The whole of October marks Black History Month, a crucial opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black people in Britain.
Some links to all the wonderful goings on in Black History Month
www.iamlewisham.uk/black-history-month
www.lambeth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Lambeth-black%20-history-month-brochure-2020.pdf
The Young Vic says:
To mark the beginning of Black History Month we're proud to shine a light on Black history, heritage and culture with The Unforgotten, our outdoor installation celebrating the achievements and contributions of three trailblazers of the Black community: Mary Seacole, Marsha P. Johnson and Ulric Cross.
Check out their website for more details:
www.youngvic.org/the-unforgotten
You can also catch some thought provoking activist speeches and theatre as the Young Vic Looks at what the next 50 years may hold....
Here we shine a light on the inspirational – Dr. Olivette Otele
She is the Professor of History of Slavery at Bristol University and Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society; the first black woman to be appointed to a professional chair in UK history. She is also
- Chair for Bristol’s Race Equality Commission
- Previously the Professor of History at Bath Spa University
- Speaker of 6 languages and holder of 3 degrees
- All round epic woman who has achieved great success against the odds and continues to do so today
Dr. Otele was born in Cameroon but grew up in Paris. She came to the UK to continue her studies and further her career and is an expert in European colonial and post-colonial history. She describes her motivation for studying history as:
"This urge related to social justice. I wanted to understand the root of racism and discrimination – this idea of hating someone for something they are not responsible for, something that is incredibly random."
She believes the most important thing history has ever taught her is kindness.
In 2018 only 0.5% of historians working in the UK were Black, the statistics for Black women working as historians is even smaller. Dr Otele was aware of racism and discrimination within societal systems and did not allow this to limit her success. Dr Otele persevered through the challenges in her journey in academia and represents a reminder that regardless what the statistics say, Black Women have a place in academia. Dr. Otele has written about how hard it was to get to her position, in particular whilst raising a family at the same time, it raises questions about how open our society is to ensuring equity for all and diversity in every profession. Let Dr Otele inspire you, if you can dream it, you can achieve it.
You can follow Dr. Olivette on Twitter @OlivetteOtele and her latest book African Europeans: An Untold History is out now! Find More Details Here
We also found this quickfire interview with Baroness Doreen Lawrence, particularly inspiring, she has tirelessly campaigned again racism since the tragic murder of her son Stephen Lawrence. Check it out here: