Black History Month Speaker 

Black History Month Speaker

The story of black history is the story of world history told through the eyes of those who have seen the best and the worst of human nature. It is a story of oppression, yes, but also one of exploration and innovation and ultimately one of transcendence and triumph. The speaker you choose for your black history month event should reflect all of these aspects of the black experience and more.

Black History Month was recognised by President Ford in the US for the idea to make its way to the UK. Stirred to action by what he perceived as an identity crisis that was endemic among black British children a Ghanian activist named Akyaaba Addai-Sebo convinced Ken Livingstone, at the time leader of the Greater London Council, to import the idea from the US in 1987 and adapt it to focus on significant contributions of black British citizens. 

It was decided to celebrate British Black History Month in October because that month marks the start of a new academic calendar. The idea was to maximise engagement with young minds as soon as they returned from summer holiday in order to produce an awareness that would stay with them throughout the school year.

Today, British Black History Month is marked by literally thousands of events of all sizes and types right across the UK, many of which hire speakers like Bianca Miller to provide background, context and inspiration to both the present and the upcoming generations of black British leaders.

 
 

TESTIMONIALS

Antonia Listrat, Clifford Chance

It's rare that I feel so inspired after attending a personal development talk- most of the time it feels like I've heard it all before. That was not the case with Bianca, who is truly exceptional at what she does. I had the opportunity to listen to her speak at one of the events organised by Clifford Chance. The talk felt so fresh, authentic, and full of valuable information all the way through. If you are looking to improve your personal brand (which you definitely should), I cannot recommend Bianca enough!

Vanessa Abrahams – John , Adidas

Bianca Miller-Cole brings personal branding to life through storytelling, humor and tactical tips that can be immediately harnessed. I so enjoyed meeting her at a HR conference and her presentation blew me away!

John Juchau, BNP Paribas

It was an absolute pleasure working with Bianca, who hosted our speaker event for our annual Career Days at BNP Paribas. Bianca delivered an inspirational speech on how to craft & enhance your personal brand which was extremely well received by our colleagues. Thank you Bianca!

Mehdi Saadian, GIA

Bianca delivered a fantastic talk at the GIA Career Fair event last week. Her talk was a true masterpiece of motivation and empowerment. From the moment she took the stage, her genuine passion and enthusiasm were palpable, capturing the attention and hearts of everyone present. Her ability to connect with the audience on a personal level was truly remarkable. The stories she shared were relatable, enlightening, and filled with wisdom. We're delighted to have her as the keynote speaker of the event.

Tarej Fadhel, Intuit

We booked Bianca to be our opening keynote speaker for our recent Festival of Learning event. We were looking for an energising and motivational start to the day, and Bianca was the absolute perfect fit. She brought really high energy to kick the day off with a bang, she got everyone at the session involved and the feedback has been superb. Everyone felt it was the perfect way to kick our event off, they found her keynote on “Building your brand” really motivating and she set the tone for the rest of the day perfectly. Fantastic keynote speaker and the perfect choice to get everyone energised and inspired.

Wendy Ramshaw, Squire Patton Boggs LLP

I invited Bianca to present on personal branding at our Black Employee Retreat. Bianca delivered a great presentation, was full of energy and prompted many of us to revisit our approach as we evolve into the new world of networking and how we tell our story. Bianca is an incredibly impressive person with a fantastic breadth of experience yet remains very personable and relatable to any audience. Highly recommend.

Toni Thorne, JP Morgan

Bianca has a wonderful, infectious energy. Her journey continues to be inspiring and her presentation skills are second to none. Bianca's expertise on personal branding and personal development is highly commendable and I know we definitely took away valuable insights into how we can lead better lives- professionally and personally. Bianca is a women of and for this time.

Sana Butt

EY Race and Ethnicity Network Leadership Team | Championing D&I in Recruitment | Student Recruitment Events Advisor at EY

I have worked with Bianca for a second time now, and I know this will not be the last. In our most recent interaction, Bianca delivered a couple of workshops for undergraduates. Her professionalism, energy and creativity that she brings to the table is exactly what I admire about her. She listens to the client ask and then feeds into that with relevant and valuable inputs - what more do you want! Her delivery of the skills workshops are always energetic, refreshing and leave you self-reflecting on how to better yourself as an individual. Thank you, Bianca!

