Black History Month at NTU
Black History Month (BHM) is an annual celebration of the successes and achievements of the black community and a time for recognising their impact in society.
We’ve planned a special season of events and activities not just in October, but throughout this whole academic year to celebrate the important black historical figures who helped make Britain what it is today. We recognise that the Black history experience is not limited to one month each year, and have made a commitment to work year-round to host a programme of events, resources and campaigns to help create a more equal future for everyone. #BHM365
From film screenings and reading and writing workshops, to samba drumming and music talks, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and participate in.
September 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event Details | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 September | 7 pm | My Name is Why: In Conversation with Lemn Sissay | Talk | Metronome | Anyone | Reserve your place |
August 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event Details | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August | 1 pm - 2 pm | South Asian Heritage Month panel conversation | To mark the end of SAHM we will be speaking to colleagues about their lived experiences and South Asian heritage | Online | Staff and Students | Join the conversation |
| 18 August | 5 pm - 6 pm | Formations: Lace YouTube launch: Empowerment Doll making with artist Rita Kappi. | Following her Zoom workshop in July, we are delighted to launch a video where Rita Kappia will introduce her Empowerment Doll project and provide instruction to create your own doll. | Online | All | Book to attend here |
July 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event Details | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 July | 5 pm - 5 45 pm | In conversation with South Asian Heritage Month and Jagdish Patel | We will start of our celebrations with representatives of the South Asian Heritage Month team who will speak about the importance of this month | Online | Staff and Students | Join the conversation |
| 21 July | 6 30 pm - 8 pm | Formations: Lace Creative Writing Workshop with Angela Costi and Eve Makis: Writing as Embroidery | In this writing workshop, Angela Costi will thread the story of her Cypriot grandmother’s lace and embroidery making, called Lefkarathika, which imbues her poetry making. | Online | All | Sold out |
| 24 July | 10.30 am - 12 pm | Formations: Lace Empowerment Doll-making workshop with artist Rita Kappia | In this workshop, you can make your own Empowerment Doll using a range of common materials. Advance registration is required and a free package of the materials you will need to make your doll will be sent to you. | Online | All but aimed at 8 -12 year olds and families. | Book your ticket here |
June 2021
Windrush Day at NTU - June 22 2021
| Time | Event | Description | Audience | How to join |
| 11AM – 12PM | Open Lecture: "The Dehumanisation of the Immigrant: Understanding the Propaganda of 'Savages' and 'Swarms'" | Colin Alexander’s lecture will contextualise the Windrush Generation from an academic perspective. | Staff and Students | View the lecture |
| 1PM - 2PM | In conversation with Nottingham Windrush Support Forum, Windrush Justice Clinic and Bright ideas Nottingham | A discussion about organisations that support the Windrush generations in a variety of capacities, with a focus on the importance of having a support network when seeking justice through the juristically system. | Staff and Students | View the conversation |
Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
22 June – 22 August 2021 | 10:00 – 18:00 | Don’t Blame the Blacks | Exhibition | Nottingham Castle | Anyone |
May 2021
April 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr | 6.30 pm – 8.30 pm | Hero’s Journey Creative Writing Workshop with Eve Makis and Anthony Cropper | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 22 Apr | 1 pm – 3 pm | Stephen Lawrence Day 'Silence is not an option' The Right Honourable Stuart Lawrence, will be our special guest and speaker at this event. | Talk | Online | NTU staff and students | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) Find out more (click here if you're an NTU staff member, or here if you're an NTU student) |
| 28 Apr | 5 pm – 7 pm | Conversation: Behind the Line – KARVAN meets Kwanzaa Collective UK to talk about CARE | Talk | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
March 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Mar | 5 – 6 pm | Conversation: Colonialism, Contagion and the Race to Vaccinate | Talk | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 31 Mar | 6.30 – 8.30 pm | Hero’s Journey Creative Writing Workshop with Eve Makis and Anthony Cropper *sold out* | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
