October is Black History Month in the UK.
We are delighted to be working with the Brighton & Hove Black History Project to celebrate the legacies of people of colour throughout history in our city.
These include Thomas Highflyer, a young African boy rescued from a slave ship who was buried in a graveyard in Brighton in 1870, Mary Seacole, Walter Tull, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, and the West Indian Soldiers at the Somme.
In addition to highlighting their stories, we will be celebrating their images with our new Black History badges. The badges are available from Jubilee Library, alongside a display of the images and biographies, and a number of other council offices.
Jubilee Library will also host a series of photographs of UK Black musicians called ‘Black Tunes Matter’ from 1 to 30 October. The exhibition includes biographies, song lyrics and inspiring statements.
And, on Tuesday 8 October, ‘Black Lines Matter’ sees poets come together to share their poems for peace as part of this year’s Black History Month celebration.
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery will be continuing to celebrate the contributions of the Windrush Generation with a series of events throughout October.
This includes the Windrush Presence exhibition - a display of work by a range of artists documenting and reflecting on the contribution of the Windrush generation to British culture and society.
The exhibition is open from 12 October until 1 November and entry is free.
Full details on all the events can be found on Brighton’s Museum website.
Brighton Dome will also be hosting its annual celebration of African and Caribbean culture and heritage with its Black History Family Day on Saturday 9 November.
It’s an event for the whole family to celebrate by dancing, listening to the stories and feasting!
Celebrations run from 12 noon until 5pm and entry is free. Visit the Brighton Dome website for full details.
Councillor Amanda Grimshaw, the council’s lead member for equalities, said: “It’s really important for us as a city to acknowledge the contributions made by the Black community.
“Black History Month allows us to celebrate those contributions and achievements, which have added a richness to our culture over the years.
“It’s a subject I’m very passionate about, as too often those valuable contributions are overlooked.”
