Friday 18-09-2020 - 10:00

The full line up of events for the University of Bristol Students’ Union Black History Month programme has now been revealed. This year will focus on Our Past, Present and Future. 

The Black History Month programme has been pulled together by the student BME Network in collaboration with the Bristol SU events team, Black student societies such as ACS, Afrolit and Black Muslims Society, and the University of Bristol BME Success Programme and History Department.  

Black History Month is essential in promoting community cohesion through the teaching, learning and exploration of Black history. The programme has been designed with this in mind. 

Many of the events this year will continue the conversations highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement earlier this year. The events will be open to all University of Bristol students and staff, providing the opportunity to engage with topics like allyship and the contested politics of monuments and public history.  

Speakers include Bristol alumni such as Chanté Joseph, founder of the Bristol BME Powerlist and Liv Little, founder of gal-dem, as well as a number of academic staff and Bristol students who will share their work and experiences. 

In addition to an events programme, we will also be celebrating the successes of some of our Black students through social media. 

Khadija Meghrawi , Chair of the Bristol SU BME Network said: 

“Black History is far too neglected in the mainstream and should be represented all year around. The purpose of this month is both to empower Black students, and to refocus the energy on how to be an active ally, equipping non-Black students with the tools to educate themselves and question the structures around them. These discussions are particularly relevant in Bristol, which is facing the challenge of ensuring that the pulling down of Colston's statue is not where the activism ends.” 

“By working with Black student societies such as ACS, Afrolit and BMS, we have also ensured that we have platformed a variety of perspectives, from celebrating Black British History and Culture, particularly in Bristol, but also individuals lived experiences. There are lots of great events to attend in our Black History Month programme this year but I am most excited about Misogynoir and Beyond, which features some incredible panellists, each with a unique experience to share on the issues Black women face that are far too often overshadowed.” 

Events will take place throughout the month, with a number of different options available each week. This is the first year that the events programme will run entirely online. The programme has been supported by Santander. 

Free tickets and full details of the Black History Month programme are available now at www.bristolsu.org.uk/blackhistorymonth. 

 

Photo Credit: Sam Saunders, A Surge of Power, Colour by Bristol SU, CC BY-SA 2.0