February 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Feb | 7 – 8.30 pm | Roundtable discussion: Slavery and Public History in the UK and US | Talk | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 17 Feb | 6.30 – 8 pm | Writing Statues: Creative Writing Workshop with Eve Makis | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
January 2021
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan | 5 – 7 pm | The dream of love, peace and equality: Dr Martin Luther King | Talk | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 20 Jan | 6.30 – 8 pm | Resilience Writing: Creative Writing Workshop with Postcolonial Studies Centre writer-in-residence Eve Makis | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 26 Jan | 4 – 5 pm | Poetry Reading with Annum Salman: Sense Me, Remembering Incomplete Identities of the Past | Poetry reading | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
December 2020
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Dec | 7.30 – 9 pm | WRAP Live: In conversation with Derek Owusu | Talk | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 8 Dec | 6.30 – 8 pm | Book launch: Jenni Ramone, Postcolonial Literatures in the Local Literary Marketplace: Located Reading | Book launch | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 10 Dec | 6.30 – 7.30 pm | Interview: From Brixton to Jamaica with the acclaimed novelist Alex Wheatle – in conversation with Eve Makis | Interview | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
November 2020
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov | 7 – 8.30 pm | Valentina De Riso, ‘Indigenous-settler Relations in Canada and Land-Based Reconciliation in Lee Maracle’s Celia’s Song’ | Talk | Online | Anyone | Watch it here |
| 25 Nov | 6.30 – 8 pm | Landscape Writing: Creative Writing Workshop with NTU’s Postcolonial Studies Centre writer-in-residence Eve Makis | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
October 2020
| Date | Time | Event | Event type | Venue | Who can attend | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct | 5 – 6 pm | Race: Let’s Talk About It! | Panel discussion | Online | NTU students | Reserve your place |
| 7 – 10 pm | Welcome Film Festival 2020 | Film screening | Online | NTU students | Reserve your place | |
| 2 Oct | 2 – 3 pm | Online Book Club | Book club | Online | NTU students and staff | Join via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 7 Oct | 12.30 – 1 pm | Conversations about race: Black Britons | Live stream conversation | Online | NTU staff | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) |
| 3 – 4 pm | WRAP writing hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 4.30 – 5.30 pm | WRAP reading hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 8 Oct | 7.30 – 9 pm | WRAP writing workshop | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Find out more |
| 9 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Online Book Club | Book club | Online | NTU student and staff | Join via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 10 Oct | 3 – 4.30 pm | WRAP writing workshop | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more |
| 12 Oct | 7.30 – 9 pm | Read a Black Author | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more |
| 13 Oct | 1 – 2.30 pm | Respect at NTU | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Sign up via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 14 Oct | 12.30 – 1 pm | The Black British history you may not know about | Live stream conversation | Online | NTU staff | Click here to join live |
| 2 – 3 pm | Race and Ethnicity – Achievement and Transformation | Talk | Online | NTU students and staff | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) | |
| 3 – 4 pm | WRAP writing hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 4.30 – 5.30 pm | WRAP reading hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 15 Oct | 9 – 10.30 am | Shaping Enterprise: Diversity in Enterprise | Panel discussion | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place |
| 5.30 – 7 pm | Debate: Faith and Race | Panel discussion | Online | NTU students and staff | Reserve your place | |
| 7 – 8.30 pm | SNCC's Stories: Interview with Sharon Monteith | Interview and discussion | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place | |
| 16 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Online Book Club | Book club | Online | NTU students and staff | Sign up via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 20 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Cultural Diversity | Workshop | Online | NTU students and staff | Sign up via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 6.30 – 8.30 pm | Resilience Writing: Creative Writing Workshop with Postcolonial Studies Centre writer-in-residence Eve Makis | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place | |
