It is really important that at #teamHDFT we all take seriously our responsibility to promote an inclusive and diverse working environment that encourages everyone to bring their ‘whole self’ to work, and to create a better place to work.
During October we will be launching an Action Plan to support us in becoming an anti-racist organisation. The timing of this launch has been made to link up with when the UK celebrates Black History Month.
The main aims of Black History Month are to celebrate the achievements and contributions of black people not just in the UK, but throughout the world, and also to educate all on black history.
If you want to discover more about black history, below are links to several webinars that you may wish to attend.
If you would like to get involved in our Anti-Racist Action Plan please contact Angie Colvin, our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, on [email protected] to let her know.
Webinar links
A Discussion with David Olusoga OBE
Thursday 1 October 2020
7-8pm BST
Provider: Newham Council
To launch Newham’s Black History Month programme, celebrated historian and TV personality, David Olusoga will discuss what Black Lives Matter means in the context of Black British history. David’s television series includes Black and British: A Forgotten History, A House Through Time and The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files. His latest book is Black and British: A Short Essential History.
Secrets of the Goldsmiths
Friday 2 October 2020
6.30-8pm BST
Provider: Black History Walks
This special virtual event goes inside the famous Goldsmiths’ Hall for a personal guided tour of the 190-year-old building which is rarely open to the public.
It will cover:
- What is a Goldsmith, what do they do?
- What is a guild? A brief history of the livery companies
- The link between goldsmiths and banking
- The African connections
- Black goldsmiths and jewellers
- How to become an apprentice
- A library of golden history and a chance to study
- The relevance of the Goldsmiths’ Company in the 21st Century
- And much more!
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/secrets-of-the-goldsmiths-tickets-120505074923?aff=erelpanelorg
From Windrush to Covid why Black Lives Matter
Saturday 3 October
11am-1pm GMT
Provider: TUC Midlands & Stand Up To Racism event
The conference is timely and reflects a growing determination of people saying that racism has got to go.
There will be an array of speakers from MPs, trade unionists, activists, politicians, journalists and more.
Workshops and plenaries will include:
- Windrush to Covid – Why Black Lives Matter.
- Decolonising the Midlands.
- Fighting racism at work in the age of Covid.
- From fast food and sweatshops -Migrants rights and the gig economy.
- Black lives matter and the police.
- Combating racism in sport.
- Combating racism, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in a time of pandemics.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/midlands-anti-racist-summit-tickets-118811806311
Unlearning Racism: A Four Week Workshop
Starts Sunday 4 October
Provider: Lynnewood UMC
Opposing racism means we need to understand how deep and complex its roots are. This webinar aim is to begin together to identify and unlearn the racism that exists in our country, communities and ourselves.
04/10 – Session 1: Understanding Race
11/10 – Session 2: Unpacking Bias and Privilege
18/10 – Session 3: Unearthing Systematic Racism
25/10 – Session 4: Undoing Racism through Action
Being Black in the NHS
Wednesday 7 October 2020
6-8pm BST
The opportunity to learn from the experiences of doctors and other healthcare professionals of Afro Caribbean descent.
Being black in the NHS is an event organised by St George’s ACS every year; which aims to give our members an insight into what it is like being a black health care professional in the NHS today from more experienced peers who are already along the journey.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/being-black-in-the-nhs-tickets-122293357725?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch
John Barnes MBE
Thursday 8 October 2020
7-8pm BST
Provider: Anglia Ruskin University
John Barnes delivers the 10th Excellence in Sport Lecture as part of ARU’s Black History Month programme. John will talk about his journey to excellence in football through to winning league titles and representing England 79 times. He will also identify the prejudice and racism he encountered though his career and how he is now speaking out on this theme and challenging thinking in the wider society.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-history-month-john-barnes-mbe-tickets-121511278505
Making a Mark: The Early Black Press 1817-1948
Friday 9 October 2020
2-3pm BST
Provider: The National Archives
Periodicals have been produced by and for Black people in Britain for more than two hundred years. In this talk, S.I. Martin will introduce a handful of the more prominent titles and demonstrate how they attempted to reflect the needs of the communities they served.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-a-mark-the-early-black-press-1817-1948-tickets-119873032467
The Psychological Effects of Racism
Saturday 10 October 2020
3-4.15pm BST
Provider: Freud Museum London
An online talk by the Freud Museum’s Deputy Director, Ivan Ward
Ivan Ward’s work on race and racism has been coupled with that of Slavoj Zizek and Julia Kristeva in review. In this talk he uses his own experience and that of others to show how psychoanalytic theories can help us understand the experience and psychological effects of racism.
