Black History Month 2020
The IGDC and the University of York are celebrating Black History Month 2020 throughout October.
Black History Month in the UK is in its 33rd year and is celebrated and recognised across the country in schools, city centres, cinema, festivals and more.
The theme for 2020 is 'Celebrating black voices, celebrating black history', the University will be hosting a variety of online events to celebrate black voices, and to foster an understanding of Black History in general.
In addition to the celebratory aspects, the month presents an engaging space of mutual reflection on the achievements and innovative contributions of BAME people to the social, political and cultural development of the United Kingdom.
Dismantling systemic racism is central to the work of the IGDC: it not only underpins much of the research that our members undertake but also informs our teaching, in particular the BA in Global Development which has received its first cohort of students in September.
The IGDC intends to play as full a role as we can in the University of York and beyond to end institutional racism and contribute to creating more equal societies. Our Black Lives Matter statement highlights what we have done and continue to do to further fight racism and other forms of discrimination.
Black History Month is an opportunity for members of the IGDC community to learn more about some of the issues impacting society and BAME people in contemporary society on an international level.
In the coming weeks, IGDC staff will share some of the reading and art on black history that has had an impact on their research and teaching.
Contact us
Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre
igdc@york.ac.uk
01904 323716
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
Twitter
The Access and Outreach team is holding a Black History Month takeover throughout October.
They will be hosting activities, events and resources to highlight Black History and show how our staff, students and alumni celebrate Black History Month. They will release videos, articles, competitions, virtual exhibitions, live events and other resources for you to view and take part in to help develop your understanding of Black History.
Visit the Access and Outreach pages every Thursday in October for a new theme accompanied by events, resources and opportunities to get involved.
Upcoming events
Isaac Julien film screening
Tuesday 20 October, 7-9.15pm
Norman Rea Gallery and the History of Art Department invite you to an exclusive screening of two moving image works, Who Killed Colin Roach? (1983) and Derek (2009) by acclaimed British artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien CBE RA. Who Killed Colin Roach? is a poetic investigation into the murder of a young black British man outside a police station in East London. Derek is a documentary exploring the life and art of pioneering queer filmmaker Derek Jarman.
Revolutionary love, revolutionary weddings: Marriage in the Black Panther Party
Wednesday 21 October, 5.30-7pm
Please register before 5pm on Tuesday 20 October.
The Department of History is delighted to be hosting a public talk by Dr Traci Parker (University of Massachusetts, Amherst). Dr Parker will talk about her exciting new book project, Beyond Loving: Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Black Freedom Movement. It will be followed by a Q and A and discussion.
The Power of Fiction: A Literary Salon on Decolonisation
Thursday 22 October, 5.30pm
Please join us to mark Black History Month with the Department of English and Related Literature's Decolonizing Network.
In this inaugural event, we will consider and celebrate the power of fiction to decolonise. What role does fiction (in all languages from all literary periods) play in the move to decolonise the discipline of English literature, but also decolonise the institution of the university more generally?
We invite student and staff participants from any department at York to take part in a literary salon to explore the power of fiction and celebrate writers of colour. We encourage students to think across literary and historical periods as well as across national and linguistic boundaries.
England’s hidden history
Friday 23 October, 7-8pm
Dr Onyeka Nubia is a pioneering and internationally recognised historian, writer and presenter, working on reinventing our perceptions of the Renaissance, British history, Black Studies and intersectionalism. Dr Nubia is the leading historian on the status and origins of Africans in pre-colonial England from antiquity to 1603. He has developed entirely new strands of British history including Africans in Ancient and Medieval England. For this talk he will share the untold story of people of African descent who lived and worked throughout England in the Tudor period.
Other related events
Mental health: Another casualty of coronavirus?
Thursday 15 October, 6.30pm to 8pm
World Mental Health Day 2020 Lecture. Join us for an evening of talks and discussion on the implications and effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of different groups and communities from a range of academic perspectives. The keynote speaker is Dr Kwame McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer, Wellesley Institute, who will talk about inequalities in this area faced by the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Communities. Academics at the University of York will also present their research into the experiences, both negative and positive, of different population groups.
Black History did not start at slavery
Thursday 22 October, 6pm to 7.30pm
The Graduate Students' Association is hosting this event with guest speaker Gaverne Bennett.
There are Black History Month events taking place across the country:
We have gathered resources to help all members of our community better understand what it is like to experience racism, how to support those who experience racism and what the University is doing to progress its anti-racism work on the Let’s talk about race and racism web page.
Some IGDC members have contributed to a collectively created reading list.
Policies, guidance and resources are available on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion web pages.
Join us on Twitter in our celebration of Black History Month.
Contact us
Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre
igdc@york.ac.uk
01904 323716
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, UK
Twitter