Taking the L: Lessons in Accountability

Taking the L: Lessons in Accountability – Witch Hunts, Main Character Syndrome, Dog Piles & Radical Self-Love (Online Event)

Too late to apologise? Sometimes, but never to ourselves

Taking the L is a series of powerful, joyful online events exploring lessons learned in charity and activist spaces, both online and offline. Co-hosted by three sector leaders Martha Awojobi, Seyi Akiwowo and Cam St-Omer Donaldson, this event will unpick how social media culture has distorted our understanding and expectations of accountability – fuelling cancel culture, vigilante justice, “main character syndrome”, and dog piling – and how we can reclaim accountability as a practice of care, repair, radical self-love, and collective liberation.

We will explore the lessons we’ve learned from harm and repair, the power of apology, and how to hold ourselves and others with compassion – even when it’s hard. There will be music, laughter, poetry, and moments of real talk about how boundaries, forgiveness, and consequence all fit into the accountability puzzle. As always, we want to hear from you - help us shaping the discussion by sumbitting questions for us to reflect on and share any real life accountability dilemmas that you are facing for our agony aunties segment.

What to expect:

• 🎙️ Honest conversations on our biggest “L’s” (losses), apologies that repaired deep wounds, and the weaponisation of boundaries
• 🗣️ "Sh*t I Wanna Say" – responding to lessons in accountability with pre-submitted questions
• 🔥 Live Q&A with Cam – straight from the chat
• 💌 Agony Aunties segment – advice and reflection on accountability in real time
• 🎵Music

A recording will be free to access for all ticket holders for three months following the event.

Who this is for:

This event centres Black women, femmes and marginalised genders in leadership, migrant and refugee women, disabled and/or queer changemakers, and global majority communities navigating digital harm and hyper-visibility. Our existing Taking the L community – UK-based Black and Brown digital activists, artists, and thought leaders – will feel right at home. But all are welcome to join us for this honest and joyful conversation.

Why this matters:

Black women movement leaders in the UK are disproportionately over-surveilled, policed, and targeted with online abuse – especially those advocating for racial justice, feminist values, and systemic change. The rise of far-right politics, witch hunts, and moral virtue signalling has further silenced, isolated, or retraumatised changemakers.

This live event is about resisting that narrative: reconnecting with joy, community and our “why”, and choosing a transformative approach to accountability, repair, radical self-love, and resistance.

Event Details:

📅 Date: 8th October 2025 🕠 Time: 5-7pm 📍 Location: Zoom (virtual)

We will have captions, and ticket holders will have access to the recording for three months following the event. Help us shape the discussion by sharing your questions here.

Take the L with us, and let’s transform what accountability looks like.