Race Equality Week is a yearly nationwide event that unites thousands of individuals and businesses alike, to address the issues concerning race equality in the workplace, and the theme of the event for 2023 is #ItsEveryonesBusiness because ”tackling race inequality is everyone’s business.” This year Race Equality Week takes place between the 6th-12th February, 2023.
The events of 2020, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minority communities, has heightened public consciousness of race inequality.
Race Equality Website.
Check out the success of last year’s event below and be part of this incredible event in 2023 by booking a Great British Speaker!
#ActionDrivesChange #ItsEveryonesBusiness
Each year, our Great British Speakers take part, by helping organisations across the UK to address serious workplace race and equality issues. Together they aim to drive meaningful action that makes an impact and drives more positive diverse workplaces.
If you’re running an event this Race Equality Week, then contact us at Great British Speakers to find your perfect Race Equality Speaker and start to take the steps you need to challenge racial workplace inequality.
To help you decide on the perfect speaker for your Race Equality Week event then below, we’ve listed just a few of our top-speaking team passionate about E,D & I in the workplace. Alternatively, view all of Equality and Diversity Speakers who we feel would be the perfect fit to discuss topics on inequality, culture, race and diversity at any Race Equality Event this February.
In 2019, Adah Paris was recognised as one of the UK’s Top 100 Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Leaders in Technology and was recognised as one of the TED Talks Global Emerging Innovators, nominated by Google.
As a tech futurist, cultural innovator, diversity and equality advocate and enabler of human blockchains if you’re looking for an equality speaker who specialises in STEM, Adah is a fantastic choice!
Alexandra Wilson is a young barrister, author and diversity campaigner based in London. She first came into the public eye when she was mistaken for a defendant three times on the same day in court, rather than a lawyer. She has since made it her mission to challenge discrimination in the courtroom. Today, Alexandra is the founder of Black Women In Law, an organisation with over 500 members.
She also co-founded One Case At A Time, an organisation that facilitates legal funding and representation in cases of injustice for Black people in the UK.
David Lammy is the Member of Parliament for Tottenham, one of London’s most diverse constituencies. He is of the leading agenda-setters in the fields of social activism, diversity and multi-culturalism, and he was a member of the previous Labour Government (2001-2010).
David’s current position as an active backbench MP has enabled him to engage in his passion for tackling the big issues facing society (on a macro and micro scale) and providing tangible solutions to bring about effective change, especially when it comes to issues of race and cultural equality.
Karen Blackett OBE is the UK Country Manager for WPP and Chairwoman of MediaCom UK & Ireland.
She is a renowned and proven business leader with a track record in creating vibrant cultures, energising teams and consistently delivering business growth and success.
Named by Vogue as one of the 25 Most Influential and Inspirational Women of 2018 and ranked top of the EMpower 100 Ethnic Minority Executive Leaders list, Karen was appointed the national Race Equality Business Champion by the UK Prime Minister in October 2018.
June Sarpong OBE; Director of Creative Diversity at the BBC, Presenter, Award-Winning Author.
In 2008 she hosted Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations in front of 30,000 people in London’s Hyde Park. June is also the author of two award-winning books; ‘Diversify – Six Degrees of Integration’ and The Power of Women. Diversify was launched across the USA and Canada earlier this year, where June toured over the summer of 2019.
Who better to discuss the troubles of racism than the daughter of Nelson Mandela. Dr. Mandela is an Equality Campaigner and a leader in the fight for women’s rights in South African.
Speaking in a recent (2021) Sky News interview, Dr. Mandela reflected on current-day racism and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, stating that her father would want people to put their “heads together and fight this surge of racism until it ends”.
Maki is the perfect, iconic speaker for Race Equality Week
Michael came to prominence in 2004 when he became Britain’s first black Chief Constable.
He served as Chief Constable of Kent Police from January 2004 until March 2010. As Chief Constable, Michael successfully led the Force response to the Calais migration crisis and to the Channel Tunnel fire.
He worked with European police forces to counter Islamist radicalisation and avert terrorist incidents. Michael was instrumental in setting up the Racial and Violent Crime Task Force and wrote the Met Police Action Plan in response to criticism arising from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry.
Singer-songwriter VV Brown is passionate about being a role model for young Black women, and the importance of diversity and inclusion in all industries. She has written a number of articles for The Guardian on race, including how the music industry appears to promote white female artists over black, how being black in the British countryside can make you feel like an outsider; how black models are replaced by their white counterparts, and why she’s tired of people being intimidated by her race. She is also passionate about helping women in general and has written about the fears she has that the music business exploits women.
Above are just a small example of the excellent talents we have to offer on the topic of Equality and Diversity, and they’re all just a click away HERE at Great British Speakers. But if you need any help in choosing your perfect speaker for Race Equality week or, indeed, any other event you have coming up this year, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with directors Jane Farnham and Steve Denison, who will guide you through the process and even provide you with a shortlist fit to your brief and budget.
Find more speakers for E, D & I events in our 2022 Black History Month blog below…