Major law firm backs charity’s Black History Month lecture

woman at lectern
Miranda Brawn

A major international law firm based in Washington and London is teaming up with a local charity to create an online event for National Inclusion Week and to celebrate the first day of UK Black History Month.

The Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Foundation, founded by Lambeth Equality Commissioner Miranda Brawn, and International Law Firm Hogan Lovells will work together on ways to close the diversity gap in the workplace with a focus on inclusion and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Hogan Lovells will sponsor the fifth Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture on the evening of 1 October 2020.

It will be the charity’s first virtual event. Further details are available on the charity’s website.

It will be part of Hogan Lovell’s contribution to National Inclusion Week and celebrate the first day of UK Black History Month. 

National Inclusion Week, organised by Inclusive Employers, takes place from 28 September to 4 October.

The week is designed to celebrate everyday inclusion in all its forms – sharing, promoting and inspiring inclusion practices and culture.

The theme for this year’s week is Each One, Reach One. It is about individuals and organisations connecting with someone else, or another organisation, to help them understand the opportunity of inclusion and connect.

Dr Miranda Brawn, a former patron of Brixton’s Black Cultural Archives, said: “I am delighted that our founding supporter Hogan Lovells are sponsoring and hosting our fifth Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Annual Lecture.

“This year is extra special because we are five years old and this is in partnership with their National Inclusion Week event.

“The theme ‘Each One, Reach One’ is in line with my charity’s ethos: ‘Together we can change the world’ hence the perfect fit.

“This year, my diversity leadership lecture will be focused on inclusion and the Black Lives Matter movement, as this was one of the main reasons why my charity was launched in the first place.

“We are continuously looking for ways to continue and lead in an innovative way while partnering with other organisations and individuals to help make positive changes.”

The charity’s annual diversity leadership lecture events are inclusive of all diversity strands, inclduing gender, race, LGBTQ+, disability, religion, faith, social mobility, and more.

Multiple industries and sectors, such as finance, business, law, science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, politics, fashion, media, and entrepreneurship are covered.

The winners of the the charity’s annual diversity leadership scholarships will also be announced during the event.

Dr Brawn said the annual lecture is the perfect opportunity to:

  • Educate, empower and inspire its audience on education, career and diversity;
  • Celebrate the outstanding and inspiring achievements of our future diversity leaders; and
  • Raise the awareness of diversity and equality and the importance of action.

She said the lecture has an innovative concept, with a strong focus on intersectionality which appeals to its diverse audiences.

This consists of next-generation diversity leaders, their parents and current leaders in the workplace who wish to learn more about diversity and how they can make an impact by implementing our key tips in their schools, universities and workplaces.

The first Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership Lecture in October 2016 was the first of its kind – aimed at school students from a Black, Asian and minority ethnic background aged between 14 to 21 years old. It continues to be a key annual diversity event in the UK.

Earlier this year Hogan Lovells pledged to donate thousands of hours of work to the campaign to break down the deeply rooted, systemic barriers in society that profoundly impact people of colour.