Students Celebrate Black History Month

Black History Month was founded to celebrate the achievements of black people and to shine a light on their history through time that has been hidden. In the UK, it has been celebrated for over 40 years and occurs in October. Black History is important for everyone to be made aware of so that racism can be challenged. As there has been a lack of representation in the history books, we thought it was time for black people’s   history in the UK to be acknowledged. We were inspired by the growing diversity of our school and with social cohesion on our mind, we wanted a chance for this diversity to be celebrated.

We organised several events for Black History. Firstly, all Year 7s and 8s created a tile based on the work of a British Black Artist, Chris Ofili. He won the Turner prize in 1998 for his mark making artwork through the use of a variety of lines and shades to express his emotions. After this, we invited Shirley Antis, a local black author, to come to Waingels to speak about what Black History means to her and how Black History is woven into all aspects of British History such as the Tudor Courts, showing there were Black people in Britain before the slave trade began. Lastly a meaningful debate took place about whether Black History is still relevant or if we should focus more on social cohesion. 

Black History should not be remembered just for a month, but throughout our school year. We should remember the struggles of black people while also celebrating their achievements that history has decided to forget. We hope this event will become a tradition at Waingels and that future students will benefit from this.