October is Black History Month. A time when we celebrate the contributions of black people in the UK and on the world stage. Black History Month was first marked in the UK in October 1987.
Entering its 35th year of celebration, Black History Month 2022 UK runs throughout the month of October. This year’s theme, Time for Change: Action Not Words, focuses on the double-burden black people carry. Experiencing racism and discrimination and then being expected to fix the problem themselves. The event encourages people to get involved by taking action using the ‘see something, say something’ idea of tackling racism.
Everyone can participate in BHM by championing, and celebrating diversity in the workplace. And embracing its theme through demonstrating inclusivity and challenging bad behaviours. Check out the information and resources available at https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/
International BHM (IBHM) organisation is exploring the black British community through their ‘Sharing Journeys’ feature find out more at https://www.ibhm-uk.org/black-history-month-uk.
If you prefer to engage with IBHM through reading, there are a number of reads through the book recommendations. Included in the list is ‘A Visible Man’ by Edward Enninful – “I set out to bring the ‘othered’ to the table. We’re here to inspire and give people something to dream about as well as a sense of the possible here and now.”
Black History is everyone’s history as we are all global citizens. The victor gets to tell history, but this approach creates blindspots and blinkers. So it’s time we took those off and celebrated all of the continued contributions black Britons are making in the UK.
Explore the Black History Month homepage here. View the Events across Essex here.
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