By Leah Conway –
October has come around and with it, so have the annual Black History Month (BHM) events. Black history month was founded in the UK by Akyaaba Addai Sebo in 1987. It is a time to learn, spread awareness, celebrate, commemorate and educate. Here’s a quick overview of some Black History Month events across Kirklees, West Yorkshire, as well as online.
Black History Month Bradford 2021 – Proud to be
There are several BHM events in Bradford throughout October this year. The events aim to celebrate achievements & contributions and explore Black British history. However, they also emphasise the importance of continued action – exploring how to tackle racism, express and share knowledge on black history, and ensure it surpasses the month.
There will be a vast range of events, from the BHM Flag Raising Ceremony, photograph exhibitions, radio broadcasts, awareness days, achievement projects, cooking showcase, workshops and educational talks and much more; check out the PDF – BHM Bradford 2021 Event Guide 1
Kirklees Windrush Mural Project
The Kirklees Windrush Mural project is an initiative looking for young people (14-21 years) from across Kirklees to get involved in designing a permanent mural that celebrates and commemorates the incredible impact of the Windrush Generation has had on our region.
Check it out:
Diversity is our biggest strength.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council, said: “Once again, community groups and organisations in Kirklees have done a fantastic job of organising both educational and inspirational Black History Month events.
“I’m extremely proud that Kirklees Council and our communities work together to celebrate this month. We recognise that we should celebrate black history at every opportunity but that we can also use the month to educate ourselves, our friends, families and neighbours about the significant contributions of black Britons.
“Kirklees, like the rest of the UK, has hugely benefited both culturally and economically thanks to our black African and Caribbean communities.
“Our biggest strength in Kirklees is our diversity and I look forward to celebrating it this Black History Month.”
West Yorkshire Archive Service -Black lives in the archives
West Yorkshire Archive Service is hosting an exhibition about Black Lives in the archives Every Monday and Tuesday in October 2021, 9:30 am – 12pm and 1pm – 4pm.
The public can drop in to the event for free, and no booking is required.
For more information, contact the West Yorkshire Archive Service at kirklees@wyjs.org.uk, or 0113 535 0150.
The Windrush Achievement Awards 2021
Kirklees Council hosts a Windrush Achievements awards night this October – Saturday 16 October, 6pm – 8:30pm. The event is hosted over zoom and will be a live stream.
The event aims to celebrate the significant contributions of African Caribbean people in West Yorkshire. You can find out more about the event at BHM Kirklees events at cohesion@kirklees.gov.uk.
Huddersfield Student Union
The University of Huddersfield’s students’ union is hosting a range of free events across the month, including talks on ‘Race & Privilege: An Overdue Conversation, African Influences in Music, black history in bioscience, ‘Hudmovie’ showings of shows such as Small Axe, Moonlight and a BAME network meeting.
Online
Not just black history month, but tours running throughout the year, online and across the country. You can catch events ranging from Black Genealogy: Tracing Your Ancestors Back to the 1860s, An introduction to African religion, African historiography. Find out more on the Black History Month website.
KLTV Black history Videos
Here is just a snippet of what is going on this Black History Month. While BHM remains important in embedding and sharing black history and culture each year, there should be a reminder that black history shouldn’t stand alone and be saturated into one month. Across the events highlighted in the article, especially the online ones, are several educational and cultural events happening across the year beyond this October.