| 7 – 9.30 pm | What is racism and how can I be an ally? | NTSU Workshop | The Level, NTSU | NTU students | Reserve your place | |
| 21 Oct | 12.30 – 1 pm | Conversations about race: Discovering our hidden treasures | Live stream conversation | Online | NTU staff | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) |
| 1 – 2 pm | Professor Corinne Fowler, Colonial Countryside: Addressing Country Houses’ Colonial Links | Research seminar | Online | NTU students and staff | Reserve your place | |
| 1 – 3 pm | Inspiring Enterprise: Celebrating black female entrepreneurs | Seminar | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place | |
| 2 – 3 pm | Black Activism | Talk | Online | NTU students and staff | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) | |
| 2 – 4 pm | What is racism and how can I be an ally? | NTSU Workshop | Online | NTU students | Reserve your place | |
| 3 – 4 pm | WRAP writing hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 4.30 – 5.30 pm | WRAP reading hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 22 Oct | 7.30 – 9 pm | WRAP writing workshop | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more |
| 23 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Online Book Club | Book club | Online | NTU students and staff | Sign up via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 5.30 – 6.30 pm | Samba drumming workshop delivered by Nikki from ArtBeat | Carnival Samba Drumming Session | Online | NTU students | Email music@ntu.ac.uk to reserve your place. | |
| 24 Oct | 3 – 4.30 pm | WRAP writing workshop | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more |
| 26 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Decolonising the University | Conversation | Online | NTU students and staff | Email david.hindley@ntu.ac.uk to reserve your place. |
| 27 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Cross-cultural communication | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Book your place via FutureHub |
| 5.30 – 7.30 pm | Black History Month: Why is it so hard to talk about race? | NTSU Workshop | The Level, NTSU | NTU students | Reserve your place | |
| 28 Oct | 12.30 – 1 pm | Conversations about race: Black British future | Live stream conversation | Online | NTU staff | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) |
| 2 – 3 pm | Hate Crime Awareness and Support | Talk | Online | NTU students and staff | Click here to join live (no need to pre-book) | |
| 2 – 4 pm | Black History Month: Why is it so hard to talk about race? | NTSU Workshop | Online | NTU students | Reserve your place | |
| 3 – 4 pm | WRAP writing hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 4 – 5 pm | Music for Social Change Talk delivered by award winning Gospel artiste Freddie Kofi | Talk | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 4 – 6 pm | Celebrating Black Excellence in the Designed and Built Environment | Talk | Online | NTU students and staff | Email lottie.kelvey@ntu.ac.uk to reserve your place | |
| 4.30 – 5.30 pm | WRAP reading hour | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more | |
| 4.30 – 6 pm | Missing: Diverse stories of fashion and textiles | Talk followed by Q&A | Online | NTU students and staff | Email artexecutivesupport@ntu.ac.uk to reserve your place. | |
| 6.30 – 7.30 pm | Dr Rebecca J. Fraser, The “Citizenship Divas” of Early 19th Century America: Black Female Intellectuals and the Complexities of Bodily Performance | Research Seminar | Online | NTU students and staff | Reserve your place | |
| 7 – 8.30 pm | John Edgar Wideman: African American History-Making and Uses of Visual Art | Workshop | Online | Anyone | Reserve your place | |
| 29 Oct | 7.30 – 9 pm | WRAP writing workshop | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more |
| 30 Oct | 1 – 2 pm | Online Book Club | Book club | Online | NTU students and staff | Sign up via the Virtual Global Lounge |
| 31 Oct | 3 – 4.30 pm | WRAP writing workshop | Workshop | Online | NTU students | Find out more |
Don't forget to tag us with the hashtags below to share your involvement in our Black History Month programme throughout this academic year!
#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM2020 #BHM365
As a university, we are proud to be a progressive and inclusive university, and we all have a part to play in tackling racism.
Read the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Edward Peck’s statement about the action NTU is taking to improve its knowledge, understanding and approach to racial equality.
For anyone who would like to self-educate, here are a set of articles that may help you as part of your journey.
If you would like to advertise an event, please contact ntu.events@ntu.ac.uk