Our commitment to safer spaces
We used a picture that could have caused a lot of harm – and we are sorry.
We are deeply sorry that a photo from UK Black Pride 2019 was recently used without the permission of those in the photo. In our haste to respond to a press enquiry, we placed someone at risk. It is unacceptable and we understand the gravity of the situation.
We have spoken to those involved and apologised directly, and would like to make clear that we are moving quickly to ensure this doesn't ever happen again.
UK Black Pride is committed to creating a safe space for the communities we represent, and we let you and ourselves down by not ensuring we had permission to use the photo before we did.
We have spent the past few days trying to understand what went wrong — clearly, the processes we had in place for ensuring consent are not good enough.
What happened
A picture from UK Black Pride 2019 was included in an Instagram post with the caption, “We love our Blackness, and yours.” The photo was found among other pre-approved photos on the UKBP Google Drive, credited to the incorrect photographer.
The same picture was sent to a media outlet to support a feature about UK Black Pride. The article was published in print and online which featured an image for which — it turns out — we did not have consent to publish.
We received an email expressing concern, disappointment and confusion that permission was not sought from those in the picture to use in the media, and that one of the three pictured is not out to their family. The email detailed emotional distress and worry about that individual’s safety. We replied expressing our apologies and promising to take action.
We immediately contacted the publication and asked that the image be pulled from the online story (it was).
We then called the person who emailed and explained the sequence of events that led to the publishing of the picture. The person reiterated how distressed one of the people had become after its publishing, and we asked that an apology be passed on from UK Black Pride.
They confirmed that the family in question, to whom the person in the photo is not out, had not seen the photo, and both agreed that it could have placed that person in danger if they had.
The next day, we called the person to apologise directly and take them through the sequence of events, as well as the immediate actions that were taken to try and rectify the situation and to ensure it doesn’t happen again. We should have reached out sooner.
On the same day, the photographer in question confirmed they submitted their photos to UK Black Pride and confirmed consent to use. These photos were then filed alongside another photographer’s, resulting in the incorrect photo credits. We have apologised to the photographer, and invited them to join UK Black Pride as an official photographer.
Learnings and actions
In previous years, UK Black Pride has relied upon the photographer’s consent to publish photos taken at the annual festival, either online, in print or in the press. Official photographers ask for consent before taking an attendee’s photo, a selection of photos is submitted to UK Black Pride and the team further selects images that reflect the spirit of the event. The selection is largely constituted of crowd shots, groups, candid shots and those taken with public figures.
While the law allows for consent to be reasonably assumed when attendees at public events pose for photographs, UK Black Pride agrees that extra precautions should be taken to ensure those photographed at our events consent to the publishing of those photographs online, in print or in the press. Our event is not like other events, and our policies should reflect the diverse realities and lived experiences of our communities.
UK Black Pride’s annual event has grown considerably and the team of volunteers working within the Marketing and Communications team should grow to meet the increasing workload. Specifically, UK Black Pride will recruit a photography team to help ensure the management of UK Black Pride’s growing archive, and the filing and naming of photos and release forms.
A new photography and filming policy will be announced on 1 August, ahead of UK Black Pride’s 15th birthday celebration, but some amendments have come into immediate effect:
At all UK Black Pride events, coloured wristbands will be issued upon arrival to clearly indicate those who consent to having their photo taken while at the event, and used in the promotion of UK Black Pride on its website and across social media, though not in the press. Attendees without coloured wristbands will not be approached by official photographers and photography team volunteers.
Each official photographer will be assigned photography team volunteers who will assist in the collection of data about those photographed, including name, pronouns, social media handles and preferred contact details. By posing for photos, attendees with coloured wristbands consent to UK Black Pride using their photo on its website and social media, though not in the press.
Once a selection of photos has been made post-event, UK Black Pride will reach out to those in the photos we’d like to use, and send out release forms that confirm consent for UK Black Pride to use the photo for marketing, print and press.
Future UK Black Pride events will have clear and prominent signage that indicates where consent is waived, i.e. at the front or edges of the crowd at the Main Stage and backstage.
UK Black Pride’s photography and filming policy will now form part of the event’s communications plan and will be shared widely alongside other essential information such as transport, health and safety and line-up.
We will also remember to breathe and to slow down. UK Black Pride is run by volunteers juggling work and other commitments, and this mistake — and the emotional harm it has caused — was avoidable. We are sorry.
And we are sorry that we have let people in our community down by publishing photos without confirming their consent. The processes we had in place may have worked when we were a smaller event, but it’s clear to us that we must adapt — and quickly — to ensure we have the support in place to deliver an event that lives up to the expectations of the communities we represent.
We recognise we have a responsibility to ensure attendees at our events feel safe and that we uphold their right to their anonymity. Your time at UK Black Pride should be one of joy, celebration and community.
We are grateful to those involved in this particular situation for the grace and patience they have shown to our team. We are grateful that they have been open and honest about what resolution looks like for them. While we did not intend to cause harm, we did, and we are sorry.
We are always learning and growing and we will do better. We are just so sorry it took the emotional distress of people in our community to learn this particular lesson.
UK Black Pride