Black History Month 2020

In response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May this year, we asked our members and students the question above. We were inundated with replies, and in response are taking the following actions:

• Running Qualifying Sessions for students with a specific focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Offering Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Training to all volunteers
• Creating specific events for BAME members and students to share their experiences, for example our In Focus event in November
• Undertaking a comprehensive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion consultation, allowing members to share their experiences and informing our future activities

For Black History Month this year, we will be running a social media campaign to highlight black members of the Inn, past and present, who have shaped our justice system and blazed a trail for barristers of the future. Our Library are running a social media campaign to highlight the appalling incidence of deaths in custody of black people in this country.

The Inn takes great pride in our diverse membership, and works hard to foster a culture of inclusion and equity. Black History Month is a time for us to come together, across the global community of the Inner Temple, to treat racial inequality as a shared responsibility and to celebrate the achievements and contributions of black members of the Inn to our community and to wider society.

If you have any thoughts, comments or views, please contact us at views@innertemple.org.uk. You can follow us and our Library on Twitter to see our Black History Month campaigns.