Black History Month
Join us as we celebrate the history, culture and contribution of the Black community - including our students, staff and alumni.
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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Meet Noah Tjijenda: navigating race, representation, and identity
Find out more about our Black History Month artists.
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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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Meet Cleo Amissah: storytelling through personal narrative and sense of place
Check out our plans for BHM 2022 at UAL.
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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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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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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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What's on
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UAL Black History Month 2024 Launch Event
Open to all UAL students and staff in The Street at Central Saint Martins
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Lost and Found: A Black History Month Exhibition
Lost and Found is a UAL (University of the Arts London) exhibition based at Peckham Levels during Black History Month.
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Private View for Lost and Found: A Black History Month Exhibition
Lost and Found is a UAL (University of the Arts London) exhibition based at Peckham Levels during Black History Month.
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Adinkra Symbol Printmaking Workshop
Join us for an inspiring and creative printmaking workshop centered around the rich symbolism of Adinkra.
More to explore
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Halls Life Black History Month events
Check out Halls Life's programme of Black History Month events.
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Arts SU Black History month events
See the full Black History Month events schedule from Arts SU.
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Arts SU Black History Month support
Resources for any student who needs support during BHM and beyond.
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UAL Anti-Racism strategy
See how we're working together to make UAL an anti-racist university.
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Ethnic Representation Index
See how we're reviewing the progress made by universities in England to become anti-racist institutions.
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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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