the over the years. Reparations is a complex and contentious subject. How do you begin to value the lives taken, the trauma and suffering caused and the lasting economic damage? And who is going to foot the bill?
Many countries have issued “statements of regret” instead of apologies, resistant to the idea of accepting responsibility and weakening their stance on owing reparations. In September 2015 the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on an official visit, told the Jamaican Parliament that “the Black people should cease looking back to slavery days and focus on the future.” As a descendant beneficiary of a fortune made by his enslaver ancestors in Jamaica, the Prime Minister’s statement was particularly insulting and misplaced.
Worse than the refusal to consider reparations or even provide an apology, is that in 1835 after slavery was abolished, British slave owners were compensated for their “loss of property”. A staggering figure (for 1835) of £20million was paid to slave owners. A debt which according to the Tax Justice Network, British taxpayers finally finished paying off in 2015, the same year as Cameron’s visit to Jamaica.
Let that sink in for a moment… every taxpayer in the UK up until 2015 was paying the bill for compensating slave owners. Meaning every Black working person in Britain between 1835 and 2015 was compensating the families that had potentially enslaved their ancestors.
When the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade is taught in schools, we hear the names of compassionate abolitionists who campaigned for (and eventually achieved) the abolition of slavery on the grounds of social justice and humanity. However, we are not taught about the revolutions of enslaved people taking place in Haiti led by Toussaint Louverture, or Jamaica by key figures such as Samuel Sharpe and Nanny of the Maroons, or across the colonies. Without these uprisings, and a decline in the economic importance of slavery due to the industrial revolution, it is questionable whether the abolition movements would’ve achieved success.
The famous billboard slogan “We did not come to Britain. Britain came to us.” makes an important distinction for those people who are anti-immigration, anti-refugee, (or just plain racist). It is because of Britain’s history, its colonial past and participation in the Transatlantic Slave Trade that we have a wonderful multicultural society today. For a fascinating whistle-stop history lesson on Black History, Colonialism and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, that you didn’t get at school, we highly recommend checking out Akala’s address at the Oxford Union.
We believe understanding Britain’s true history, not the “white-washed” version taught in schools throughout the Commonwealth, plays a really important role in improving ethnic pride, integration and acceptance. For us, more than a day of remembrance, that acceptance would really honour the victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
EDI News 