By Filiz Gurer, News Editor
The University of Bristol Students’ Union has revealed the full line up of events taking place for Black History Month this October.
The SU has stated that ‘Black History Month exists to promote community cohesion through the teaching, learning and exploration of Black history,’ and that the programme has been designed with this in mind.
The 2020 programme was a collaboration between the student BME Network, alongside Bristol SU events team and Black student societies such as ACS, Afrolit and Black Muslims Society, as well as the University of Bristol BME Success Programme and the History Department.
The events this year aim to continue conversations highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement this summer, with the tag line for the month as 'our past, present and future.'
Events will be open for all University of Bristol students and staff to attend, providing the opportunity to engage with topics like allyship and the contested politics of monuments and public history.
Speakers will include Bristol alumni such as Chanté Joseph, founder of the Bristol BME Powerlist, and Liv Little, founder of gal-dem, as well as a number of academic staff and Bristol students who will share their work and experiences.
In addition to the events programme, Bristol SU will also be celebrating the successes of Black students through social media.
Speaking about the month, Khadija Meghrawi, Chair of Bristol SU’s BME Network, said that ‘Black History is far too neglected in the mainstream and should be represented all year around.
‘The purpose of this month is both to empower Black students, and to refocus the energy on how to be an active ally, equipping non-Black students with the tools to educate themselves and question the structures around them.
‘These discussions are particularly relevant in Bristol, which is facing the challenge of ensuring that the pulling down of Colston's statue is not where the activism ends.
‘By working with Black student societies such as ACS, Afrolit and BMS, we have also ensured that we have platformed a variety of perspectives, from celebrating Black British History and Culture, particularly in Bristol, but also individuals lived experiences.
‘There are lots of great events to attend in our Black History Month programme this year but I am most excited about Misogynoir and Beyond, which features some incredible panellists, each with a unique experience to share on the issues Black women face that are far too often overshadowed.’
Some of the events taking place as part of the programme this year will include:
- 14 October, 4-5:30pm, Memorialisation, public histories and race: a transnational conversation
- 15 October, 6-7:30pm, Poetry, Performance and Protests: Black History before Colston
- 23 October, 6-7:30pm, Misogynoir and Beyond: Black Women Speak
Along with many more.
The programme, which has been supported by Santander, will for the first time run entirely online, with events set to take place throughout the month and a number of different options available each week.
Featured: Sam Saunders, Colour by Bristol SU
Free tickets and full details of the Black History Month programme are available now at www.bristolsu.org.uk/blackhistorymonth
