Black History Month is a time to recognise the histories, achievements and continuing contributions of Black heritage people across the UK and beyond.
This year’s theme, ‘Honouring our Communities’, asks us to value the people, relationships and collective work that sustain our communities. It invites us to reflect how we create an environment in which people feel heard, supported and a strong sense belonging all year round.
“For me, this year’s theme reminds us that Black History Month means more than celebrating who we are. It also demands accountability from all of us. That means a willingness to confront barriers that continue to shape people’s experiences wherever they occur, and to turn recognition into meaningful change.”
Professor Toni Haastrup, Academic Lead for EDI (Race):
Get involved at the university
Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity seminar: Transnational Black culture in Liverpool in the final decades of the 20th century: legacies of West Africa in the so-called ‘second city of empire’
With Professor Stephen Small (University of California, Berkeley)
- When: Thursday 15 October, 1.00pm – 2.30pm
- Where: G30/31 Arthur Lewis Building
- Sign up here to join in person or online
Black History Month poster display
A celebration of Black heritage individuals — community leaders, teachers, nurses, volunteers — whose work strengthens communities and shapes change. One of the honorees is Professor of Mental Health & Inclusivity, Dawn Edge. Professor Edge has been recognised for her research, teaching and community engagement that champions health services that recognise people’s cultural backgrounds and respond to their individual needs.
- When: Drop in between Monday 12 – Friday 23 October
- Where: University Place, HBS Foyer, Alan Turing, Beyer building 3rd floor, Media Services Foyer, Roscoe, Schuster Foyer
‘The Road Made to Walk on Carnival Day: 50 Years Since the Notting Hill Carnival Riots’
The SEED Anti-Racist Education Network is hosting a special Black History Month talk with Zakariya Cochrane, a Carnival Researcher whose work explores the political and cultural significance of Notting Hill Carnival. The talk will explore the events surrounding the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival, their wider political and social context, and their significance for anti-racist struggles in Britain, 50 years on.
- When: Thursday, 22 October, 4.00pm – 5.30pm
- Where Ellen Wilkinson .A2.7
- Sign up here
‘Honouring our UoM Community’ Portrait Project Launch
Event honouring Black heritage colleagues at our university including alumni, colleagues and students through photography and storytelling. Images will be displayed across campus and preserved in the University archives for everybody to explore.
- When: Friday 23 October, 4.00pm – 6.00pm
- Where: Kanaris Theatre, Manchester Museum
- Sign up here
Black History Month community playlist
We’re asking students and colleagues to share one song you’re enjoying right now that, for you, connects in some way with this year’s BHM theme: Honouring Our Communities. Your choice might remind you of home. It might make you think about friendship, family or community. It might capture joy, solidarity, creativity, resistance.
The rhythm of belonging: poetry workshop
Workshop to explore and articulate journeys of belonging through the power of the spoken word. This session is open to all Black Heritage colleagues from across the University and absolutely no prior experience in writing poetry is required! The only things you’ll need to bring with you are curiosity and a willingness to give it a go.
- When: Wednesday 28 October, 1:30pm – 3.50pm
- Where: location tbc
- Sign up here
Black History Month Storytelling with CALFE
A family‑friendly day of African and Caribbean storytelling, illustration, drumming and creative workshops for children aged 4–11. Visitors can also explore the Museum’s Decolonise Trail, prompting reflection on how museums shape narratives and whose voices are centred or missing.
- When: Saturday 31 October, 12.00pm – 5.00pm
- Where: Manchester Museum
- Sign up here
Pan‑African Legacies Walk
A guided walk along Oxford Road, tracing more than a century of Black resistance, creativity, scholarship and community organising in Manchester.
- When: Wednesday 4 November, 11.00am – 12.30pm
- Sign up here
Make sure to follow Manchester 10/10 to stay up to date with all of the latest events and opportunities for students, including the Black Leadership Programme.