Join us as we acknowledge, honour, and celebrate Black History Month.
The start of October also marks the start of Black History Month - an opportunity for us to reflect on and celebrate the many achievements of our Black community members and the rich and longstanding contribution people of African and Caribbean descent have made to British society and culture.
Recognising the need to celebrate and the history and contributions of our Black colleagues and students beyond the month of October, we will host the following events from November onwards.
The Staff and Student BAME Networks, alongside the UK:ME Society, have partnered to create some incredible events for staff and students to participate in.
BHM Social
The Race Equity Network is hosting an event on 7th November in The 1850, and invites members of the Race Equity Network, allies, and staff and students to celebrate with them.
Reprezent Health
Michael Hobson, Course Lead for Sport and Social Change, runs ‘Reprezent Health Sessions’ on Tuesdays and Fridays. The sessions are open to a all staff and students and all are welcome to attend.
Wednesday 30th October – The Ref: African style food on the menu
As part of the Ref lunch offering on Monday, the Catering team will be creating delicious African style food to enjoy, served in the Ref between 12-2pm.
Our joint staff and student network, the 'Race Equity Staff and Student Network', are dedicated to advocating, celebrating, and educating (ACE) on race equity.
Some great things going on in London celebrating Black History Month
Some of our favourites:
- Discover the ways author, James Baldwin, impacted so many through talks and exhibits at Encounters with James Baldwin: Celebrating 100 years. 16th October
- Spend an evening with talented singer and percussionist, Falle Nioke, exploring the rich music and culture of Guinea at Guinea Talks with Falle Nioke. 16th October
- Head to Electric Brixton to see Pete Rock perform his biggest UK show to date – expect a fusion of hip-hop, jazz and everything in between. 19th October
- Trail through the south London borough on the Tooting Black History Walk, while your guide tells you all about the area's ties to Black culture. 19th October
- Watch a documentary screening of Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, which explores the connection between race, history and the human condition. 21st October
- Be dazzled by a performance from Pointe Black ballet school, Our Windrush Story, which fuses the classic dance style together with Afro-Caribbean influences. 30th October
- Find a line-up of performances from Black artists during the London Literature Festival, such as Out-Spoken and Ghetts Presents: An Evening of Poetry and Music. October – November
Find more Black History Month events in London and online.
London celebrates and appreciates Black culture and communities with exhibitions, walks and landmarks all year round.
- Celebrate the contribution Black people have made to the city with the Black History Tube map, from TfL and the Black Cultural Archives.
- Head to the Museum of London Docklands to sharpen your knowledge about the impact of the trade of sugar and enslaved Africans, through the London, Sugar and Slavery exhibition.
- Journey through 60 years of Nigerian independence through objects, images and words as part of Nigeria60 at the Horniman Museum.
- Choose from 12 guided tours by Black History Walks around the capital, all uncovering more than 3,500 years of London's Black history.
- You can also join an educational movie screening each month to widen your horizons.
- Go on a search for the Blue Plaques and Nubian Jak plaques, which commemorate Black members of the community who left a powerful footprint on London and the world.
- Seek out the Gilt of Cain sculpture in the City of London, which marks the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade in 1807.
- Keep up to date with news and campaigns, and learn how you can be a better ally with London-based educational charity, the Institute of Race Relations.
Learn about the Windrush Stories at the British Library, which explore the relationship between Britain and the Caribbean from 1948 and beyond.
And pick up a book on the topic from New Beacon Books, which was the first Black publisher in the UK, founded in 1966.
A few of the network’s favourites:
- Octavia Butlers ‘Kindred’
- Bernadine Evaristo ‘Girl Woman Other’
- Safiya Sinclair How to say Babylon
- Joy White ‘Terror formed: young Black lives in the inner city’
- bell hooks ‘Teaching critical thinking: practical wisdom’.