by Gugu Mthimkhulu

There is no doubt that the Black Lives Matter movement has made a huge impact on the lives of numerous people around the world, and the coworking industry is no exception. 

Speaking to Kofi Oppong Founder of Urban MBA, Carmen Lecuane Software Specialist at Nexudus and Founder of KMABEL, and Aiden Saunders Founder of Ailey CIC, we look at the impact that the Black Lives Matter movement has had in the coworking industry and the world at large.

How has the Black Lives Matter movement made a difference?

A similar situation occurred over 20 years ago. The reason we can never stop promoting this type of agenda or talking about Black Lives is that, after 30 or 40 years, it happened again. So, we need to look at what needs to change and keep it front and centre.

One of the biggest interests has been how much brands have changed in terms of their advertising and everything else they do. That’s because of movements such as this one which have sparked more diverse representation in brands. There haven’t been so many different minorities in adverts and everything else that brands are doing as we’ve seen over the last year. Brands who are doing it from a monetary perspective realised they have to face cancel culture with generation Z, who is the biggest generation at the moment and have big spending power. 

How to move forward

Change has to be done inside, from a company, industry, and personal standpoint. So, if companies like coworking spaces show diversity on websites, it counts as brand messaging, right? If you don’t change inside, you won’t change any political policies, communication styles, unfavourable cultural stereotypes, or even cultural expectations. 

What to take away from Black Lives Matter

It is almost as if Black Lives Matter is saying this is our time to birth a new way of thinking for the world. There are a lot of things going on in the world that aren’t right. And with Black Lives Matter, this is the dominant view that people see, or the world recognises as oppressive. 

For example, we’re trying to use black lives as a tool to comprehend and explain how bettering ourselves may help form a framework for others and other races. So, it’s not just about black lives, but we utilise it as a beacon. Then we may help build a new generation’s worldview by addressing racism in all industries, all lifestyles, and all families.

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