Celebrating Black History Month in Europe with LinkedIn

Black History Month is a month-long annual celebration which provides opportunity to understand Black histories and spotlight Black achievements. It originated in North America, where it is celebrated during February. However, in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it is celebrated throughout the month of October.??

At LinkedIn, creating a workplace that fosters belonging is a central part of our culture and values. We take a stand to fight for equity in our communities and strive to ensure our teammates feel their authentic self is both welcomed and valued, and that their lived experiences are not only respected, but celebrated. This year's theme for Black History Month was Time for Change: Action Not Words.?

One way we foster inclusivity and belonging is to work alongside our Employee Resource Groups, otherwise known as our ERGs. This Black History Month, we worked with ?an existing ERGs, Embrace, and an ERG that is new to the region, ?Black Inclusion Group (BIG). ?

Embrace is our ERG focused on ‘’building a sense of belonging by embracing diversity in culture, ethnicity, and nationality at every level of our organization.’’ To celebrate the occasion, Embrace hosted an employee event, creating space for members of the team to connect to community and share ?personal stories around being a Black professional in the workplace and at LinkedIn.?

Embrace is our ERG focused on ‘’building a sense of belonging by embracing diversity in culture, ethnicity, and nationality at every level of our organization.’’ To celebrate the occasion, Embrace hosted an employee event, creating space for members of the team to connect to community and share personal stories around being a Black professional in the workplace and at LinkedIn.?

Please find some of their stories here:?

George | Camila | Richard | Arnold

Sephora | Emilie | Alex | Esther

You can also find a short video featuring the participant’s collective journeys here:??

As mentioned above, we welcomed BIG, or the Black Inclusion Group into EMEA during Black History Month. This ERG is focused on ‘“Connecting Black employees at LinkedIn and utilizing data, resources, and business alignment to close the opportunity gap for Black people in tech.’’

BIG started in North America and Latin America, and has finally made the journey to EMEA. The launch was officially marked on October 25th with a hybrid panel discussion taking place in our Dublin and London offices where participants took a deep-dive into our four focus areas : Careers, Commerce, Culture and Community. In-person attendees in Dublin also got to enjoy musical entertainment by Solid Rock Worship Team and a dance performance by our own employee Richard Broocks ! ?

This panel event was just the first in a series of events taking place to celebrate the launch of BIG in EMEA. There will be a number of other exciting and immersive events taking place in our Dublin, London, Graz and Paris offices over the coming weeks to celebrate what is sure to be a transformational resource for Black employees across the region in times to come. Stephanie Broocks , Talent Sourcing Partner and Regional Co-Lead for BIG summed up the ethos of the group as ‘“I’m rooting for everybody Black!’’. ?

Earlier in the month, LinkedIn partnered with the African Professional Network of Ireland to host the inaugural APNI Career Day. This was one of the first large-scale hybrid events to take place back in our EMEA & LATAM HQ in Dublin since the pandemic. We welcomed over 550 members of the Black professional community in Ireland to meet and engage with a variety of multi-national and tech employers. Attendees also had the chance to participate in fireside chats featuring APNI community and business leaders as well as some of Ireland's top executives. Attendees also got the opportunity to connect face to face with recruiters from some of Ireland’s top technology companies. Embracing our hybrid working environment , we also welcomed over 250 virtual attendees who joined us over the airwaves to learn more from the main stage and meet exhibitors in digital breakout rooms. ?

APNI is focused on ‘’building a community of diverse multi-disciplinary professionals who connect, empower each other and foster collaboration between professionals of African descent in Ireland,’’ ?so, it was an honour to partner with them on such an important and impactful event, especially during Black History Month.?

Thank you to all who shared on LinkedIn throughout Black History Month. We're grateful that you shared your collective experiences and incredible stories and look forward to connecting further!?

Learn more about LinkedIn’s ERGs and our Dublin office.?