Black History Month UK has been celebrated in October each year since 1987. The aims of Black History Month are to celebrate the heritage, culture, contributions and achievements of people from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities in the UK, and throughout the world.
For 2022 Black History Month UK is launching a new campaign ‘Time For Change: Action Not Words‘.
To get to a better tomorrow, we can’t just focus on the past. The past is in the past. We can acknowledge and learn from it, but to improve the future, we need action, not words. We need to come together around a shared common goal to achieve a better world for everyone.
Black History Month UK
A Selection of Resources Available in Our Library
Marcus Rashford MBE is Manchester United’s iconic number 10 and an England International footballer.
Marcus is not only a footballer he is also a campaigner who has spoken out in support of millions of children with his End Child Food Poverty campaign.
His new book, written with Carl Anka, is a motivational self-help book for young people. Marcus “shares life lessons and practical advice he wishes he had read as a boy, encouraging reading, hard work, team-building, confidence and humility. Enlivened with anecdotes, diagrams and silhouettes, this is clear, sensible and inspiring for any age.” ― The Times, Best Children’s Books for Summer 2021.
A collection of 100 short stories, submitted to the 500 Words: Black Lives Matter competition which ran on Virgin Radio in July 2020.
The competition was open to children aged between 5-13. Each story was written using 500 words or less.
“The initiative encouraged children to tap into their own creativity and imagination, using storytelling to share their experiences and understanding of this global movement” – 500 Words Black Lives Matter website.
The finalists stories can be read online, including ‘Love is Colourblind‘ written by Evie.
In 1993 Stephen Lawrence, a young black man, was stabbed to death in an unprovoked racist attack. Controversy still surrounds his murder and in particular the way his murder was investigated. The Macpherson Report found the Metropolitan Police to be ‘institutionally racist’. He judged that racist beliefs influenced the police’s handling of the investigation.
This book provides an insiders view into the inquiry into Stephen Lawrence’s murder. The writer, Dr Richard Stone OBE, was a panel member of the inquiry. He acted as advisor to the judge Sir William Macpherson. The book contains sections describing the circumstances in which Stephen died, the period leading up to the inquiry, and Dr Stone’s own personal reflections on the inquiry itself.
Zadie Smith is a Black British novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. ‘On Beauty’, her third novel, is a tribute to EM Forster’s ‘Howards End’. The story follows the rivalry between two feuding families, the Belseys and the Kipps. Both funny and scathing it is “a brilliant analysis of family life, the institution of marriage, intersections of the personal and political, and an honest look at people’s deceptions”, (Goodreads.com).
‘Hello Mum‘ is a story of young lives ripped apart by gang violence and peer pressure.
The author, Bernadine Evaristo, is an award-winning novelist, poet, dramatist, essayist and activist. Evaristo’s novel Girl, Woman, Other won the Booker Prize 2019, the first black woman and black British person to win it in its fifty year history.
Broadcaster Trevor Phillips and his novelist brother Mike retell the story of Britain’s first West Indian immigrants and their descendants.
The book begins with the memories of the survivors of the voyage of the Windrush, the ship that brought the first West Indian immigrants to Great Britain in 1948. Then through the stories of their descendants, friends, neighbours, and colleagues takes us through the second half of the twentieth century to the multi-racial Britain of the present day.
Candice Carty-Williams’ debut novel ‘Queenie’ won Book of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2020. Carty-Williams was the first Black British author to receive this accolade. The story is written from the perspective of Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Black woman in London. It tackles issues such as consent, racism, class, and mental health struggles in a way that is candid, compassionate and honest.
The library has a collection of books by Maya Angelou. Including her biographies:
- I know why the caged bird sings
- Gather together in my name
- ‘Singin and swingin’ and gettin’ merry like Christmas
- The heart of a woman
- All God’s children need travelling shoes
‘Black Panther’ is the first Marvel film with a predominantly black cast. It features the late Chadwick Boseman as the title character.
After his father’s death T’Challa must return home to the African nation of Wakanda and take his place as king. When an old enemy resurfaces T’Challa is tested not only as the ruler of Wakanda, but also as Black Panther.
Moonlight is a coming of age story, portraying a young man’s journey of self-discovery.
It is a character focused film that follows Chiron through three defining chapters in his life, as he grapples with his identity and sexuality.
Moonlight was the first film with an all-black cast to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.
The list of resources highlighted here are not exhaustive. Please use our library search to view our full collection.
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