UAL Pride Month: Representation 365 with UK Black Pride

Join University of the Arts London (UAL) and UK Black Pride for a thought-provoking evening of conversation exploring representation, identity and community as part of Pride Month 2026.

This special edition of Representation 365 continues an ongoing series of events designed to spark critical dialogue around culture, visibility and belonging.

This edition centres grassroots organising — recognising the ways Black LGBTQ+ communities have long created spaces of care, resistance and joy beyond institutional structures. From informal networks to global movements, grassroots organising has been central to sustaining communities, shaping culture and driving social change.

Together, Lady Phyll, Cyril Nri and Jay Jay Revlon will explore what it means to organise from the ground up: how movements begin, how they are sustained, and how community-led work continues to challenge and reshape dominant narratives.

Rather than focusing on top-down approaches to change, this conversation highlights the knowledge, creativity and leadership that emerges from lived experience — particularly within Black queer and QTIPOC communities. These histories of organising remind us that community is not just something we belong to, but something we actively build and protect.

What to expect

This is not a formal panel, but an in-conversation event designed to be open, reflective and engaging.

The session will include:

A live conversation with the speakers

Reflections on grassroots organising, activism and community-building

Discussion on sustaining movements and collective care

Insights into cultural work, storytelling and visibility

Space for audience questions and shared dialogue

This event is open to students, staff and members of the public interested in LGBTQ+ culture, social justice and community-led change.

About the organising team

Jason Forrest is a Student Engagement Manager across Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts and Wimbledon College of Arts. He also a member of UAL’s Black History Month collective.

UAL’s EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) team is based in the People and Culture department. This is one event in their LGBTQ+ History Month programme.

Josie Peres is a trustee of UK Black Pride.

Accessibility

The venue has step-free access. You can find detailed accessibility information here. If you have any specific access requirements, please email edi@arts.ac.uk.