Tobias Azizah’s Post

We invited Joseph Cephas from Novità Communications to shared some thoughts and his own experience as a Black leader in the Design industry. ⚪ How do you see the influence of Black creatives in shaping the future of the built environment? The influence of Black creatives is omnipresent. There are so many direct lines from our ancestors to how spaces are created today. Whether it is through cultural influences or direct building, the impact of Black people on the built environment is going to continue to grow moving into the future. It is our responsibility to ensure that the Black leaders that are building our future are recognized for their contributions and not overlooked like they’ve been in the past. ⚪ What is an urgent change in the architecture and design professions that would benefit Black creatives? More opportunities. During Black History Month there is often a common theme of those we recognize - they are pioneers. This extends beyond getting more Black people into the architecture and design field, it includes Black people advancing to leadership positions within a firm. Black people often have to blaze their own trail through treacherous terrain. I’m looking forward to the day when Black creatives don’t have to carry the burden of being a pioneer and can just focus on perfecting their craft.

Keep these in mind when this month ends. As Black History Month is coming to a close, here are 3 ways to continue making an impact throughout the year. → Economic Involvement Buy from major retailers that continue to support Black owned businesses. Intentionally search for and choose Black owned brands. → Career Involvement Encourage your company to initiate a more inclusive workplace. Support those who are interested in your industry by providing mentorship. → Community Involvement Support local Black owned businesses. Join councils and organizations that support local Black communities. What other ways would you add? Share with your network♻️

🌟 Celebrating Black History Month! 🌟 At CE International, we honor the legacy and contributions of Black individuals worldwide - in the past, present, and future. This #BlackHistoryMonth, we're reminded of the profound and important impact Black leaders, thinkers, and educators have had and continue to have on shaping the world, especially in the area of #education. The work of earlier Black trailblazers such as Mary McLeod Bethune and Fanny Jackson Coppin created educational opportunities for Black children in the U.S. Later, brave Black children such as Ruby Bridges walked into newly desegregated schools to pursue the education they deserved. Worldwide, countless Black leaders have worked to build quality educational opportunities for children and youth in their communities, and today, Black education leaders globally advocate, teach, and innovate to build better #education systems, resources, and opportunities for all. As we commemorate Black History Month, we celebrate these achievements and recommit ourselves to creating inclusive educational environments worldwide so that all children can thrive. Image description: A blue circle with white text that says "Black History Month" and an icon of two hands holding up a person reading a book. Around the circle are decorative orange and yellow dots and color splashes of orange, yellow, and green.

🌟 Celebrating Black Excellence! 🌟 Get to know Wesley Hall, Solutions Engineer at Merkle, in this special #BlackHistoryMonth feature as he shares his story, insights, and aspirations:

Should we care about Black History Month? Understanding and appreciating the history and culture of different communities creates allyship. This allyship creates a culture of people who consciously and actively value others. We all want to be valued, especially in the organisations that we work in. We also recognise that many organisations either start focusing on Black History Month too late or avoid, overlook, or forget to celebrate it due to a lack of awareness, competing priorities, limited resources, lack of diverse leadership, or cultural inertia. To help organisations address this we have created our Black History edition of Equally Yours, our innovative learning experience that combines playfulness and conversation, inclusive for all people. The session will educate staff about the history, struggles, and contributions of Black individuals and pioneers which in turn will enhance cultural awareness and sensitivity. It will increase cultural competence throughout your organisation, most importantly, it will provide a sense of belonging as all your colleagues will feel valued and included. If this has sparked your interest then please join our free demo on 18th September. You can sign up here 👇🏿 https://zurl.co/OvDu

Black History Month is almost over...so have you thought about what you're going to do to maintain the momentum? Or is it just a topic to be left on the back burner for another 12 months? Check out the link in the comments to read my Q&A with Flexa and see some of my thoughts on how companies can continue to empower their Black talent throughout the year and throughout their careers! #BlackHistoryMonth #Flexa #KeepTheMomentum

"Remember, Black History is not a month. Black History spans several lifetimes of generations." -Mynesha Spencer As February comes to a close, our CEO implores all to practice economic inclusion throughout the remainder of the year. This can be achieved by employing any one or a combination of the below recommendations: 1. Take time to build strong relationships with Black-business owners and leaders. 2. Implement a strategic diverse supplier procurement program and require all departments within your workplace to yield to it. 3. Hire a supplier diversity expert for expert and technical instruction. 4. Acknowledge the disparities in supplier procurement that exist within your organization and commit to doing better by holding the organization accountable. Research Black businesses that offer services or goods you want or need to purchase before spending elsewhere. 5. Write, share, or post reviews of Black-owned business experiences. 6. Support business colleges, particularly at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through donations, volunteerism, and stewardship of Black entrepreneurship. 7. Provide opportunities for accessibility to professional, political, and other influential networks. 8. Refer a friend, colleague, or business partner to utilize the goods and/or services provided by Black-business owners who have satisfied your needs or exceeded your expectations. 9. Endorse a Black business and/or business owner on LinkedIn by way of a formal endorsement. 10. Offer Black CEOs and Black Executive Directors networks of support by sharing contacts and support for social capital. ALT TEXT: A color image of a professional headshot of a woman in collar shirt with logo upon left chest. Her arms crossed.

I was the first Black Head of Beauty Buying for a luxury retailer in the UK. Realistically, it will be a far bigger territory than just the UK. Being the “first” is something we’re encouraged to be proud of, and I am. But it’s also deeply disappointing that it took until 2022 for a Black person to have my position. In over 99% of my meetings with brand partners, I was the only person of colour in the room. With 170+ partners and an average of 4-5 brand representatives present in each meeting, I’ll let you do the maths. In several bi-annual strategy meetings with global brands I’d be shown products and campaigns that were “universally flattering” but categorically wouldn’t work on my hair texture or complexion, let alone someone with a deeper skin tone. As you can imagine, I would always challenge and push back. The noise around diversity, inclusion and allyship seems to have gone silent but the economic and social repercussions are growing deafeningly louder. Having an internal Black History Month party and a social media post means nothing if there are no tangible plans to foster or promote the existing Black workforce. In a talent pool that is already smaller, that talent can’t just be embraced, it has to be nurtured. So yes, here's to more "firsts" but true progress will look like Black leadership being the norm rather than a rarity.

Here’s what UK Black History Month has taught me: Black History Month is a time to honor and celebrate black lives, talent, and excellence that shapes our communities, society and our world. I’ve quietly sat back this month, to see how many people put a spotlight on it 👀 From the content creators, to culture teams, the DEI experts and the proud business owners. And as someone who scrolls LinkedIn for hours everyday, proportionally speaking, it’s been poor. I’m no expert but as a human with eyes and a brain, I can see that black communities still face deep-rooted systemic challenges. Black people are still fighting for their rights to recognition, equity and justice. So you can tell yourself, that strides have been made and “but my best friend is black”. But it’s clear as crystal, that there’s a lot of work still to be done, on and off this platform. ✨✨✨ Follow me (Taq) and ring my ding dong 🔔 for more unsolicited recruitment advice on how to improve your hiring process, random stories and attention-seeking selfies.