Reflections on recent events

Since May, we have seen the growing protests and unrest across the US, demanding justice for George Floyd and other families who have been victims of acts of racism. Many solidarity protests have taken place all over the world, and the weekend’s protests in London and elsewhere highlight the fact that this is as relevant at home as it is in the US.

We shared this message with our colleagues internally last week and we would like to now share this with our wider community of clients, colleagues and friends.

This is a simple message. Having violence, loss and suffering disproportionately inflicted on certain members of our global community is something that concerns us all. We must each, individually and collectively, do all we can to support our BAME colleagues and others within our communities for whom racism remains an everyday reality. Our black community, in particular, need to know that we actively support them and others who are treated differently because of the colour of their skin. Each of us has a responsibility to call out racist behaviour when we see or hear it. But it goes beyond this. We should each play a part in improving lives and creating a society in which differences are cherished and celebrated and in which everyone – whatever their colour – can be proud of who they are.

This is, more than ever, a time for us all to stick together.

Steve Cooke, Senior Partner
Paul Stacey, Executive Partner
David Wittmann, Practice Partner
Nilufer von Bismarck, D&I Partner
Ewan Brown, D&I Partner
Andrew Jolly, DIVERSE Network Partner
Sarah Lee, DIVERSE Network Partner