A series of books by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené
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 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]
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]
Reception
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]