Slay in Your Lane is a series of books and a podcast by journalist Yomi Adegoke and brand strategist Elizabeth Uviebinené. The first book in the series, Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible (2018),[1] is based on interviews the pair conducted with "39 successful black British women spanning different industries".[2] The Daily Telegraph described it as "one of the most satisfying attempts in recent years to answer the question: why do black British women feel that their success is hindered?"[3]
The second book in the series, Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, was published in 2019.
| Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible | |
| Author: | Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Published: | 4th Estate (2018) |
| Pages: | 384 pp. |
| Isbn: | 978-0008235628 |
Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible covers education, work, getting ahead, representation, dating, and health.[2]
"Over 341 pages, [Adegoke] and her best friend, Elizabeth Uviebinené, succinctly address why black girls are more likely to fall behind in education (black pupils have the lowest rate of achieving five A*-C grades of any ethnic group); why they earn less, even when they are as qualified, than their white counterparts ("black graduates are, on average, paid £4.30 an hour less than white graduates"); why black women find it so hard to date (only five per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds have dated outside their race, and on dating apps, black men are more likely to pick white women than black); and why so many black women are battling mental health problems in secret."[3]
It is based on interviews the authors conducted with "39 successful black British women spanning different industries", namely: businesswoman Ade Hassan; writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch; Aj Odudu; Alexis Oladipo; public sector executive Althea Efunshile; director Amma Asante; computing, mathematics and language child prodigy Anne-Marie Imafidon; playwright Bola Agbaje; journalist and newsreader Charlene White; radio DJ and television presenter Clara Amfo; Clare Anyiam-Osigwe; actress, singer and songwriter Cynthia Erivo; Labour Party MP Dawn Butler; sports presenter and former track and field athlete Denise Lewis; singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actress Estelle; Florence Adepoju; businesswoman, lawyer and public speaker Funke Abimbola; television and radio presenter Gemma Cairney; Irene Agbontaen; singer, songwriter and TV presenter Jamelia; TV broadcaster June Sarpong; advertising industry professional and chair of MediaCom UK Karen Blackett; singer and songwriter Keisha Buchanan; rapper, singer, and producer Lady Leshurr; Lakwena, recording artist, songwriter and composer Laura Mvula; space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock; author and former Children's Laureate Malorie Blackman; publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster Margaret Busby; entrepreneur and author Melanie Eusebe; author and Reader in Equality & Education at Goldsmiths College, University of London, Nicola Rollock; Patricia Bright, TV and radio presenter, actress, voice-over artist, and DJ Sarah-Jane Crawford; entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid; Sharmaine Lovegrove; actress and writer Susan Wokoma; publishing director of British Vogue Vanessa Kingori; Vanessa Amadi; and singer-songwriter, model and record producer V V Brown. It has a foreword by Karen Blackett.
In 2019 the book's authors accused the BBC of plagiarism for using their trademarked slogan "Slay in Your Lane" in a women's sport promotion.[4] [5] [6]
Funmi Fetto described the book in British Vogue as "a comprehensive, inspirational tool book [...] that is bound to resonate with many black British women seeking to assimilate the heritage of their parents with their sense of place in British society."[2]
Corrine Corrodus, reviewing the book in The Daily Telegraph, described it as "one of the most satisfying attempts in recent years to answer the question: why do black British women feel that their success is hindered? [...] This book is as much a rallying cry to black women across the British Isles as it is a solid foundation for serious discussions about modern race relations."[3]
In July 2018 it was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.[2] [7]
| Slay In Your Lane: The Journal | |
| Author: | Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Published: | 4th Estate (2019) |
| Pages: | 176 pp. |
| Isbn: | 978-0008342609 |
In 2019 Adegoke and Uviebinené published Slay in Your Lane: The Journal, illustrated by Sherida Kuffour.[8] [9]
In April 2020, Adegoke and Uviebinené launched Slay in Your Lane: The Podcast, which covers news and popular culture topics discussed in the book.[10]