Black History Month 2023 is a time for progressive reflection, it presents the opportunity to experience events, discussions and more around the country that enable us to mark the historical contexts of black culture whilst celebrating it's non-monolithic evolution to the present day.
We're highlighting just a few events around the country below. You can also watch our own interview for Black History Month with Rob Berkeley (BlackOut UK); and read this guest blog with Black Cultural Archives. You can see some additional information about Black Girls Hike, Coco Collective and The Black Farmers Market by visiting our Instagram. London Arts and Health has also highlighted a huge number of events and activities around London here.
CHWA is proud to be partnering with London Arts in Health for their Creative Health Sandpit: Exploring Black Men's Mental Health: 30 October, featuring Quiet Voice, aka Stephen Rudder.
BlackOut UK is an ambitious not-for-profit social enterprise that recognises and celebrates the diversity of experience and views among black queer men in the UK.
You can watch CHWA's conversation with one of BlackOut's founding directors, Rob Berkeley, here:
Elsewhere...
Olatunde Spence (who kindly spoke to CHWA for Black History Month 2021) has published a new article which helpfully explores racialised trauma, and EDMR UK's relationship with becoming an anti-racist organisation. The article also charts her own journey from youth volunteer to Black activist to therapist.
Birmingham Museum has curated events and resources with a keen focus on this year’s national theme of ‘Saluting Our Sisters.’ Highlights include the 'Black is Beautiful, Blackness without Apology' display which sees Aston Hall’s Boudoir transformed into a young Black girl’s contemporary dressing room to celebrate Black women and the rich diverse culture within the Black diaspora. Throughout October, you can take a journey through archival and photographic material from Vanley Burke's Blood and Fire Exhibition around the Black British experience using Birmingham as a lens.
National Museums Liverpool (North West Museums Champion for the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance) are commemorating Black History Month with a series of special events and activities. From life drawing at Walker Art Gallery designed to celebrate the power and strength of Black women, to crafting for all the family. A highlight from the October programme is Jupiter’s Song, an exhibition where International artist Khaleb Brooks explores perspectives, exchange and humanising experiences, through music, dance and sculpture inspired by the Earle Collection of documents at the International Slavery Museum.
Manchester Museum is hosting a series of workshops on Saturday 28th October for all ages, using the themes of ‘Saluting Our Sisters’ and ‘Before Windrush’, inspired by the museum’s Afro-Caribbean collections. The Saluting Our Sisters theme explores the crucial role that black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change, and building communities through poetry whilst the Windrush workshop focuses on creating an educational and heartwarming experience that bridges generations and inspires meaningful conversations about history, identity, and unity.
Ramm Museum are looking back at their celebrations of Black history over the past year, including the 75th anniversary of Windrush and the Museum of Colour My Words Response Gallery; a permanent digital exhibition of portraits of artists of colour, making visible those who collectively have made a significant change to our understanding of poetry and spoken word in Britain.
The Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights founded Black History Month Scotland in 2001 and has been working in collaboration with voluntary, community and public sector groups to come together and create an exciting range of events including exhibitions, talks, tours, workshops and film screenings in celebration of Black History Month across Scotland. The Crafted Selves: The Unfinished Conversation exhibition taking place at St Andrews Museum until February 2024, takes its title from a continuing discourse between Bajan-Scottish artist turned curator Cat Dunn and the 13 Scotland based artists featured - What does it mean to have a dual identity, and how is this sense of self reflected in work being made by Scottish craft artists today?
In Cambridge, the Black Medical Scientific Network in collaboration with James Bell have put together a collection of portraits of black female scientists in line with this years Black History Month theme ‘Saluting Our Sisters’. The event will celebrate the amazing work black female scientist are doing and will also feature a number of scientist who will be present to talk about their work. Tickets are available here.
You can find more events around the country by visiting the main Black History Month site. Artists Newsletter also has a feature on exhibitions and shows around the country.