Black History Month was celebrated with a series of assemblies, presented by Year 13 to each year group. These were on the theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’ and told the stories of forgotten figures throughout history.
This involved educating our school community on some of the untold or often misunderstood stories of minority groups. For example, Bessie Coleman was nicknamed “Brave Bessie” after becoming the first African American aviator and high-profile pilot despite being told African Americans would not be given flight training opportunities in the US. Coleman’s story, among others, was inspiring for our community, encouraging them to chase their ambitions despite the adversities and inequalities in society.
A video of Maya Angelou reading her poem ‘Phenomenal Woman’ was shared as part of the assembly. This was a particularly empowering poem that challenges patriarchy and societal expectations of women and encourages people to stand up for injustice and stand by what they believe is right.
A Black History Month lunch provided an opportunity to play music by black artists. Accompanying information cards included information about black, female authors and were aimed to spark intellectual curiosity by encouraging people to read exciting stories surrounding black history.
We are so proud to have been able to celebrate such inspiring figures throughout history. We hope to have educated our school community and encouraged them to delve further into the history of their own culture. We look forward to celebrating the Hindu festival of light next month, through the upcoming ‘Dance for Diwali’ where students from across the school will have an opportunity to be creative and share an aspect of their culture with us. Whether this be through dance or music, we are so excited to see what students have to show.