To mark Black History Month this October, we spoke to Lorraine Copes MIH of Be Inclusive Hospitality. As a non-profit organisation, their mission is to drive education, amplify voices, build a strong community and accelerate racial equality within the hospitality industry.I am originally from Birmingham, and of Jamaican parentage. My career began in hospitality, close to two decades ago after completing a Logistics degree at Aston University. Up until 2020, I spent my career full-time as a Procurement Leader for national, regional and international brands including Corbin & King, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and Shake Shack, to name a few. I am now a Procurement Consultant for quality-led hospitality organisations, and my time is split to include being the Founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality CIC, a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to accelerate race equity and equality within hospitality food and drink. I am also a certified Life Coach.
The not-for-profit was founded because of the lack of representation of people of colour within leadership roles, and general visibility throughout the sector, despite making up over 17% of the hospitality population. My business now delivers initiatives including mentorships, a jobs board and workshops to support the upward social mobility of People of Colour within the sector. We hold events centering on the voices of those previously unheard, and we have a Diversity & Inclusion consultancy, which provides training, advisory services, culture audits and act as a soundboard for businesses who want to move towards equitable workplaces. We lastly conduct an annual survey, which is designed to take a temperature check of experiences of People of Colour in hospitality, exploring topics including racism, career progression, mentorship and inclusion. This will go live in November, for the second time.
What does Black History Month mean to you and how will you be celebrating/marking it?
Black culture, food and history is not something that I limit to celebrating within the month of October. I personally and via Be Inclusive Hospitality, celebrate all year round. What Black History Month represents for me is that we have a long way to go towards equality and equity, due to even needing to commit a single month to ‘celebrate’ when actually Black History is British history. Until there is an even playing field within wider society and industries, there will need to be a month. I personally will attend a number of art exhibitions that have been commissioned by black artists at the London Lighthouse Gallery and Christies. I will also be attending several supper clubs and a sparkling palm wine tasting. Be Inclusive Hospitality will mark Black History Month with an event on the 25 October at Somerset House in partnership with Chef Akwasi Brenya-Mensa including a panel discussion with Black Women in Hospitality, and West African and Caribbean Drinks, and West African Canapes.
You hosted an IoH webinar for the Institute earlier this year on diversity in hospitality. What do you think the hospitality sector can do to be more inclusive?
The work that the Diversity & Inclusion arm of my business delivers, would be difficult, to sum up in a single paragraph. There is a lot of things that need to change within the industry, but the first for me is a zero-tolerance approach to racism in the workplace or from customers. Our annual Inside Hospitality Report in June identified that over 50% of People of Colour within the industry have experienced or witnessed racism from peers or seniors. The second thing that is absolutely essential is for business leaders to understand their culture. Start with the numbers, understanding how their employees feel, why people leave, and being able to understand how this differs by ethnicity is an important step. Once you have the information, only then can you apply appropriate solutions and think about changing the culture. A lot of businesses are making the mistake of quickly trying to recruit new ‘diverse’ talent for the aesthetic it presents, without understanding if there is a fundamental problem with the company culture, which ultimately runs the risk of leading to high employee turnover.
2020/1 has been a challenging time. What acts of kindness or going ‘above and beyond’ has stood out for you?
It has been challenging for us all, but what has really stood out for me, is that people I either don’t know or met during the pandemic, have given their time, and contributed to the growth of Be Inclusive Hospitality, by sharing what we do, connecting us with appropriate companies, fundraising and by generally being ambassadors for our cause, without being asked to do so. Founding Be Inclusive Hospitality has resulted in the building of a community from all career levels, and all backgrounds who want to be a part of the change, and have and are kindly helping me to advance change. Having experienced this, we have formalised our ambassadors, and invite others to join the community and help wherever they can.
Who has been a role model to you during your career?
I have a few role models, Oprah Winfrey, Shawn ‘Jay-z’ Carter and Tony Robbins. The common thread between them all is overcoming adversity, having self-belief, and living a purpose-led life.
If you want to find out more about Be Inclusive Hospitality, you can visit their website, email Lorraine or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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