United States
Australia
Posted on: 31/10/2024
At SmartestEnergy, we’re deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the workplace. As part of this commitment, we continually strive to empower our people to create an open, collaborative, and inclusive workplace, and Black History Month (BHM) has provided an invaluable opportunity to unite our team and elevate voices, enabling diverse perspectives to be heard, showcased and celebrated.
This October, in alignment with BHM’s theme of Reclaiming Narratives, we had the privilege of hosting Romain Muhammad, founder of Diversify World, for a compelling presentation on Black history and presence in the UK.
Through telling the inspirational stories of remarkable historical figures like Cattelena of Almondsbury—a single Black woman who thrived independently during Tudor times—and John Blanke, a Black musician in the Tudor court, Romain shared powerful insights into the lives of those who contributed to Britain's rich cultural history.
SmartestEnergy embraced this opportunity to collaborate with Diversify World as we recognise that listening intently and actively embracing opportunities to learn are key elements to being an active ally. When equipped with the knowledge, respect and curiosity towards our shared histories, truths, and lived experiences, we have the capacity to make the future a more inclusive and equitable place – a place where every individual has an equal opportunity to thrive.
Employee Reflections on the Event
We’ve received some thoughtful feedback from our talented and diverse team at SmartestEnergy, capturing the impact Reclaiming Narratives has had on our employees:
Jina Nakshbandi, Sales Operations & Customer Service Coordinator, SmartestEnergy Australia:
“Reclaiming narratives is about fighting misinformation, and rewriting history to fit a narrative more so than the truth. Without learning the facts and educating each other, we fall into a cultural regression.”
Kieran Williams, Sales Enablement Executive, SmartestEnergy Limited:
“The Redefining Narratives presentation gave the kind of information that I would have loved to have learnt at school. I went to both a state and private school and in all those years of education, I don’t think we learned about any people of colour as part of the curriculum. It would have been beneficial to learn about and celebrate people that I could relate to in some way.”
Sophie Robinson, HR Business Partner, SmartestEnergy Limited:
“There is a lot of evidence to counter what may be common beliefs regarding the histories of people of colour and their presence in the UK. We should start bringing that to the forefront of what a diverse historical Britain looks like and what that means when we challenge certain attitudes today.”
Looking Forward
Reclaiming and redefining narratives is not just for October. It’s a continuous journey toward making SmartestEnergy a place where diversity, equity, and inclusivity are not just values but are embedded in our actions and culture. We’re excited to continue our work with Romain and the Diversify World team as we move forward and continue to build an environment that welcomes every voice and honours every story.
