3 affirming notions from our BHM Drink Up

So we’re officially 7 days in to UK Black History Month and, despite the expected corporate missteps, we’re still buzzing from our first Drink Up Link Up event.

Held on 30 September, our pre-BHM virtual party was pure #BlackCommsMagic – a gathering of people from across the UK and a range of industries and disciplines united by our love for PR and comms and our community.

From the opening Clap-For-Yourself to our collective analysis of Royal Mail’s letterbox fail (#WhyBlackMail) and the Black in Comms experience – the event was a great success. We seriously can’t wait to launch our membership in November and make this community official! 

Feeling like you missed out? Don’t worry, we got you! 

Here are 3 affirming things we took from the Drink Up that have stuck with us all week.

1) Blackness isn’t a monolith – while we are strongly connected by culture (yay) and the consequences of systemic racism (boo), we each bring something unique to the table which keeps things interesting and us learning!

2) The power of the tongue is real – there’s something quite magical about watching a group of people verbally uplift someone who had shared a negative experience. For attendees on the receiving end of these positive affirmations, the transformation was instant. They looked, talked and sat differently. The tongue truly is mightier than the sword.

3) Casual networking is invaluable – before COVID-19 hit, valuable network development was heavily associated with attending formal talks or conferences (often in the City of London) or after-work drinks with your seniors. But here we could converse about a range of topics and make meaningful connections without an agenda, hierarchy or last-dash for the train. 

Big thanks to everyone who attended – we’re so glad we got to share this special moment with you. 

If you’d like to learn more about the UK Black Comms Network, including our membership and research launch in November, opt in to our mailing list. No spam, just vibes!