As the Black Lives Matter protests that rippled around the world throughout the summer continue to reverberate across the globe, it became apparent which organisations and individuals merely voiced their support rather than enacting it.

Because the truth is, change requires more than words. What organisations and individuals do now is more important than what they say, an ethos that is at the heart of The Black British Network. The BBN is initially launching as an organising body which will allow black British professionals and the wider black community to have a united voice regarding business and economic advancement in the UK.

In the organisation’s first video, produced by CellarDoor, Cephas Williams, Founder of 56 Black Men, introduces his vision and drive for the BBN. Titled ‘Letter to Zion’, the piece sees Williams reading out a letter he wrote to his newborn son, who was born as the impact from George Floyd’s murder was felt around the world.

In the letter, Williams speaks about how his son’s birth placed upon him a profound sense of responsibility to break the cycle of systemic racism. This is his aim with the BBN, to create a vehicle to give the Black community a voice to have difficult conversations at the top levels of businesses and government.

As BBN’s Crowdfunder page reads: “Allying with the BBN is not to say you are perfect, but to appreciate that nobody is, that we have not got it right yet and to make a commitment to work together to create a better landscape for this generation and generations to come.”

The founding of this organisation and the powerful letter that accompanies it embody the notion that actions speak louder than words. It calls on each of us across the industry to step up and become active allies to bring about real, lasting change.