International conference on anti-racism to focus on courageous leadership across sectors

Leaders and professionals across sectors will come together at five venues in the UK and online on 21 March 2024 for a ground-breaking international conference on anti-racism.

Organised by the influential Black Leadership Group, Tracks, Trails and Threads: Courageous Leadership in a Fractured World will be a unique, high-profile hybrid event held on the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Sponsored by Google for Education, participants will join virtually and at venues in London, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast to discuss and shape actions for achieving an anti-racist society and ethnic equity for all. 

Through a thought-provoking blend of tracks, trails and threads, keynotes, provocations, roundtable conversations, case studies, collaborative research and calls to action, the conference will: 

• Explore the role and imperative of courageous leadership in the fight for an anti-racist world
• Showcase the trailblazers that are challenging the status quo, by pushing boundaries with initiatives on anti-racism that are making a difference
• Learn how system leaders are proactively applying the Black Leadership Group’s own 10-point plan to embed an anti-racist culture
• Discover how educational leaders are invested in co-creation using the anti-racist principles and tools developed to galvanise the energy and talent of teachers, students, and communities
• Provide opportunities to consider the applicability of the anti-racist lens within different global contexts
• Examine the role of artificial intelligence applications in profiling bias and racial prejudice in recruitment, promotion and training

The conference is aimed at ‘leaders and practitioners from all levels and backgrounds who share a desire to heal division, eliminate racism and advance anti-racism to create and sustain a more equitable society’, says the Black Leadership Group. It is anticipated that the event will draw individuals and organisations in public and private, civil society, specialist sectors such as education, health and creative, human resource professionals, researchers, decision-makers, influencers and thought leaders.

Black Leadership Group Director and Co-Founder Stella Mbubaegbu CBE said:

“We live in a fractured world with racism infesting institutional structures across sport, police, education, and every area of society. Racism is a plague in our society that demands courageous leadership to address it.

“This is why we are putting courageous leadership at the centre of our BLG conference conversations that are designed to be both provocative and optimistic. The challenge for leaders and their organisations is no longer about being not racist. The contemporary question is ‘How anti-racist are we?’”

Formed after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the Black Leadership Group’s roots are in further education but its influence has grown into other areas, such as healthcare and human resources.

Stella added: “Our vision is of an anti-racist society; there is so much more that unites us as humans. Courageous Leadership compels leaders to imaginatively consider the mega trends for opportunities for a better world and to take action. This new colour of leadership requires a higher level of optimism, imagination,  resilience and humility. It is multi-faceted, collaborative and positive, embracing diversity of thought. It challenges the status quo, takes calculated risks and pushes boundaries in order to make the difference.”

The Black Leadership Group says it is holding the in-person conference at venues in all four nations of the UK because they present different leadership challenges. “Our keynote speakers have been invited to set the tone, agenda for dialogue and action in the geographical contexts and spheres of influence that are familiar to them,” Stella added.

For more information about Tracks, Trails and Threads: Courageous Leadership in a Fractured World and to book tickets, visit the registration page here.