Black History Month at Splash Damage
November 7, 2022
Here in the UK, October is Black History Month: “a month to celebrate the continued achievements and contributions of Black people to the UK and around the world.”
That’s why we think that October is a perfect opportunity to celebrate our Black employees at Splash Damage. Not only that but also to discover new viewpoints, experiences and creators.
That’s why our United Colours of Splash Damage Employee Resource Group put together a host of different events!
Read on to find out more, and check out our Instagram for pictures of all the events.
What did we get up to?
First, we kicked off the month with a live tabletop role-playing game. Think Dungeons and Dragons, but this campaign was an original story set in a brand-new world!
A small group of adventurers took on game designer Nathan Blades’ Ballad Of Conjurers, expertly DM’d by Nathan themselves. We streamed the game, too, so others at the studio could watch it like an episode of Critical Role.
Later in the week, we invited Twist London (virtually) to give us a cocktail-making masterclass using Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Nathan “Nearest” Green was the former slave who taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey! Victoria Eady Butler (one of Nathan’s descendants) took over distilling operations in 2019, making her the first female African-American whiskey master blender.
Next up was the opposite of a boozy Friday night: a Wednesday afternoon dance fitness class set to Afrobeat music. Led by the incredible Iesha Lucci, this high-energy class definitely helped us get through the mid-week slump.
Towards the end of the month, the iron-stomached among us took on a Hot Sauce Trivia Challenge. Think Hot Ones meets University Challenge. Those of us not taking part were sweating just watching!
Finally, the last Friday Night Social of the month had some added flavour in the form of a delicious buffet. Local Jamaican restaurant Rhythm N Thyme, and Caribbean vegan restaurant The Guava Kitchen provided top-tier catering.
Discover something new this Black History Month
The United Colours ERG also put together a list of recommendations to check out this Black History Month:
- Small Axe
This powerful British anthology film series is based on real-life experiences, people and events. It’s an authentic representation of Black British culture and history and shows Black joy as well as Black trauma. The director of 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen, created and directed it. - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey was an influential musician during the 1920s, and was known as the “Mother of the Blues”. This movie explores the realities of being a Black entertainer at the time. It stars Viola Davis and also features Chadwick Boseman in his final film appearance. - The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race
Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward collects eighteen short essays, memoirs, and poems from a variety of writers in this book. These explore the question of race; looking at the past, present and future. It is quite US-centric, however, but it still makes for a powerful and thought-provoking read. - Kena: Bridge of Spirits
You may have already played this action-adventure game when it launched last year. It was animation studio Ember Lab’s first ever game and they’re one of very few Black-owned and -operated studios. Plus, co-founders (and brothers!) Mike and Josh Grier led the development of the title. - Black Twitch UK
Looking for some new streamers to tune into? Black Twitch UK is “dedicated to highlighting and uplifting Black Twitch Streamers and Content Creators in the UK”. They have a dedicated stream team and provide a list of over 200 Black streamers from the UK to follow and support.
Thank you!
We’d like to say a huge thank you to our United Colours ERG for putting together all of these events. We’ve had a fantastic time celebrating and are already looking forward to next year!
If you want to see more, we have pictures from all of the events on our Instagram. We’ve even put them all into a handy Story Highlight, along with some bonus peeks.
Sign up for our newsletter to keep up-to-date with all of our events. We recap everything we’ve been up to each month. Or, take a look at our Careers page if you’d rather take part instead! We have open roles across almost all disciplines!