Reclaiming our Narratives: ‘Celebrating You’ 2024 Event Highlights

Last month we had our 3rd annual ‘Celebrating You’ event, and we had the chance to meet, network, and vibe with so many amazing Black women in science. This month’s blog post is all about our event highlights.

What is ‘Celebrating You’?

‘Celebrating You’ is an annual event run by the BWiS network that aims to bring together Black women in Science and STEM-related fields to socialize, network, reflect on the year so far, and ultimately celebrate ourselves and our achievements. This year, ‘Celebrating You’ was hosted by the always wonderful Tobi Rachel, and took place in a shiny newly-refurbished event space at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, home of The British Academy. The event was also sponsored by our amazing friends at the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Our theme for the event this year was Reclaiming Narratives, which aligned with the theme of Black History Month in the UK. Too often, Black women are overlooked and not given the flowers they deserve. At BWiS we want to change that and that starts with celebrating ourselves!

What did we get up to?

We kicked off the night with one of our signature BWiS event segments – an ice-breaking game! The drinks and snacks flowed, laughter and chatter filled the air, and the atmosphere quickly warmed up as everyone got to know each other a little better.

You don’t have to take my semi-poetic words for it, here’s what some of our attendees had to say about the atmosphere:

It was my first time attending the event and it made me very proud to be a black woman in Science. This community is definitely one that I want to be a part of.

Great event! Encouraging, and empowering. Great food! Great drinks! Great vibes!! 

I’m glad to have been part of this event - and I can’t wait for the next one! It was a glowing night of celebration and good vibes while getting the chance to get out of my comfort zone and speak to really lovely ladies who I could learn from and also wanted to learn from me. It was so well put together and ran very fluidly. There was no judgment and the environment was so beautiful [and] comfortable. I’m proud of us Black women!

New friendships were forged in the next part of the evening which involved a few more networking games facilitated by our host and gamemaster, Tobi Rachel, and some time to browse the various stations dotted around the event space. This year our hugely popular affirmation station made a comeback, as well as some other regulars including the Polaroid station, thought station, and the celebration table. We also had a new addition to the lineup – our mental health and wellbeing station which offered some great tips to help manage stressful situations. A special thanks to MentalandMe for providing some of the resources used at this station!

As the night came to an end, we wanted to make sure everyone got their very well-deserved flowers. Literally! We closed out the event with another one of our signature BWiS segments – the celebration circle. Throughout the night, everyone was invited to write down at least one thing they were proud of and add it to our Celebration Jar. In the Celebration Circle, everyone had a chance to step up to receive their round of applause and their flowers once their achievement was read out. Whether our achievements were personal or professional, everyone was seen, heard, and celebrated. In my personal opinion, the Celebration Circle was the most wholesome part of the night and really helped to solidify the essence of the evening. It was even better than the food, but don’t tell the caterers! 

Here’s what some other attendees thought of the night:

These events are always an uplifting experience and a great way to support up-and-coming BWIS as well as those of us already in these fields! 

My heart is always so full and warm after these events! Thank you so much for creating this space. 

Great event loved every moment ❤️As Black women we do not always get our flowers but yesterday we all did 🌹

After attending my 3rd BWIS Event, I can see how my confidence has grown and my security in my identity as a black woman in science. To meet people at different stages of their education and careers is so valuable… This is such a valuable space for all Black Women in Science, and I can't wait to come again next year!!

Every time I come to the BWIS events, I’m reminded how far I’ve come and to not give up. I just love being around black women because we inspire each other without even knowing it. Thank you all!

BWIS is such an amazing network to be a part of, highly recommend attending their events!!

A special thank you to everyone who came along to Celebrating You 2024. We hope you enjoyed meeting everyone as much as we enjoyed meeting all of you. I know I had a great night and met some amazing people that I hope to see again, and, if you were able to attend, I sincerely hope that you did too. If you missed out on this year’s event, don’t worry, ‘Celebrating You’ and a whole host of other BWiS events will be back again next year. Hope to see you there!

‘Celebrating You’ might only take place once a year but it’s very important to remember that you deserve to be celebrated every day of the year. As I’m sure you know, being a Black woman in science is not always easy. Despite this, so many of us strive every day to make things work with unrivaled passion and determination. All of the hard work we do deserves to be recognised and until the day that everyone can see how brightly we shine, please remember that you have a sisterhood at BWiS that is always ready and willing to celebrate you.

All the lovely photos of the event were taken by Empire Scheme Studios. If you'd like to see some more photos from the night, take a look at our highlights album.

By Esther Ansah, Blog Writer