Taravat Taher-Zadeh (Brass)

Natwest Accelerator Programme

Business Growth & Transformation Portfolio Professional

Dearest Bianca, I’m breathless with excitement (still!), a sheer joy hearing your wonderful marathon of a presentation at the NatWest International Women’s Day event. Many congratulations, wishing you even greater heights of success & look forward to hearing you again. Keep well & keep inspiring, my NBF! :-
Caroline Gundu

Senior Business Consultant at CGI |  Chair of Women's Network CGI UK

I reached out to Bianca to speak at the CGI Women's Network International Women's Day event and asked her to deliver an inspirational key note speech. From start to finish my interaction with Bianca did not disappoint. Bianca provided fast responses and all the information required in a timely manner. On the day, Bianca delivered a key note speech on her journey as an entrepreneur and shared her experiences and lessons learned. This speech was well received in CGI with lots of great feedback from the attendees. I particularly liked her "Top 3 Tips for Taking Ownership of Your Career Success" which I will certainly be applying for my own career! I thoroughly enjoyed working with Bianca and look forward to future engagements
Conor Donnellan MAPM

Senior Project Management Consultant at CGI

It was a great pleasure to hear about Bianca’s inspiring journey as a young woman in the business world as part of CGI’s international women’s day celebrations. I particularly enjoyed learning about building a personal brand, which has given me great insights on how I can improve my own personal brand and to mentor and coach others. On the theme of international women’s day, Bianca’s journey is one of facing challenge and overcoming obstacles. Bianca’s talk has definitely made me want to be more vigilant in recognising areas needing change and how personally I can make certain changes and challenge equalities to ensure the IT industry becomes more equal for women and everyone in general. Thank you again Bianca for your inspiring talk
Stacey Van Bergen

Senior Consultant at CGI | Co-Chair of the Women's Network

As part of International Women's Day, Bianca joined us (CGI) and delivered an inspiration talk on her career history, as well as giving tips on how to take ownership of your own career success, how to embrace challenges and be an intrapreneur in light of this years theme "Choose to Challenge". Bianca delivered in such an engaging and motivational way, I know I speak for all when I say I took away some really key messages that I can easily apply to my job, and personal life. Thank you Bianca, I look forward to working with you in future
Mandy Tinker

Executive Assistant to President

I participated in the International Women's Day event lead by NatWest on the topic "Inspiring Confidence - Championing change". Bianca was one of the amazing speakers whom I had the opportunity to listen to. I couldn't stop smiling and loved your enthusiasm and the way you articulate your journey. Thank you for sharing your journey and experiences with u
Sophie Gowling

CEO, Natwest Accelerator Programme ,

Incredible energy with a motivating and positive speech. Great to hear Bianca’s story- so engaging. Good to see a woman In business achieving great things. I can’t wait to read the book
Kimberley Johnston

Inclusion & Diversity Senior Manager - Commercial Banking - Lloyds Banking Group

You were INSPRATIONAL at the CMS IWD Career Ready event today Bianca Miller - Cole - if those girls don’t now know they can take on the world and succeed then they were not listening. I certainly felt fired up
Alisha Young

Legal Secondee at Lloyds Banking Group

Bianca was a key note speaker for the CMS Masterclass 2021 for International Women’s Day and helped deliver the session. She spoke with over 60 students and we led a breakout room together to interact with a smaller group of students. She is very inspirational, motivated and it is brilliant to see her passion for helping the younger generation grow and develop
Thierry Pradier

Business Development Manager Biorationals EMEA chez Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe

I attended a talk on Intrapreneurship from Bianca recently. It was refreshing and inspiring. Bianca is great at making you look at things from a different angle, thinking about yourself as your own brand, and overall making you believe that there is not such a long way from a dream to become a reality. Thanks again Bianc
Ashleigh Jones

Global Strategic Accounts at Preqin

Bianca was a host during a Black History Month panel discussion to my company. She was extremely engaging and professional throughout the session, and gave really informative and inspiring advice on how to navigate the workplace and build one's personal brand. She has received great feedback from a number of my colleagues, and I would certainly recommend her to others. Thank you Bianca
Mia Meade

Assistant Associate Deloitte

I attended a Zoom conference led by Bianca on building your personal brand - I loved it! I was able to utilise the tips and tricks that she provided for my LinkedIn page and overall internet presence. Her warm personality and inclusive nature made attending the conference an overall wonderful experience
Zarif Karimli

Tax Analyst at Deloitte  

Very systematic, simple, yet effective presentation on personal branding. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found Bianca very helpful and insightful
Harry Wilkinson

Analyst at Deloitte (Banking Analytics & Quantitative Modelling)

Bianca gave an enthusiastic interactive online webinar to myself and other graduates joining Deloitte. She enlightened us on how important it is to begin to build our personal brand, develop our social media accounts, and just how valuable any life experiences we have are! Bianca gave excellent feedback to us on giving “elevator pitches”, their importance, and how to present yourself in a concise and attractive manner
Jessica Okonkwo

