'Action not words': Black History Month preview
03 October 2022
“It is not enough to just have words. Little has been done, and we need more; we need action!”
This is the powerful plea from a speaker at one of the University’s Black History Month events this October, who is set to share her story of one of the UK’s biggest immigration scandals.
Cyrilene Small-Tollafield was 11 years old when she came to the UK from Barbados in 1965. She later witnessed the impacts of the Windrush Scandal, which saw thousands of African-Caribbean people who has spent decades working in the UK wrongly denied legal rights or threatened with deportation.
She will reflect on how her family members were impacted by the scandal alongside other Reading speakers at the University’s flagship Black History Month Lecture in October. She has urged those who attend this or other events during the month to remember why such events are needed to begin with.
Cyrilene said: “We need to think about the fact Black History Month shouldn’t just be a celebration. There is a lot in Black history that we should not be happy about.
“As well as celebrating Black culture, we must also remember the people who were transported across the Atlantic in slave ships. To not remember people longer ago does a disservice to them, like we have forgotten them.”
‘Time for Change: Action Not words’ is the theme for Black History Month 2022, and is reflected in the range of events due to be held at the University and in Reading throughout October.
Film screenings, workshops inviting colleagues to be part of change at the University, and a ‘Wear Red Day’ to allow staff to unite in support of action on racial equality are among a varied programme being presented by the University, RUSU and Reading community groups.
For more on the University's work around diversity and inclusion, see the Diversity and Inclusion blog.
Full programme of Black History Month events hosted by the University and partners:
|
Date/time |
Event |
When & Where |
|
Wednesday 05 October |
Staff BAME Network Workshop (in person) - what action is needed? (Part 1) Come together as BAME network members at this in-person discussion to help shape our network priorities. Meet each other, share your views and listen actively. |
G44 Edith Morley 12:00 - 13:00 |
| Wednesday 05 October |
#IAmForChange: Action Not Words (Department of Law lecture) Professor Charles Egbu, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University, will be delivering the keynote speech at this event. |
13:00- 14:30 |
| Friday 07 October |
NEW EVENT Anna Horn: Black Feminism, Maternal Health and Motherhood (in collaboration with Parent & Family Network event) An interview with Anna Horn, anthropologist and Black Feminism scholar, about Black feminism in its dimensions as theory, thought, methodology, genre and political ideology as well as a way of life. Followed by audience Q&A. Hosted by University of Exeter with input from Reading's Parent & Family Network. |
Microsoft Teams 10:00 - 11:30 |
| Friday 07 October |
Movie Night Screening - 42 42 is a retelling of the life of NBL legend Jackie Robinson, the first Black player to join the Major League. Featuring Chadwich Boseman. |
Café Mondial, RUSU 17:00 |
| Monday 10 October |
ACRE open day exhibition Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality 10 year anniversary in-house open day exhibition. |
344 Oxford Road, Reading, RG30 1AJ Just turn up |
| Wednesday 12 October | Staff BAME Network Workshop (online) - what action is needed? (Part 2)
An online session following the in-person event. Come together as BAME network members and help shape our network priorities. Meet each other, share your views and listen actively |
12.00 - 13:00 |
| Wednesday 12 October | NEW EVENT History Department interactive research display
The University's History Department invites staff and students to an interactive research display to mark Black History Month. Entry is free to all students and staff members, who can come along and enjoy delicious food and music. |
G27 Edith Morley 17:00 - 19:00 |
| Friday 14 October |
Performance and Q&A session from Scratchylus Scratchylus is an international award-winning Reggae Artist who wants to share his Reset The Mindset Revisited, that has a lot of educational and inspiration messages around the challenges faced by the Black community. |
3sixty, RUSU 18:00 - 20:00 |
| Tuesday 18 October |
Black students focused network Black students networking event, led by the Black Students’ Part-Time Officer of RUSU. Followed by optional movie night. |
RUSU Boardroom 17:30 - 18:00
|
| Tuesday 18 October |
Movie Night Screening - Selma One of the quintessential figures in Black history, Selma paints a picture of the life of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. during a series of voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. Snacks provided. |
3sixty, RUSU 18:30 - 21:30 |
| Thursday 20 October |
Black History Month Lecture: The Windrush Generation Supported by the BAME Network, the University of Reading and RUSU invite community speakers to our annual flagship Black History Month event. Secure your free place and learn about local lived experiences from Reading’s Windrush Generation. |
Van Emden Lecture Theatre, Edith Morley 18:00 - 19:30 Register on the Events website. |
| Friday 21 October |
Show Racism the Red Card. Take action and wear red to signify your support. |
BAME Network/ Vice-Chancellor's Office All day |
| Monday 24 October |
ACRE open day exhibition Alliance for Cohesion and Racial Equality 10 year anniversary in-house open day exhibition. |
344 Oxford Road Just turn up |
| Tuesday 25 October |
RUSU Black Leadership Programme Launch Educate, empower, elevate! The Black Leadership Programme is about inspiring students from a Black heritage to become the next leaders of the future and take up leadership opportunities. This will be through a series of leadership skill workshops, inspirational talks and career sessions throughout the Autumn term. This first night will be an informal session introducing what you can expect from the programme. |
RUSU Boardroom 17:00 - 18:00 Express your interest here or email studentvoice@rusu.co.uk for more info |
| Friday 28 October |
Black Arts Showcase A celebratory evening and showcase highlighting the traditions and cultures of black experiences. This will include performances, a fashion show and accompanied by food in the interval. If you are interested to perform and showcase your talents. |
3sixty, RUSU 18:00 - 21:00 Sign up here or email studentvoice@rusu.co.uk for more info |