October is Black History Month
October 17, 2024
Black History Month began as an effort by Carter G.Woodson to recognise the valuable contribution made by people of African origin and was formally adopted into the UK in 1987.
People from African and Caribbean backgrounds have been a fundamental part of British history for centuries, however, many believe their value and contribution to society is often overlooked, ignored or distorted. With this in mind, the awareness month aims to recognise and celebrate black history.
Black History Month event at City: Unison will be commemorating Black History Month one last time before staff move to MMUH by hosting a special event at City in the Postgraduate Centre dining room on Friday 25 October, 10am – 4pm with food served from 12pm. For more information please email jodie.brown9@nhs.net or raydownie@nhs.net.
Exploring black history through the BBC: The BBC have put together a fantastic library of free programmes and resources exploring black history and culture which can accessed by clicking here.
Exciting films from cutting-edge black filmmakers: Channel 4 have a library of innovative and engaging short film pieces from upcoming black filmmakers which can be accessed by clicking here.
Take a look through time: Celebrating Black Cinema with Naomie Harris on Sky, also available on Now TV (This may require a subscription). A brilliant rendition of the best black films, both classic and modern with Naomie’s invited famous faces. Click here to access.
Get moving to: The Evolution of Black British Music on Netflix (This may require a subscription). Delve into the best tracks spanning the eras and the takeover of black sounds into mainstream British music by clicking here.
University of Birmingham events: the University will be celebrating the culture and histories of our Black communities with a comprehensive programme of events throughout the month which you can access by clicking here.
Other events across Birmingham: There are a variety of other Black History Month events taking place across Birmingham and the surrounding areas. For a comprehensive list please click here.
Online events around Black History Month: The Black History Month website has an array of digital events – should anyone be interesting in attending, please click here.
Interesting read: Mollie Hunte (1932-2015) was an essential part of the Black parent’s movement and the education movement in the UK during the 1960s onwards. Mollie was a vocal advocate for the betterment of young black children and their families and viewed education as a necessity and encouraged higher academic attainment for the black community where she worked. To read the full story, click here.