Every October, Black History Month takes place across the UK and provides a time to educate, celebrate and raise awareness of the history, achievements, and contributions of Black people in the UK and across the world, historically and today.
It’s also a time to call for continued action to dismantle all forms of racism, to reclaim the narrative around Black history and to ensure our diverse communities feel valued and empowered. While we celebrate Black History Month in the month of October, we recognise that we must act throughout the year to ensure our communities are represented and celebrated all year round.
To honour Black History Month in Sheffield, Sheffield City Council is proud to support a wide programme of exciting events curated and hosted by community groups, businesses and local residents that aim to educate, entertain and inspire the wider community. Here are some of the many events you can enjoy during October:
- Black History in the Moor Market events including art exhibitions and live performances
- Theatre Deli plays and events including ‘Can I touch your hair?’ by Lekhani Chirwa (14th October)
- ‘Take it to the Streets’ talk with writer Désirée Reynolds and archivist Cheryl Bailey, revealing Sheffield’s hidden voices at the Off the Shelf festival (21st October)
- Black History Month African-Caribbean market on Fargate (25th to 30th October)
- ‘Passing the Baton’, a community-led film from Nyara School of Arts that focuses on Sheffield’s Windrush generation
Black History Month this year will also see the launch of a new website, Bantu History Sheffield. Set up by the BAME Sheffield Equality Partnership and supported by Sheffield City Council, the website will be a one stop shop promoting multicultural events and activities across the city and is due to launch shortly. We will provide a link in the coming days to the full programme of events taking place during Black History Month and beyond.
Councillor Abtisam Mohamed, leadership advisor for the co-operative executive on poverty, fairness and equality at Sheffield City Council, said: “Sheffield is a culturally rich city and we are hugely proud of our diverse communities.
“People of African descent have long played a significant role in Sheffield’s story including our social, cultural, economic and political life, historically and today. Their contributions have helped to make our city the exciting and vibrant place that it is and this should be celebrated wholeheartedly.
“It’s fantastic to see the city coming together to celebrate Black History Month with a really exciting programme of events and activities. I hope that everyone gets involved however they can and takes the opportunity to not only enjoy all that is on offer but to learn more about the diverse communities that are so important to this city.
“While Black History Month is an important time to raise awareness, we must not limit our appreciation and recognition to just one month. A key priority of the Council’s One Year Plan is to take visible action to fight poverty and inequality.
“We are committed to implementing any recommendations made by the Race Equality Commission to ensure this is a fair, inclusive organisation that reflects the diversity of the city we serve, tackling discrimination and prejudice wherever it is found.”
