Join Our Table, a new UK initiative celebrating Black British women in advertising and media, has launched to create a platform of equity and visibility for Black women in the industry.
The platform will amplify the work that Black women are doing across this industry and kicks off with the UK’s 2023 Black History theme ‘Saluting our sisters’, a celebration of sisterhood and the matriarchy.
The collective was founded by eight influential Black British women and conceived at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Advertising, where its founding members recognised a crucial gap in the representation of Black British women, particularly in panel discussions and judging panels.
According to the All In Census 2023, the advertising industry is at risk of losing 30% of its Black talent, and the anti-racism initiatives that followed 2020’s resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement are fast disappearing.
As a 40+ Black woman, I want to use my position to support my wider community. The Black female position in the workplace is too often a hard struggle. I want this campaign to say boldly “we see you; we see how hard you work, and we got you sis.
Gerry Anyanwu, Client Director at Global Media, and founding member of Join Our Table
The founding members of Join Our Table are:
- Gerry Anyanwu (Client Director, Global Media)
- Collette Philip (Founder, Brand By Me)
- Elizabeth Anyaegbuna (Founder, 16 X 9 Media)
- Samantha Lewis (Account Manager, Kinetic)
- Nadine Leighton (Marketing Consultant)
- Chloe Davies (Founder, it takes a village)
- Annika Allen (Head of Diversity and Inclusion, ALL 3 Media)
- Maria McDowell (Founder, Lollipop Mentoring)
Join Our Table is sponsored by Brand By Me, a brand and strategy consultancy focused on social justice. It launched with an outdoor campaign created by Brand By Me, with advertising space donated by C-Screens, IQOOOH, JC Decaux and Clear Channel.