As the CEO and Founder of Synergy Solutions, I, like many others, watched the news in horror, the brutal and senseless killing of George Floyd, the image of a policeman kneeling on his neck is embedded in my mind. I still cannot watch the video, the reason, because he was black. The reality is, as a black woman, born and brought up in South East London, I have seen and experienced many incidences of racism and as a human being and Christian, I am truly horrified by what I have seen.

I do not feel the need to share my story, as there are already many voices that are sharing their stories and that is enough for me, for now, but what I do want to say  is that this is a time for change, the uproar around the world has shown that many people of all races are starting to get an insight into what it means to be black and they are shocked.

With this public awareness, it is important to highlight this injustice, amongst many others and also reiterate, that there is no place for victimising others due to the colour of their skin in our society. Synergy Solutions, the company I formed in 2005, stands against any form of injustice and our ethos is “treat others, the way you would like to be treated yourself, regardless of who they are”.

Right now, the focus is on injustice along racial lines. I strongly believe that with diversity comes a rich tapestry of experience and knowledge that if listened to, can add real value to the society in which we live, businesses, education, government, the police, the criminal justice system.

To create the society that we want, we must all come together, unified, regardless of race, with a common purpose, that is, to exact a positive change in our society. That means, working with business leaders to put in place the right structures that will enable their black talent to progress within their organisation, that means, working with reformers to put in place the strategies that will deliver long lasting change, not just short term quick fixes that disappear once the public lose interest.

In my world, even though I, like many other black people have experienced racism, everyone, regardless of their colour, must come together as one, with clear strategies to deliver this change, because all lives matter and that includes black people.

So, as business focussed on delivering change with a positive impact, we stand with our colleagues around the world and say that #BlackLivesMatter

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