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Celebrating Diversity at Work: Connecting Black History Month, Diwali, and Inclusion Under the Equality Act 2010

Published: 28/10/2025
Written by Omar Qassim

October is a month rich in reflection and celebration.  Across the UK, we mark Black History Month, a time to honour the achievements, culture, and contributions of Black people and communities.Celebrating diversity Curwens 1 Around the same period, millions prepare for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, symbolising the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, with festivals of other faiths such as Chanukah, Eid and Christmas to follow in December for the recognised main monotheistic religions.

While these events may stem from different traditions, they share a common theme: the power of identity, community, and belonging. For employers, they’re also timely reminders of our responsibility to create workplaces that recognise and celebrate difference, in line with both the spirit and letter of the Equality Act 2010.

Why This Matters

 The Equality Act 2010 protects individuals from discrimination based on nine protected characteristics, including, among others, race, religion or belief, sex, age, and sexual orientation. For organisations, this is not just a legal obligation,  but an opportunity to build cultures where diversity thrives, inclusion is embedded, and everyone feels valued for who they are.

Increasingly, employers are also recognising that equality alone, treating everyone the same, may not always be enough. An equity-based approach acknowledges that people start from different places and may need different kinds of support to experience fairness in practice.

For public sector bodies, this commitment is reinforced through the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). This duty requires organisations to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Celebrating events such as Black History Month and Diwali provides a meaningful way to demonstrate this duty in practice, through education, visibility, and connection.

Practical Steps for Employers

1.           Celebrate and educate

Use internal channels or events to highlight key cultural dates. Invite guest speakers, share personal stories, or host a “lunch and learn” session. For example, spotlight the contributions of Black professionals during Black History Month or encourage colleagues to share what Diwali means to them.

2.           Make inclusion part of policy and practice

Review HR policies to ensure flexibility around religious observance, whether that’s time off for festivals like Diwali or Eid, or consideration for fasting and prayer times.

3.           Empower employee voices

Support staff networks or inclusion groups focused on race, faith, or multicultural diversity. These spaces help employees feel heard and can shape meaningful change from within the organisation.

4.           Invest in awareness and training

Equip managers and teams with training on equality, unconscious bias, and cultural awareness. It builds confidence, breaks down barriers, and ensures inclusion is more than just a buzzword.

5.           Lead by example

When senior leaders actively engage, whether by attending events, sharing reflections, or publicly celebrating key dates, it sends a powerful message: inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.

At their heart, events like Black History Month and Diwali remind us that diversity is not something to manage, but something to celebrate. In keeping with the theme, they shine a metaphorical light on stories, values, and experiences that enrich our workplaces and communities every single day.

In recognising and referencing both equality and equity, employers can move beyond compliance to create genuinely inclusive cultures.

Equality Curwens

Omar Qassim is the Head of Employment Law at Curwens. We always want everything to go well and work smoothly. However, when things go wrong, Omar is available to advise both Employers and Employees on next steps and resolutions

Please note that our briefings are for informational purposes only, and do not constitute legal advice.

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Any data that you submit using this web form will be held by our firm as Data Controller and will be held securely for 12 months before being securely and confidentially destroyed.
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Your data will not be disclosed to any third parties without your consent or as otherwise allowed by the relevant Data Protection legislation and will only be used for responding to your query (or purposes associated with that purpose).

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