What's in store at "What's Happening in Black British History? III" on 29th October?

If you only go to one event this Black History Month, make it #WHBBH3! We've got an great line-up of engaging, informed speakers who will spend the day discussing how to challenge the conventional narratives, the practicalities of teaching Black British History, and giving us some new perspectives on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Then, our expert panel will provide an opportunity to reflect on the day's discussions, before we finish off the day with a Drinks Reception. 

Just to whet your appetite a little more, here's a preview of what's in store:

We're delighted that pioneering activist and publisher Eric Huntley has agreed to deliver our keynote speech! The contribution he and his late wife Jessica have made to Black British culture is currently being celebrated in an acclaimed exhibition at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London - No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960-1990.

We'll begin by challenging some conventional narratives. What stories do we tell our children about the past? Novelist Catherine Johnson will talk about how her fiction tells the greater truth that black people 'have always been here'. Ryan Hanley will take us beyond Equiano to explore the work of some of his lesser-known contemporaries. Then David Killingray will make some suggestions as to how the latest research can inform a new narrative of Black British History. 

A new GCSE course on migration will provide fresh opportunities for Teaching Black British History. Martin Spafford, who helped develop the course, will report on what's on offer. Then we'll hear from Dema Wonga, of Narrative Eye and Abdul Mohamud & Robin Whitburn of Justice2History about their experiences of bringing Black British History into the classroom, and the importance of an inclusive curriculum. 

Discover some new perspectives on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries! Jeffrey Green will chronicle and critique the lives of some Victorian Africans: a servant, an aristocrat, and a murderer.  Jan Marsh of the National Portrait Gallery will provide a visual perspective on Black British History, and comment on the ways museums and galleries have sought to present it. Advolly Richmond will explore the botanical legacy of  Anglo-African missionary Thomas Birch Freeman.

Speakers Abdul Mohamud and Martin Spafford will be joined on the final panel by historian Sean Creighton, Paul Reid, Director of the Black Cultural Archives, and, well, me. I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about.

If you like the sound of all that, then book your place now!

​The full programme and event details are available on the Institute of Commonwealth Studies website. 

Hope to see you there!