Black History Year: George the Poet performs at Westminster for Black History Year event

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. 

In the summer of 2018, he opened the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with his poem ‘The Beauty of Union’, and in 2019, his audio offering ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’ won a prestigious Peabody Award and 5 Gold British Podcast Awards, including the highly-coveted Podcast of the Year. The podcast was described by BBC Radio 4 as “a story that could change the world”. George is now embarking on a PhD and completing chapter 3 of the podcast.

The Black History Year Group welcomed George the Poet to perform some of his spoken-word pieces, where he also joined in with the audience discussions and answered any questions they had.

Speaking on the importance of the event, George the Poet said: “What excites me the most about this chapter in history is the conscious acknowledgment that there is an important conversation that has been live for a long time. I remember at the beginning of my career I felt that I was still at entry level just getting acknowledgment that there is progress to be made; I was often met with the response that problems of today are more of a class nature as opposed to a racial nature… and in a very short space of time the conversation has recalibrated.”

Westminster’s Black History Year steering group initially came together in June 2020 to plan for Black History Month in October 2020, however it soon became clear that Black History should not be relegated to a single month of recognition as attention on racial injustice and disparities began to spread across the globe.

Instead, the group wanted to showcase a continuous stream of stories, events and initiatives that reflect the richness of the University, past and present. Westminster has been commended by several institutions and individuals for taking a bold and sustained approach to recognising Black histories.

Dibyesh Anand, Head of School of Social Sciences at Westminster said: “Celebration of Black History Year is about renewing our commitment to anti-racism and supporting a diverse world where all individuals and communities can express themselves without fear and prejudice. Starting the year with a spoken word performance by George the Poet whose identity, heritage, and talent cuts across boundaries should speak to many of us in Britain and beyond today who, themselves or through families, inhabit a pluriversal world.”

Find out more about Westminster’s Black History Year.