Black History Month
Black History Month (BHM) takes place in October across the UK and is an opportunity to recognise, celebrate and share the outstanding contributions of the Black community. It's also a time for reflection and to raise awareness of Black history and heritage.
Check out our BHM resources from around UAL.
Stories
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'Namibia: Stories from the Diaspora', Noah Tjijenda, 2022 Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of Fashion, UAL
Meet Noah Tjijenda: navigating race, representation, and identity
Find out more about our Black History Month artists.
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BUT WHAT I FOUND OUT IS THAT IT’S EVERYWHERE.’ Katwamba Mutale, 2023 BA Fashion Photography, London College of Fashion, UAL | Photography: Katwamba Mutale/ Stylist: Zena Utsalo. Models: Tony Manson, Dami Ojobaro
Meet Katwamba Mutale: exploring Black queer sexuality
Katwamba's photography expresses the myriad of identities that black queer men of the diaspora inhabit
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'Is this what I dreamt?', Cleo Amissah, 2023 BA (Hons) Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of Communication, UAL
Meet Cleo Amissah: storytelling through personal narrative and sense of place
Check out our plans for BHM 2022 at UAL.
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The Watts Family, Niyasia OwensWatts, 2023 BA Fashion Styling and Production, London College of Fashion, UAL | Photograph: Niyasia Owens-Watts
Meet Niyasia Owens-Watts: showcasing the beauty and normality of everyday life
London College of Fashion graduate Niyasia talks to us about her project 'BELONGING' as part of Black History Month 2023.
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Yemi Gbajobi, Chief Executive (Arts SU). By Razvi Adam at LCC Staff Conference
Black History Month, Saluting our Sisters: Yemi Gbajobi - Chief Executive (Arts SU)
The theme for Black History Month 2023 is ‘Saluting our sisters’. It highlights the crucial role Black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change and building communities. To mark this, we are recognising Black women who lead at UAL/LCF by asking them about their journey into their leadership roles. To get started, we reached out to Yemi Gbajobi to share their insights, and reflections on their careers and take their recommended actions on becoming a leader.
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Sista Signifier (Painting and Performance), Quilla Constance, 2023
Meet Quilla Constance: the multidisciplinary artist challenging the status quo
As part of Black History Month, we chatted to Quilla Constance – artist and UAL Senior Lecturer – about her work while we visited her exhibition at The Higgins Bedford, supported by Arts Council.
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More to explore
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People interacting with work at Launch Night of Degree Show, 2022, London College of Communication, UAL,
Photograph: Ana EscobarHalls Life Black History Month events
Check out Halls Life's programme of Black History Month events
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Reading at the library, image courtesy of UAL
Arts SU Black History month events
See the full Black History Month events schedule from Arts SU.
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Microsoft x LCF: Future of Fashion Incubator, Oval Space, Copyright: Jason Purple
UAL's African Caribbean Society
Take part in workshops, industry talks, exhibitions, screenings and socials.
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Rochelle Saunders, MA Arts and Cultural Enterprise, Central Saint Martins, 2020, © Alys Tomlinson
Arts SU Black History Month support
Resources for any student who needs support during BHM and beyond.
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Petra Raissa Nogueira, '[Black is] light', 2021, BA Fashion Design and Development, London College of Fashion,UAL.
UAL Anti-Racism strategy
See how we're working together to make UAL an anti-racist university.
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Textiles with organic shapes by Tayla-Jayne Sander, image courtesy of UAL.
Ethnic Representation Index
See how we're reviewing the progress made by universities in England to become anti-racist institutions.
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BBC Broadcaster Brenda Emmanus and UAL Professor Sonia Boyce on the set of 'Whoever Heard of a Black Artist? Britain’s Hidden Art History' documentary
Black Artists and Modernism
Get highlights from our Black Artists and Modernism research project.
Origin of BHM
BHM was founded in the UK in 1987 by Akyaaba Addai Sebo. He was inspired by the civil rights movement in the US, where BHM was born in 1969.
Akyaaba's initial goal was to help build a sense of identity among Black people in the UK. He also wanted to help communities challenge racism and learn about the British history that wasn't taught in schools.
It's important to educate ourselves about often unsung Black history to help dispel negative stereotypes. BHM is a time to celebrate and share the culture of Black people and inspire and instil pride.
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