Year 7 Black History Day
- 8th November
Our Year 7 students welcomed many different visitors at the beginning of November, travelling to Canons to help us celebrate Black History Day, an off-shoot of our wider reaching Black History Month celebrated in October.
Our student's timetable that day was made up of several different activities, from being taught 'Sayaw' dancing, an energetic folk dance originating in the Philippines, trying out playing steel pans with the famous Mangrove Steelpans group and cooking traditional Caribbean food with our own Food Teacher Miss Campbell.
They also got creative during a flag designing exercise where they were asked to imagine our nation 'Union Jack' flag, but incorporating colours or elements of their own families geographical or cultural heritage.
Another session involved exploring why we have Black History Month, and examined the colonial history of Great Britain with fresh thinking and honest considerations.
'To know where you are going, you need to know where you have come from.
We all had a great day, tried something new, tasted something different and learnt a lot.
Huge thanks to all our special visitors who are always so passionate about their sessions, all the staff who helped with such a busy but very important day and our young students, who were very welcoming, keen to listen and learn and had a really great Black History Day.
Why do we have
Black History Month?
In the UK, Black History Month happens every October. It gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture.
People from African and Caribbean backgrounds have been a fundamental part of British history for centuries. However, campaigners believe their contribution to society has often been overlooked or distorted.
Greater attention has been paid to the importance of the 'Windrush Generation' and the 'Black Lives Matter' movement in recent years.
The colonial past of Great Britain and its former empire is now being openly re-examined, confronted, even when socially painful, and put into perspective. Whether lost in time, or conveniently forgotten, all parts of our history need to be recognised, shared and understood.