Black History Month: Whose Statues?
Tuesday 13 October 2020
6.30-8pm BST
Provider: Brent Culture Service
As part of the Black History Month programme, join author and heritage consultant S.I. Martin for a discussion and Q&A session on the function and background of statues and plaques in a multi-ethnic society.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-history-month-whose-statues-tickets-121686779433?aff=erellivmlt
Active Anti-racism Workshop
Wednesday 14 October 2020
6.30-8.30pm BST
Provider: Our Future Now
A workshop discussing how to become an active antiracist looking at the history of racism and resistance and the current BLM Movement
The session will come up with an anti-racism toolkit that can be used to show active solidarity and de-centre whiteness, and a resource pack that will allow everyone to continue learning after the workshop.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/active-anti-racism-workshop-tickets-122206838945
The hidden histories of black Victorians
Thursday 15 October 2020
4-5pm BST
Provider: The British Academy
Society in the UK today is hugely diverse, but what do we know about Britain’s multicultural past before the arrival of the Windrush generation? In this event Caroline Bressey explores the hidden histories of the ordinary black men and women living in Victorian Britain whose untold stories have only been pieced together by historians in recent years. She will also discuss the work of early anti-racism campaigners who sought to challenge rising prejudice in this period, drawing parallels with the Black Lives Matter protests taking place across the UK today.
How to be an Ally
Thursday 15 October 2020
7-9.30pm BST
Provider: Interculture CIC
An interactive webinar panel event featuring inspirational speakers; All Black Lives Bristol – the organisers of the June 12th demo that went down as one of the most powerful, inclusive, internationally recognised and pivotal days in Bristol’s history.
Discussion & tips on How to be an Ally
Advice on challenging racism & comments like “All Lives Matter”
The chance to hear & share lived experiences
What not to say & why
Shocking statistics on racial inequality in Bristol & the UK
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-to-be-an-ally-tickets-113528175830?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch
Black History Month 2020: An Evening with Jeffrey Boakye
Wednesday 21 October 2020
6-7pm GMT
Provider: York St John University
In this exclusive Black History Month event Jeffrey Boakye, author of Black, Listed: Black British Culture Explored, will join Dr Fraser Mann, Senior Lecturer in Literature at York St John University, for a challenging and insightful dialogue surrounding issues of racism and social justice. Jeffrey will examine the positioning and perception of black identity in a postcolonial society, as well as the nuances of institutional racism and subconscious bias.
VE Day and the black service men and women.
Wednesday 21 October 2020
7-8.30pm BST
Provider: Croydon BME Forum
Come and learn of the men and women who contributed towards the end of WWII & those who were called again to rebuild the UK and the British Empire.
England’s hidden history
Friday 23 October 2020
7pm BST
Provider: University of York
Among the glamour and intrigue that surrounds The Tudor period is the untold story of people of African descent who lived and worked throughout England – not as slaves but as members of society.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/englands-hidden-history-tickets-121387708905?aff=ebdssbeac
The Art of Disruption with Magid Magid
Monday 26 October 2020
7-8pm BST
Magid Magid came to Sheffield from Somalia as a refugee aged five. He is the youngest and first refugee and first Green Party Lord Mayor of Sheffield, and became an MEP for the Green Party in May 2019.
