Reclaiming narratives for Black History Month

This year the Black History Month theme was ‘Reclaiming narratives’. Inviting us to re-examine the contributions of Black People to British society, and how we have come to understand these stories.

As creatives and storytellers across time, marketing agencies have had a lot of power in shaping these narratives that are told subtly through all kinds of communications. So it’s been an interesting opportunity to have a closer look at how we have been, and still are part of telling these stories.

This month we hosted a potluck lunch, inspired by the cookbook Black Food: Stories, Art, and More than 75 Recipes from Across the African Diaspora, by Bryant Terry. Chefs (staff) from Teamspirit and Harvard selected recipes to cook, bring and share. People brought in a lovely selection of spicy, flavourful and diverse dishes like okra curry, puff-puffs and patties. And to top the event off we found a long table set up in the room that brought us all together to enjoy a big communal lunch which was perfectly in the spirit of the pot-luck.

We also invited everyone to attend the Black History Month special of Out-Spoken, a night of intersectional poetry and music. With poetry from Jay Bernard, Danez Smith and Linton Kwesi Johnson, and music from Joshua Idehen. The night was both moving and funky as these creatives invited the audience into their experiences. Both Jay and Danez spoke, through poetry, about their relationships with friends and family and despite what many see on the outside the diverse and diverging views of the world, inside their black communities.

In attending both of these events, it really showcased the power of tapping into collective experiences, and the opportunity for learning and educating together. But also highlighted the nuance and curiosity we must approach understanding our audiences with, to continue to deliver and show up in the right ways as individuals and an agency. Be it taking more time to talk to customers and reflect their experiences, or following a traditional recipe to the letter, to nail the perfect gumbo.