Solutions Engineer Apprentice, UKI Financial Services Team at Salesforce

Bianca is an excellent speaker. During my personal branding session with her, I gained invaluable knowledge which I now utilise in my everyday life. She has such a bubbly yet professional character which I admire. She is self motivated and always encourages those around her. I really enjoyed my session, thanks Bianca
Alice Mansergh

Director at Google, UK & Ireland

Bianca came and gave a talk to my team, and was an inspiration! I loved how Bianca shared her own personal story, then gave practical ideas and steps to help others realise their career dreams. Bianca combined inspiration and entrepreneurialism with practical advice, and was a delight to listen to
Azeez Soetan

Growth @ Google

Bianca is great at communicating her journey giving people an insight into the experiences that have shaped the person she is today. Learning about her experiences and the lessons she picked up along the way was amazing and definitely impactful for myself and everyone else that was listening in
Katja Morris

Associate Account Strategist at Google

I attended Bianca's workshops as an undergrad as part of an insight week for Women in Tech a couple of years back and have been fortunate enough to attend one again recently! You're workshops on personal branding really stuck with me, so much so I spoke about them in interviews and to colleagues and friends
Mohammad M Lone

Digital Strategist at Google | One Young World Ambassador

Bianca is an incredibly inspirational individual. Having been fortunate enough to witness her public speaking, she has given me and my colleagues so much to think about when it comes to owning my career success
Jade O’Donoghue

Senior Content Manager at Retail Week

Bianca gave an online talk to our 2000-strong audience of retailers. It was brilliant, thought provoking and full of actionable insight. She was very personable while also being a total professional, both in front of the audience and behind the scenes. The feedback for her session was brilliant. I hope to be able to work with her again
Bradley Fox

Corporate Engagement Officer at Melton Borough Council

Bianca was very professional but also had a great human nature. She was a brilliant addition to my event & those that attended noted how inspiring her presentation was. She kept to the brief and added snippets of humour during the keynote whilst talking about her own lived experiences. I would certainly book her again and would recommend her work to anyon
Hortense Thorpe

Award-Winning Strategic Sourcing Expert -Centrica

What an inspiring speaker you are, and you really kept your cool in spite of the slide issues... Qdos to you. Everyone in Centrica found your teachings very useful, so thank you for joining our International Women's Day event and celebrating diversity with us. I'm Centrica's Fertility Ambassador so if you ever need ideas or support in that space, please think of me 🙏 I'd be more than happy happy to collaborate. Best wishe
Olayne Nalithi

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Bianca delivered an excellent interactive talk on personal branding and networking. She had presented great points as to how to make a great first impression. The session was extremely engaging and I would say it’s perfect for any field. Even in this current climate I now know what steps to take to add value for myself and others
Rohit Viram

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Inspirational and very practical, Bianca’s talk on Personal Branding and Networking was delivered in a professional and well thought out manner. She really taught me the techniques on how best to convey to someone that you are a person of value, in a quick and concise manner with her detailed elevator pitch. Furthermore she explained the dynamics of networking in a very easy and digestible way. Great speaker, and a clear expert in her field. Highly recommend her
Jig Goodhead

Software Engineer Travellers

Bianca is an excellent speaker who is very knowledgeable in her field. She is truly an example and inspiration to all women
Ilana Weisbein

AWS re/Start Graduate at Generation UK & Ireland

A highly enjoyable and interactive session to identify my unique personal qualities and skills to increase my success with networking for a job, even with the limitations currently in place. Bianca was inspirational to keep aiming towards personal career goals, breaking them down into a list of achievable objectives
Kathryn Massey

HR Shared Service Coordinator Nottingham Trent University

Bianca was the keynote speaker for our International Women’s Day conference at Nottingham Trent University. It was inspirational to hear about her journey before, during and after The Apprentice. She was an extremely engaging and powerful speaker for the event and a great role model for students, she really showed us what hard work and a positive attitude can do
HUANG XIAO QIN (LUNA)

Social Media Intern at MRZ Business Services LTD

  Bianca is such an inspirational and successful female role model for me. I was inspired by her "dreams to reality" speech and would follow the "7 steps to making your dreams a reality" to pursue my dreams! (Thank you very much and very honored to meet you, Bianca!!
Stacey Macha
  Global HR Partner, Centrica       Bianca has a great story...She is engaging, energetic and has a natural way of connecting with her audience
Amber Shrimpton

Transformation Specialist at Centrica

 