He has campaigned on climate change, support for migrants and refugees, set up the first UK suicide prevention charter and even banned Donald Trump from Sheffield. Magid was named one of the top European Young Leaders (Friends of Europe) 2019 and was part of the top 100 Future Leaders (apolitico.co).
International Year of the Nurse & Midwife – The Impact of Black Excellence
Tuesday 27 October 2020
3.30-5pm GMT
Provider: EquiNet – LSBU’s BAME & Allies
This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 as the “International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife” in honour of the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Worldwide, we have seen our nurses and midwives receive the respect & appreciation they deserve for their hard work, commitment & bravery in light of the pandemic.
How To Talk About Race At Work Series – Inclusive Leaders & Anti-Racism
Wednesday 28 October 2020
12-1pm GMT
Provider: Letesia Gibson
Belonging is an essential quality for truly equal workplaces. In 2020, this has never been truer, and with the spotlight on race inequality, it is now vital that we nurture cultures that facilitate belonging and that we embed it into our systems and processes.
Sharing insights and reflections to support organisations to develop their anti-racist stance, to tackle structural racism and in going on personal journeys of change by having more transparent and open conversation in their homes and workplaces.
What is inclusive leadership and why it matters now.
How to challenge majority male culture being the only way.
How inclusive leaders approach anti-racist action.
How inclusive leadership embeds collective responsibility for change.
Tracing Black & Caribbean ancestors 2 – with Paul Crooks
Thursday 29 October 2020
6.30-7.30pm GMT
Provider: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries
All you need to know about tracing your ancestors further back, to the 1860s, online
The pioneering genealogist Paul Crooks will discuss how you can go even further back in time in your Black ancestry research, to 1860s, using resources available online.
Paul came to prominence with his pioneering research into African Caribbean genealogy in the 1990s, when he became the first to trace his family history back 6 generations and discovered his ancestors, who were enslaved on a sugar plantation in Jamaica 200 years ago.
Paul gained national recognition for his work when his acclaimed historical novel, Ancestors (based on the true story of the author’s African ancestors)..
He appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? with Moira Stuart as the expert in African Caribbean genealogy and has been recognised for inspiring an upsurge in interest in Black and British ancestry.
You’ll benefit from insights into how Paul varied his search technique and interpreted documents to overcome major barriers to tracing his great-grandfather. When researching his own ancestry, Paul discovered his great-great-great grandfather had walked free from a sugar plantation in Jamaica in 1838.
Nursing Whilst Black: Is history still with us?
Friday 30 October
5-6pm
Provider: Royal College of Nursing
For Black History Month 2020 RCN explore BAME leaders in nursing, past and present.
Countless Black nurses have shaped healthcare in Britain; today, one in five NHS nurses, midwives and health visitors is from a BAME background.
But who were the BAME nurses earlier in the twentieth century who led the way for future generations? This public event celebrates the lives of BAME leaders past and present. Join the discuss on the legacy of this history today.
An Evening with DJ Norman Jay MBE
Saturday 31 October 2020
7-8pm GMT
Unquestionably one of most respected and popular DJs in the world today, Norman is co-founder of the legendary Good Times Sound System and London dance music station KISS FM.
DJ Norman Jay will discuss his book, Mister Good Times, with author, Sharmaine Lovegrove. It is a vivid and engaging portrait of the man behind the music that has inspired a whole generation of dance music fans worldwide.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bhm-newham-an-evening-with-dj-norman-jay-mbe-tickets-122238094431
Beyond being visible, Black Lives Matter
Sheffield Hallam University
Various events throughout October
Black history month (BHM) is an annual celebration of the successes and achievements of the black heroes and a time for recognising their impact in the society. It creates wonderful opportunities for us to remember the outstanding contributions people of African descendant worldwide have made to the global societies over many generations.