Celebrating Black History Month 2024: Events and Activities for University Students
Black History Month 2024 in the UK has come around again this October. It is an important part of the calendar each year, providing the opportunity for black heritage, culture and history to be shared, celebrated and understood.
We are always keen to share with our students different cultural events and important landmarks to celebrate each year, including the various Pride parades around the country, International Women’s Day, and Black History Month. If you are new to the country or making your way into adult life as a self-sufficient, socially aware student, we hope we can provide you with the insight to share your own stories, to get involved with different events and to make a difference.
What is Black History Month?
It is an event that first began in the USA back in the 1920s and also takes place in Canada, Germany, Ireland, and other countries around the world. Whereas in Canada and the USA, Black History Month is celebrated in February each year, in the UK it is in October.
People from African and Caribbean backgrounds come together to celebrate their history and to showcase the impact that they have had on British history and culture, and how that contribution to modern Britain has been woefully overlooked over time.
Reclaiming narratives
The theme this year is ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ and this is important, especially as you look at the last few years and the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of the Windrush generation in the UK.
The idea is for black communities to take control of the narrative, to tell the stories and to fundamentally change the way that black history is taught in the UK. Instead of just revisiting history, this month is about looking at history in a different way, where black communities become the custodians of their own heritage and tell the stories that have been distorted up to now when taught in British schools and told in the wider social construct.
The history behind Black History Month
Black History Month was launched as Black History Week in 1926 by Carter G Woodson, a professor at Howard University who had been able to study at one of the few high schools for black students and gained a PhD in history from Harvard University, amongst other qualifications. He worked tirelessly to promote black history in schools, and in 1970 in the USA, this was expanded to encompass a month. Since 1976 every US President has officially designated Black History Month as February in the US.
In the UK the first Black History Month took place in 1987, which was the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean. Akyaaba Addai-Sebo arranged the first UK Black History Month with the same intention to challenge racism and to celebrate black history. He had come from Ghana to the UK as a refugee in the mid-1980s. The change in month compared with the USA was down to October traditionally being a time where African leaders would gather to discuss important matters.
Celebrating Black History Month in the UK
Black History Month celebrates important figures from black history in the UK, such as Lewis Hamilton (multiple world champion in Formula One), Malorie Blackman (first black Children’s Laureate), and Walter Tull (the first black officer to command white troops in the British Army), and many others who have made a great contribution to British history, not only black British history.
It is an all-encompassing event though, with local communities, museums, galleries, and event spaces across the country putting on events, workshops, talks, lectures, concerts, and more to discuss the impact of British colonialism, and the present and future of black communities in the UK.
For university students across the country, there is a wide range of events celebrating Black History Month, so take a look at the listings at your own university to see what is being put on and how you can get involved. There are always different ways in which you can, whether that is through organising events, helping to promote events or managing them on the day.
If you want to make sure that this generation and future generations are taught more about black communities, you can also apply pressure to universities, write and engage with university leaders and local black communities to get involved.
Black History Month events
There are hundreds of events taking place throughout the UK this October. We’ve put together a few listings to show you some examples of events this Black History Month.
Reclaiming History: Untold Stories of Britain’s Diverse Heritage
Cavendish Venues – 1 America Square/17 Crosswall
Tuesday 1st October
This is an event that aims to enlighten the audience with stories of the history of Britain and how it has become such an exciting and vibrant melting pot of cultures in the modern day.
These are stories that have been forgotten about or never told until now, exploring stories from the Windrush generation, alongside other major events in Africa and the Caribbean that have led to migration and a greater influx of ideas, art, music, culture, and food to black communities in Britain.
The event is hosted by David Olusoga, a British-Nigerian historian, author, and filmmaker, as well as a Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester.
Black Creative Trailblazers
Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester
Thursday 3rd October
Art, music, poetry, dance and fashion, all in this fantastic black-tie event that celebrates the best of Black creatives. Black Creative Trailblazers is a creative launchpad for those talents that are emerging, and the alumni have gone on to be celebrated at such wide range of events as Netflix productions, Glastonbury, and London Fashion Week to name just a few.
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African Fashion Week
Kensington & Chelsea Conference & Event Centre, London.
Saturday 12th October
The 14th edition of African Fashion Week London is here and is now the largest African fashion event in the whole of Europe. Over the course of the opening weekend there are over 30 vendors showcasing the best in African-heritage brands, catwalk showcases for the best African designers, performances, and a trade expo between the UK and Africa. There will be plenty of food, drink, engaging speakers and talks.
Let us know what you are involved with for Black History Month 2024, whether as part of your university events or your local community. We are always keen to hear from students living at (or planning to move to) our student accommodation across the UK. Black History Month is a vital part of the calendar, ensuring that black voices are heard, that black culture, heritage, and history is understood and celebrated.
Follow us on Instagram @_homesforstudents and let us know your favourite way to celebrate Black History Month.
If you are looking for student accommodation for the next year, you are in the right place. Visit our Homes for Students website and browse through a range of properties that cater to every need.