Bianca is an engaging and professional speaker, who is great to work with
Robin VanMeter, MBA

Sr. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Partner, Centrica

 

Bianca Miller is a great speaker and has an incredible story to tell. She encourages individuals to be all they can be and how to successfully focus on self branding
Shereen Morgan

Diversity & Inclusion, Centrica

 

Thank you Bianca Miller - Cole for your amazing keynote at Centrica today! A fresh take on intrapreneurship and personal brand. Today was my light bulb moment and I’m sure many others experienced the same! It has been a pleasure and I look forward to working with you again
Steve Keith- EY
Personal Branding Workshops
She made all of the parents and children feel at ease from the start; our talent partner Maggie has commented on how inspirational Bianca was. We had such fantastic feedback from our first event that we’ve invited her back for our regional workshops in Marc
Simone White- Blackrock EEPA
Keynote Speaker
Professional, knowledgeable and with the great ability to hold an audience, Bianca has a great way of bringing her presentations to life. It was a delight to host her alongside EPAA for the Career Masterclass and I look forward to being able to work with her again on future events
Jasmin Jalloh- Accenture UK
It was a truly inspirational keynote. Thanks for re-igniting my passion and determination to making sure that the fruits life has to offer are well and truly absorbed
Taj Singh- Bucks New University Student
Personal Branding Workshops and Motivational Talks
Bianca visited Bucks New University she was an amazing inspiration. She is a woman of great wisdom and wise word
Bianca Mcdonald – Founder of Kids Zone Adventures
Mentoring
Being mentored by Bianca was an absolute pleasure! Her extensive knowledge on business start ups and business in general has really helped me to excel, with a stagnant business of 10 years. She helped me look at my business from a new perspective. Bianca has supported me with rebranding and during the time of working with her I have gone from 3 services to 7 different childcare services. Bianca’s support has been second to none I fully recommend anyone who is serious about pushing their business further to liaise with her or attend the mastermind session
Lauren Pak – Accenture Technology Analyst
Really engages the audience in an inclusive way. Had so much fun at Bianca's workshop on critical thinking and public speaking
Emma Bortnik- Knowledge Transfer Network
Keynote Speaker
Bianca delivered a fantastic talk at our 'Women in Innovation: Building Success' event. It was highly engaging, inspirational, funny and left delegates feeling motivated and inspire
Jo Bromilow- Publicasity
Keynote Speaker
Her passion and enthusiasm as well as her inspirational ethos and attitude came through in person and on the final film. It would be a pleasure to cross paths with her again on one of her courses or in front of the camera again
James Wilson -Attendee of the Business Travel Conference
Keynote Speaker
She was incredibly natural on stage, always with asmile on her face; and was inspiring, humorous and eloquent
Self Made Mentee
"Could not wait to give this recommendation! Thank you Bianca for what was an energetic, productive and gem filled morning. Not only are you down to Earth and caring but infinitely knowledgeable about business. Your easy going to appropriately challenging style was just right. You steered the conversation appropriately, whilst letting it organically flow. Questions were answered with a rare authenticity and always got to the point of the matter. During our 1-2-1 session you were able to get to the heart of the matter quickly, with clarity and a directional ability like a dart hitting a bulls eye. By the end of the session I had several key action points that I could go away and start actioning straight away.  In fact, I invested this morning in doing some of the things you advised. What can I say, value, value, value. What price can you put on clear, honest direction that you are able to implement straight away!!?? I’d encourage anyone who is thinking about it to work with Bianca (and Byron)  Thanks again!" Dayna Byfield- Self Made Mente
Accenture
Personal Branding Workshops
"Bianca delivered excellent workshops on Personal Branding and Presentation Skills during my Induction Week at Accenture. Sessions were interactive and challenging; everybody had a great time while developing their skills. We didn’t even realise how time went by. Fantastic experience!" Razvan Solomon- Accentur

The Multidimensional Story of Black History

The story of black history is often bookended by the outrageous of the slave trade and the 20th-century struggle for civil rights. And while those are certainly important aspects of the black experience there is much more to the story that needs to be explored. 

Your black history month speaker should embody the courage and fortitude of her ancestors while also being a living, breathing example of the possibilities open to black entrepreneurs in the 21st century. She should speak as much to the future as to the past and be grounded firmly in the here and now. She should also be able to engage her audience from the minute she appears and leave them enlightened and inspired.

About Black History Month

While we tend to take Black History Month for granted today it’s important to remember that this annual, month-long recognition of the massive contributions of black people to the history of the UK wasn’t always part of the calendar. Even in the US, where the idea has its roots, it is a relatively new celebration.

