Although The University of Westminster recognises the importance of Black History Month in October, it became clear through our Black History Year steering group that Black history should not be relegated to just a single month of recognition. Instead, we recognise the value of showcasing a continuous stream of stories, events and initiatives that reflect the richness of our University – past and present – through our Black History Year platform.
About Black History Year
The University of Westminster’s Black History Year showcases our commitment to anti-racism in general and a celebration of Black cultures and histories in particular, and is run by the Black History Year Steering Group.
Starting as a resource for celebrating Black identies, cultures and histories in the University, the Steering Group plans events throughout the year, curates cultural content and the Black History Year blog is a repository of past Black History year events. This is also a place for sharing stories of our colleagues, students and alumni as well as a link to media news, podcasts and programmes that highlight Black voices in arts, culture, politics, social discourse and more.
To this end, Black History Year at Westminster seeks to educate, enlighten, inspire and create an inclusive community – in our organisation and beyond.
Our continued work
As we continue this work, we do so with the support of the wider sector and local communities. The University of Westminster has been commended by several institutions and individuals for taking a bold and sustained approach to recognising our histories.
Our future events programme
George The Poet
Tuesday 19 October, 6.30pm to 7.30pm
Join the Black History Year Group as we welcome George The Poet for some spoken word performances and discussion and audience questions.
George the Poet is a London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage. His innovative brand of musical poetry has won him critical acclaim both as a recording artist and social commentator and seen his work broadcast to billions of people worldwide.
For more information and to book your place go to the George the Poet Student Hub event page.
The Black Experience-Revisited
Thursday 2 November, 6pm to 7pm
This event will further explore Black artists in the music industry and their personal experiences.
Hosted by Jay Davidson, Content Strategist and Exec Producer at Fully Focused Productions, artist Lylo Gold and music executive Ben Wynter will discuss important topics including media training and brand management, the realities of the industry, and ways in which artists can use their abilities to land freelance work and opportunities. Plus we will revisit the hot topic of racism and sexism in the industry.
If you missed out on the first event you can watch it here, but this is not compulsory and you can still enjoy this event without watching.
The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with the panel.
For more information and to book your place go to The Black Experience-Revisited Student Hub event page.
Upcoming events in 2021/2022 academic year
There are many more upcoming events in the 2021/2022 academic year, including ‘The Power of Writing’ and ‘Unravelling the Mixed-race experience’ as well as explorations in creativity, religion, alumni and many more.
To keep up to date with all these future BHY events visit our Student Hub events pages and Black History Year blog for further information.
Further resources
- Black History Year webpage
- To find out what other events and news we have please visit Black History Year blog
- University of Westminster celebrates its first year of Black History Year initiative
- Equality, Diversity and inclusion webpages.
How to contact us
If you wish to suggest any event ideas, new stories or articles, we would love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]
You can follow us on Twitter at @bmenet_UoW
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