Black History
Black History is celebrated in the United Kingdom in October
every year.
Since October 2005, Bromsgrove District Council has worked with
local community members and partners such as Artrix
Bromsgrove, West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire and
Rescue Service, Bromsgrove District Housing Trust, Worcestershire
County Council, in particular the local library service and
others to recognise and celebrate Black History Month. This
partnership work has been done under the umbrella of the Bromsgrove
Black History Society.
Together, we have organised a programme of varied activities and
events every October. Through these activities we have sought to
raise awareness of the positive contributions made to history and
to society by members of the Black African and Black African
Caribbean communities both in this country and throughout the
world.
You can review the activities of those previous years in the
annual leaflets below :-
On 20th October 2011, an open event was held at
Artrix, Bromsgrove with a theatre performance by Gazebo
Theatre Company, "Rivers to Cross". This powerful new play
took the audience through a 174 year multi-media journey through
imperialism, segregation, the civil rights movement, the "Windrush"
era and the black consciousness movement telling the true stories
of great accomplishments in the face of adversity.
On the same evening there was an exhibition from "The History
Detectives - Black People in the West Midlands 1650-1918". For
further information see www.scawdi.co.uk
You can read
the full set of comments from people who attended that evening
here. These included
- “I really enjoyed the History Detectives exhibition & the
Rivers to Cross production was great, a very moving & inspiring
performance.”
- “I was previously unaware of the different ethnic cultures in
the West Midlands and their impact.”
- “It revealed a lot of information I didn’t know about the
history of black people in the West Midlands.”
- “Broadened my knowledge of black people living in the Midlands
in the last two hundred years. Very good displays and
interesting.”
- “More awareness of achievement black people have brought to the
UK.”
- “It has made me understand how black people in history made a
big contribution to society, but also struggled and that they
succeeded.”
To view the Black History Month
brochure for 2011 - download
here
For general information about Black History in Bromsgrove
download the
information leaflet here.
We are currently planning our programme for 2012 which will be
organised in partnership with Redditch Borough Council and we will
be reflecting as far as possible the celebrations for the 50th
Anniversary of the Independance of Jamaica. Further details will
appear on this page of our website in due course.
For further information about this and other related activities,
or, to find out more about the Bromsgrove Black History Society,
please contact the Bromsgrove Customer Service Centre on 01527
881288 or send your request for information with your contact
details to blackhistorysociety@bromsgrove.gov.uk
