At Jackson Lees Group, we are committed to providing opportunities for continual growth, learning and development when it comes to inclusivity and diversity.
On 11th June, our Social and Diversity Collectives collaborated to host a ‘How to be an Ally’ talk in celebration of Pride Month. Dr Christopher Owen, Inclusivity Development Manager at Manchester Pride, came into our Liverpool office to deliver a talk all about allyship and intersectionality.
After seeing a talk from Dr Owen at an In Club LGBT+ networking event back in April where he spoke about achieving inclusion within the workplace, Abishna Arunprakash, Shea Carson and Lucia Powell of the Social and Diversity Collectives were inspired to invite him to speak to the Jackson Lees team.
The purpose of Dr Owen’s talk was to raise awareness and educate our team on how we can be better allies and work with LGBT+ individuals to achieve equality, particularly in the workplace.
They defined allyship, the role of shame, different approaches to intersectionality, how to combat systemic oppression and the importance of supporting the inclusion of all groups. We also learned about the lack of BAME individuals in leadership positions.
We took away lots of insightful tips and tricks about how to be an ally to LGBT+ communities, ensuring our allyship is intersectional and supports marginalised groups such as people from BAME backgrounds.
Abishna Arunprakash, one of the organisers of the event, said:
It was a pleasure to help organise and partake in this very informative session where we were able to take away how to become a better ally. I believe this is a step towards fostering a more inclusive working environment, especially for the LGBT+ community, which I am committed to supporting.”
Committing to ongoing learning is one of the many ways we at Jackson Lees ensure our workplace remains the diverse and inclusive environment that we are proud to be a part of, as we work hard to Make A Positive Difference to our colleagues, clients and community on a daily basis.