Skip to content

Exploring the Importance of Black History Month

At the start of Black History Month, we sat down with some of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Forum members to hear their perspective on why the month is important and what allyship, raising awareness and celebrating people of different backgrounds means to so many.

Why Is Black History Month So Important? 

Kass: We do not celebrate Black History Month where I am from, so it is refreshing to come to the UK and experience BHM and to be a proud ally. It brings to light that there are more cultures and traditions worth learning and celebrating, which I think is important for any team member to experience. 

Imaad: I have experienced and been exposed to diverse cultures from school. BHM was an important thing in school as there was a wide mix of ethnicities in Luton. It was just a big thing and well celebrated. It depends on the area you grew up in. If you grew up in a large multicultural urban area you are more likely to have been made aware of other cultures than if you grew up in a rural area which did not have as much diversity.  

Jordan: My first experience of BHM was in school. It was important for me to know that there are other ethnicities that are also Black. Being Caribbean and learning that there were other Black cultures to celebrate, together with coming from urban London, allowed me to get to know more multi-ethnic people and celebrate their traditions. It is important as it enables us to have conversations with other people and learn.  

What Are We Doing To Promote Allyship? 

Kass: Diverse hiring. Especially with sponsorship of visas which provides opportunity for people from around the world to join our team. This allows us to integrate with others from different backgrounds and with learning and education, we become allies and support our team members. It is also important to call out behaviours that do not align with our company values, and to be a voice for those who feel like they do not have one.  

Sophie: We are working on having allies of all ages. We also need to continue working closely with the overall F1 group to promote allyship and ensure inclusion is across Formula 1. We must work together to ensure F1 as a collective supports EDI.  

Jordan: Allyship is important, and it comes in little actions such as participating in events like campaigns and being a part of the change. It shows that you are playing a part and highlights how important it is to be part of the cause. Being involved in a diverse workplace makes everyone feel accepted by participation.  

Imaad: It is important to celebrate the accomplishments of Black people throughout the past and present because sadly it does not happen throughout the year. We try and get as many people as possible in the team involved. It is not just a tick box exercise.

Sylvia: Videos that the EDI Forum shared with the wider business highlight what is “okay” and “not okay.” These contributed to allyship and helped others see a different viewpoint. Do not be afraid to call things out if you see something that is not right, because allyship is about speaking out and supporting your teammates.

What Is the Team Doing Well? 

Jordan: Having a forum is important. But also, the team social media accounts are some of the biggest in sport– with followers from all different cultures from around the world. Putting that message out there to all those followers through our social media presence can also have a significant impact.  

Biiftuu: The Accelerate 25 initiatives and the STEM outreach work we do with external organisation all serve to highlight previous projects we have done for outreach, and to encourage and celebrate diversity at the factory here in Brackley.  

Kass: We are doing well with our programmes in schools to get young students involved in STEM, but we need to continue pushing on being a diverse workforce in areas such as universities and visa sponsorship and encourage people into our outreach programmes like Stemettes and the Mulberry Trust. A diverse workforce allows much more input, and different ideas than one single idea or culture. 

Find Out More About Our Social Initiatives

How Could the Team Do Better? 

Sophie: Continuing to grow and ensure our events are not just one-offs. We need to keep pushing and make an impact to society and continue our relationships with our communities. For example, panel discussions should not just end at the discussion. Once the seeds have been planted, we need to make sure these thoughts and ideas continue to grow from those involved.  

Jordan: It is about appreciating that these things take time. Opportunities to increase the diversity of the team should not just apply to the business support areas, but also in the engineering departments. If we want to improve the diversity at director level, we will need to bring these team members up, and that will take time. 

Give experiences and funding to young children with RC cars rather than karting as this would be a cheaper way to give many people more experience of motorsport and engineering at a younger age. This could increase their chance of coming through to work at the company in the future.  

Imaad: I began mentoring a few students from September who are aspiring to work in Formula One outside of work. It would be great if there was a chance to implement these alongside great initiatives such as Mulberry, the Sutton Trust and the Team, rather than doing it independently. 

What Does Black History Month Mean to You? 

Kass: Black History is something that I have learned a lot about whilst living here in the UK and I am glad I was exposed to it in everyday life and not just the month itself. Understanding what Black people have overcome and their achievements they contributed to the world is just so motivational. We have so many important figure heads that people can look up to, to help aid their feeling of acceptance and belonging in a country or in a workplace that celebrates this.  

Biiftuu: BHM is not new to me. We celebrated every year at school growing up in London. For me, it was an opportunity to learn more about Black (and Black British) history and culture. However, since leaving school I sensed a gap, so I am glad that through work I can go back to celebrating it! 

Imaad: Celebrating Black people and all they have accomplished and highlighting the challenges they have gone through in the past as well as the present is so important to me. Understanding their perspectives and the daily challenges they go through, some of which others may not be aware of. 

Jordan: BHM is time to celebrate, understand and learn about different ethnic groups and how they have shaped the history of the world, whilst also appreciating their accomplishments and traditions. 

Sylvia: It is about celebrating those who proceeded us and the challenges they had to overcome for us today. It is a time to reflect on the past, the present and most importantly the future. It is about making sure this will bring great opportunities for the next generation. 

Black History Month is observed in October in the UK. This event celebrates the contributions of Black people to British society. It also recognizes their importance. The event aims to increase understanding of Black history and its roots can be traced back to the 1920s in the United States.

Find out more about Black History Month