Mykaell Riley, Senior Lecturer and Director for The Black Music Research Unit (BMRU), spoke at the Culture Conference Liverpool about how music can be a positive force in cultivating equality on 26 April 2022.
The conference, hosted at The Spine in Liverpool, featured local, national, and international contributors from the world of media, sport, fashion, business, and education who shared their thoughts, experiences and advice in addressing racial and social inequalities, and debated what meaningful change really looks like.
Keynote speakers included British historian David Olusoga OBE, leading diversity and inclusion consultant Dr Joanna Abeyie MBE, and American author and journalist Kevin Powell. The conference also featured ‘In Conversation’ sessions, workshops and presentations led by contributors such as TV presenter Charlene White and former boxing champion Anthony Bellew. There were also representatives from the likes of Liverpool and Everton Football Clubs as well as leading diversity, inclusion, and equality practitioners.
For the session titled ‘Music as a Force for Change: In Conversation’, Mykaell spoke with Ammo Talwar, from the UK Music Diversity Taskforce, about how music has been a positive force in cultivating social cohesion, empowerment and equality.
Speaking about the conference, Mykaell said: “I visited as many sessions as I could cram in, and the resounding atmosphere was warm, welcoming, occasionally emotional but always informative. My own presentation was no different. Attended by all ages such was the interest; the exchange extended beyond the allotted time frame and continues to generate follow-up emails.”
Find out more about The Black Music Research Unit (BMRU) at the University of Westminster.
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