The month of October is Black History Month in the UK, and October 1st is also the birthday of Mary Prince.

1. “I HAVE BEEN A SLAVE MYSELF – I KNOW WHAT SLAVES FEEL - I CAN
TELL BY MYSELF WHAT OTHER SLAVES FEEL - THE MAN THAT SAYS
SLAVES BE QUITE HAPPY IN SLAVERY – THAT THEY DON’T WANT TO
BE FREE – THAT MAN IS EITHER IGNORANT OR LYING IN PERSON. I
NEVER HEARD A SLAVE SAY SO”
Black History Month UK
by Heeral Gudka , Inclusion & Diversity Partner, bonafide hr
The month of October is Black History Month in the UK, and October 1st
is also the
birthday of Mary Prince.
Mary was born in Bermuda to an enslaved family of African descent, was a British
abolitionist and autobiographer. When she was living in London, England, she wrote
her slave narrative The History of Mary Prince (1831), which was the first account of
the life of a black woman to be published in the United Kingdom.
On October 1st
she was celebrated in the Google Doodle.
There is much about the history of the transatlantic slave trade which we are simply
not taught. It's often thought of as an "American issue". We ought not forget that it
was a 3-way trade, controlled from the British Isles, the very place in which I live and
am a citizen of.
We owe it to ourselves to learn about slavery and understand the context of a lot of
the conversations which happen to this day. Sources: -
- Black and British, A Forgotten History (David Olusoga)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Prince
HR WATCH
“STAKEHOLDERS … WERE “HAMSTRUNG BY THE DISCOM FORT OF DISCUSSING
RACE IN THE WORKPLACE, FEARING OFFENCE.”
It’s challenging to have conversations about race in the workplace.
Firstly, there is so much history (and its impact) which remains untaught. Secondly, racial and anti-
immigrant tensions the world over are bubbling over in a way that hasn’t been seen for some
time. So, it’s not surprising that we avoid conversations which make us uncomfortable.
And yet to create truly inclusive environments where diversity can thrive, not just survive, these
conversations are essential.
At bonafide hr we understand the challenges and we’re here to help our clients. Contact us for a
chat to learn how we can help.
 LEARN ABOUT OUR
PARTNERSHIP WITH
EAP PROVIDER HEALTH
ASSURED
 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF
OLDER PERSONS. GLOBAL
EXECUTIVE TURNED MATH’S
TEACHER, READ THE TIM
GRISWOLD STORY
ShaheenKadri,
Co-Founder & HR
Director, bonafide hr
bonafide hrfocus
Learn more about Mary Prince

2. bonafide hr are a London based boutique human resource solutions company supporting the creative industry. We
provide a tailored end-to-end, affordable HR service providing operational hr support, hr consultancy, coaching,
Wellness and Inclusion & diversity.
To Learn more about how we can help you build programmes and initiatives that drive Inclusion and diversity
contact us for an informal chat.
To learn more contact us today at hello@bonafidehr.co.uk
www.bonafidehr.co.uk
WE WEAR OUR
ECONOM IC OPPRESSION
ON OUR HEAD
- AL SHARPTON
Natural Hair
Long before the impact of slavery, tribes all over Africa used differing hairstyles to indicate
social status, their tribe of origin and family background.1
Slave-owners forcibly removed the hair off their “property” and mixed up groups of slaves,
stripping them of their tribal identity and ability to communicate with each other as they spoke
different languages. Traditions and bonds were broken.
After the abolition of slavery there still was not equality. Black people in the UK (and USA) had to straighten their hair,
using very damaging, scalp-burning products, in an attempt to fit-in and be accepted. And equal rights legislation has
not magically changed deeply ingrained attitudes towards race, let alone hair.
In the last 3 years alone there have been stories of young black girls in South Africa being punished for wearing their hair
as it naturally grows from their heads2
. Instead, they’ve been told they have to straighten it. Young black boys in the USA3
and UK4
have been turned away on their first day of school for having dreadlocks. Young black British graduates have
been denied jobs because they wear their hair in braids5
.
Why am I talking about this? It’s because attitudes linger.
Recently I was having an incredibly self-indulgent moment complaining about my hair and how it can get unruly in humid
weather. And the woman I was with said “Your hair is lovely; do you know how many black women would love to have
hair like yours?” I was and still am so uncomfortable with this statement. Why single out black women? Why make that
comment at all when the commenter is not black, nor even a POC? If a woman has great hair, wouldn’t she think all
women would want it? And why did she assume a vast number of black women, and only black women, would want hair
like anyone’s other than their own? It suggests a bias against the natural hair of black people. Which is to stereotype
anyway, as black people have so many different textures of hair.
This can be a difficult subject to understand if you’ve never experienced discrimination and lost opportunities just for the
way your hair naturally grows. I encourage you to follow the links below and learn more. Be part of the change.
Sources and additional information:
1- https://abagond.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/black-womens-hair-a-brief-history-1400-1900/
2- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/31/south-african-students-speak-out-ban-afro-hair-pretoria-school
3- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2018/08/15/a-little-boy-with-dreadlocks-enrolled-at-a-fundamentalist-christian-school-it-didnt-go-well
4- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/09/12/schools-may-no-longer-ban-pupils-having-dreadlocks-rastafarian/
5- https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/bournemouth-university-graduate-lara-odoffin-discriminated-against-after-recruiter-revokes-job-offer-a6751231.html
6- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-31438273
7- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/my_hair_is_a_symbol_of_pride
8- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Reni Eddo-Lodge, 2017)
9- You Can’t Touch My Hair (Phoebe Robinson, 2016)
1 Fore street
Moorgate
LONDON
EC2Y 9DT
A very brief history of how black people’s hair has been politicised, rejected and used against them.
A high touch approach
by Heeral Gudka ,
Inclusion & Diversity Partner,
bonafide hr
“I ammore thanmy hair – pleasesee pastit!”
Fay Ross,AdvisoryBoardMember,bonafide hr