The history of Black History Month can be traced back more than a century to Cambridge, Massachusetts in the US where, in 1915, a 39 year old African American historian – and only the 2nd African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University – named Carter Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). His forward-looking organisation dedicated itself to researching and telling the story of black history and culture.

As time passed Woodson became convinced that celebrating black history should be an annual, nationwide event. Using the vernacular of the day he dubbed his celebration “Negro History Week” and pressed to have teachers coordinate lessons regarding black history with this weeklong event, which he determined should take place the 2nd week in February each year.

Why February? Woodson chose this particular month to celebrate black history because both the great African American abolitionist, orator and statesman Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, author of the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves on in 1863, were born in February.

By the mid-1960s the struggle for civil rights had shone a spotlight on Woodson’s idea and more and more states and municipalities around the country began to embrace it. By the time of the US bicentennial in 1976, it had grown to a month-long celebration which was officially recognised by President Gerald Ford. Ford exhorted Americans to: “…seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history.”

Black History Month Speaker Bianca Miller Cole

How to Choose the Perfect Black History Month Speaker

Besides finding someone with an engaging manner and a compelling story there are a couple of other things to look for when choosing a speaker for your black history month event.

They should have experience that is relevant to your industry

Many speakers can give lengthy and interesting talks about the contribution of black actors to the Shakespearean stage or to the political life of the UK in the 19th century. But what does that have to do with your business? You want someone who is going to speak the same language as the audience, and if they can somehow find connections between your industry and the Shakespearean stage, that’s great, but it’s a secondary consideration.

They should be able to weave their own story into their talk

Even more important than being able to infuse a talk with historical titbits is the ability of a speaker to weave their own history and experience into their black history month talk. So before selecting an individual to anchor your event, look into their background, find out what you can about their personal journey and see what others are saying about them. If they have personal experience – good or bad – with diversity in the workspace and the challenges facing the black community in the 2020s, and they can weave those experiences into the larger discussion, they will create an indelible bond with the audience and your event will be the talk of the industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why hire a black history month speaker?

For centuries the official story of British history marginalised and more often, completely ignored the contributions made by people of African descent. It is only in the past 30 years that efforts have been made to right this terrible wrong. 

But just because we are now getting a more complete, more accurate picture of British history doesn’t mean we should pat ourselves on the back and declare a job well done. It’s important to continue to tell the tale of the black experience in the UK until the stories of people like Dr. Harold Moody become as much a part of the national discourse as those of Wellington or Churchill.

Why choose Bianca Miller as your black history month speaker?

Bianca Miller is the very embodiment of the contemporary black experience in the UK. As a woman of colour growing up in a society where the vestiges of institutional racism and sexism were still firmly entrenched, it would have been understandable to some degree if she had simply settled for less. 

Instead, she rolled up her sleeves and committed herself to achieving her goals. Along the way she not only encountered obstacles meant to keep her down, she blew past them, and in so doing became an inspiration for men and women of colour throughout the UK.

Should I tell the black history month speaker what to talk about?

If you are going to do that you might as well give the talk yourself. You hire a black history month speaker, after all, to tell their story, to relay their experiences and to inspire your audience with both their insight and their tales of transcendence. 

Your challenge as the person arranging for the speaker is to find one who knows how to weave a compelling narrative. It should be someone with vast, personal experience confronting and transcending societal obstacles. Someone who has been strengthened and wisened by their experience and who has not lost their ability to infuse their talk with a bit of self-effacing humour.

Can I hire a black history month speaker at other times of the year?

Absolutely. Black history is an ongoing phenomenon that deserves to be recognised all year long, not confined to a single month and then returned to the shelf until next October. Hiring a black history month speaker in March or June or August shows institutional awareness on your part and demonstrates a commitment to making everyone who works for your company feel welcome and valued all year round.

How do I enlist Bianca Miller to be our black history month speaker?

If you have decided to request Bianca Miller to speak at your black history month event, congratulations, you’ve chosen the best. Enlisting Bianca’s services is a straightforward process that begins when you contact her booking agent at byron@biancamiller.uk. Alternatively, you can call 02086679519 during normal business hours. As Bianca is an in-demand speaker we strongly suggest you contact us as far ahead of time as possible.

Contact Bianca Miller-Cole  Today

Bianca Miller-Cole is the very embodiment of the contemporary black experience. A successful entrepreneur, personal brand expert and rising media star who has transcended obstacles, burst through barriers and carved out a niche for herself in the zeitgeist. If you want your black history month event to shine, get in touch with Bianca today by emailing bookings@biancamiller.uk or calling 02086679519.

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