Black History Month at the University of Bristol

By Tara Ghias, Third Year History

Black History Month is a very important month in the year; we celebrate all to do with black history and the impact it has had on our histories and societies. A range of societies, such as the History Society, BME network and the Bristol SU, will be hosting many different events throughout the month to raise awareness of the importance of including black history into our everyday narratives.

Wednesday 14th October:
The University of Bristol History Department, BME network and the History Society co-hosted a joint event called ‘Memorialisation, public histories and race: A transnational conversation.’

Monday 19th October:
History Society will be hosting a film night showing Spike Lee’s masterpiece BlackKlansman. The story follows Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) in the early 1970s as the first African American detective to serve in Colorado. He sets out bravely on a mission to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.

Event takes place from 7 – 9.15pm and details to join can be found on the Society Facebook page.

Wednesday 21st October:
Presented by the History Society, the Young Historians Project will be giving a virtual talk on Microsoft Teams from 1-3:30pm. Their talk will be focused on the NHS, and the real story behind how it was created and ran.

The Young Historians Project is an organisation run by a team of young people aged 16-25 who look to encourage historians of African and Caribbean heritage to be involved in academic circles.

Click here to donate if you would like to this fantastic organisation, and click here to book a ticket to the event.

The other event taking place on the 21st October is ‘What is the Reparative History of Race?’, co-hosted by the History Department and the Centre for Black Humanities from 3.30-5pm. Book a ticket at this link.

Interview: Talking Bristol, Black Lives Matter and Twitter with history of slavery professor Olivette Otele
Bristol SU announces Black History Month line up

Wednesday 28th October:
The History Department will be hosting an event showcasing undergraduate student historians and Bristol staff members about why Black History Matters. It will be taking place from 4-5pm online and you can book a ticket here.

Thursday 29th October:
The History Society is hosting a roundtable discussion between History students and members of the History Faculty on the 29th of October. The main talking point of this event will be Decolonisation of the University, with history society members also getting involved in the roundtable.

The event will take place from 1-2pm on Blackboard Collaborate.

Featured Image: Lucy O'Neill / Epigram


Visit the Students' Union website to find out what else is going on for Black History Month here at the University of Bristol: https://www.bristolsu.org.uk/events?event_type=black-history-month-25309&search=