Five months have passed since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, which catalysed a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement all around the world. Conversations about systemic racism, micro-aggressions, white privilege and the need for diversity and positive representation of BIPOC have been held, but these issues have been prevalent in society for decades; even centuries. It is vital that we continue these conversations. In this spirit, and in particular focus on the performing arts, students and alumni from Royal Holloway’s School of Performing Arts – Drama, Music and Media Arts – will be hosting an online event: “Continuing the Conversation: Black Representation in the Performing Arts”. Together with our special guests, we will be holding short musical and dramatic performances, and talk about our individual stories and shared experiences as we discuss these still-important questions:

- How are Black communities and voices represented in the UK performing arts?
- What are the specific challenges Black communities face in this field?
- How can we combat systematic racism against Black communities in the performing arts?
- How can we make the performing arts a more level playing field for participants in the UK?

Michael Fuller's composition and poem 'Like a lily in the green field' was composed and performed especially for this event. Congratulations to Michael and performers Emily Todd and Renée Lewis from everyone at the RHUL Department of Music. 

Link to the video recording of Michael's composition: https://youtu.be/Hd0s6DKtvQM