“Sit with people & listen deeply” – my write up of #BAMEOnline 2021

I was excited to attend the BAME Fundraising Conference - the virtual conference on fundraising and so much more, by people of colour, for people of colour. A really top speaker line-up promised so much and delivered even more. As ever, read my notes below. "Super excited for two-point-oh!" I'm in position for #BAMEOnline hosted by the magnificent @MarthaAwojobi & @Camalamalamz. Will pop my notes in this thread. Last year's conference was superb, and this promises to be just as good. "I hope everybody knows that we're not BAME people. It's lazy & reductive."@MarthaAwojobi & @Camalamalamz address "the elephant in the room". Today's values : anti-racism, bravery, creativity & joy. Solutions to racism need to be just as creative as racism itself. @shabbyamini introduces @EstherKwaku on authentic storytelling: "I focus on putting the energy into stories. How do you bring authticity into the stories that you tell?" Esther always loved writing - she was an MC & rapper aged 16 in a band called Perfektion! Think about the role you playBe comfortable with silencesPay attention to people when they're vulerableWho am I to be telling this?Am I doing it justice?It can't be authentic if you're not authentic in the way you speak, write and capture stories. @EstherKwaku #BAMEOnline  "The penny dropped on one trip. At the end of my speech, a lady spoke about what she and her team were doing ... I was stunned, humbled,