We are celebrating Black History Month this October, one of the core months in our College's new EDI Calendar.
About Black History Month
Black History Month is an opportunity to honour and celebrate the accompishments of Black Britons, including unsung heroes and champions who have influenced every area of endeavour throughout our history, changing the political, cultural and social landscape.
The purpose of Black History Month is to celebrate and expand our understanding of history, through questioning dominant representations and providing platforms for marginalised voices. However, Black History Month also provides an opportunity to further highlight the continued effects of cultural and systemic racism, and what we can all do within our sphere of influence to challenge, intervene, and change our practices to become actively anti-racist.
The theme of this year's Black History Month is 'Time for Change: Action Not Words'. As a university we are committed to looking closer, thinking bigger and taking meaningful action that will lead to genuine and sustained change.
Please see below for information about the Black History Month events taking place and initiatives around race.
You can find out more about Black History Month at our university here.
Students' Union Events
Our Students' Union have teamed up with our African-Caribbean Society (ACS) to organise a range of events for Black History Month. Find out more on the Students' Union Black History Month campaign website.
Anti-racism activist, Maia Thomas joined us in the Shilling Lecture Theatre for a talk and Q&A on Monday 24 October. Maia shared her experience as a young black woman in South West England, touching on the barriers she faced and how she became a leading Equality, Diversity and Inclusion expert and anti-racism activist. This event was open to all students and staff, find out more.
The Students' Union also organised other events including club nights, a workshop on juggling full-time work with a side hustle, and an ACS student showcase.
Our Black History Month logo
We have updated our logo for October using the using the official colours of Black History Month, which are black, red, yellow and green (also known as the Pan African colours). The meanings of these colours are as follows:
- Black - represents the melanated skin colour of African people or people of African descent
- Yellow - represents optimism, justice, and equality for all people
- Green - symbolises Africa's rich greenery and other natural resources
- Red - symbolises the bloodshed of Black and global majority people during the battle against slavery, racism, and colonialism.
Watch an audience with I. Stephanie Boyce
Highlights included an online conversation with I. Stephanie Boyce, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, which was attended by 90 students and staff from across the University. The Law Society was formed in 1825, and in March 2021 Stephanie made history by becoming the 177th president, the sixth female and the first black person to be elected to the role. A
Our Black and Global Majority Staff Network invited our students, staff and the public to take part in a conversation with I. Stephanie Boyce, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, on Wednesday 5 October to celebrate Stephanie’s tenure, achievements, and discuss the legal profession and future of legal training with her as part of our Black History Month programme of events.
The Law Society was formed in 1825, and in March 2021 Stephanie made history by becoming the 177th president, the sixth female and the first black (and first person of colour) to take the role.
Co-chaired by Dr Rita D’Alton-Harrison (School of Law and Social Science), Chris Howorth (School of Business and Management) and Dr Prarthana Purkayastha (School of Performing and Digital Arts).
One attendee commented: 'I felt proud of Stephanie’s achievements and inspired as I have had a tough time in my legal journey. I have always had the mindset to keep going and I have been affirmed by her inspirational words. Thank you and what a positive way to start Black History Month!'
Watch the full recording of 'An audience with I. Stephanie Boyce for Black History Month' on YouTube.
Union Black: Britain's Black cultures and steps to anti-racism free online course
Santander Universities, in partnership with The Open University, have created Union Black: Britain's Black cultures and steps to anti-racism. This is a free, online education programme, presented by experts, designed to start conversations around Black Cultures in the UK and explore anti-racism. It explores Black cultures in Britain and provides learners with an understanding of Black British history, dispelling myths to inform, challenge and contribute to the anti-racism agenda. You will receive a certificate of achievement or statement of participation upon completion which you can add to your CV. You can learn more about it here.
The Life of Sarah Parker Remond
The Department of Psychology welcomed students and staff to celebrate Black History Month by discovering the extraordinary story of Sarah Parker Remond: traveller, abolitionist, lecturer, nurse, doctor, and more.
Sarah Parker Remond (1826-1894) left the free black community of Salem, Massachusetts, where she was born, to become one of the first women to travel on extensive lecture tours across the United Kingdom. She studied at what are now known as Royal Holloway University of London and University College London. She joined in the suffrage movement, fighting for women's right to vote. Remond eventually moved to Florence, Italy, where she earned a degree at one of Europe's most prestigious medical schools. Her language skills enabled her to join elite salons in Florence and Rome, where she entertained high society with musical soirees even while maintaining connections to European emancipation movements.
Professor Sirpa Salenius, author of An Abolitionist Abroad, Sarah Parker Remond in Cosmopolitan Europe, outlined her story and the international range of her impact and achievements, including becoming one of the first women doctors in Italy. The event was hybrid, talking placing place in the Queen's Building while also being livestreamed.
The Black Literature timeline
You may have seen the Black Literature Timeline in the Library entrance. The timeline was created by Royal Holloway alumnus Gaverne Bennett for the British Library and explores the history of black literature in Britain.
To celebrate Black History Month our Library has showcased some of the books featured in the timeline on Instagram and Twitter.
Celebrating Black History Month in the Archives
Our Library and Archives have also been exploring records of radical and progressive theatre companies from the 1970s and 1980s, including the Half Moon Theatre Company and Gay Sweatshop Theatre Company, stored in our Archives and Special Collections.
These Companies staged plays by black writers and featured black performers, attempting to address some of the racial and homophobic issues which were prevalent at the time.
Each week during October, our Library and Picture Gallery teams have been be sharing highlights from the collections, including photos, flyers and posters from the Companies' performances. You can find them on Twitter and Instagram @RHUL_Gallery and @RHUL_Library.