October welcomes Black History Month and to celebrate there’s a wide range of events in Bexley to commemorate the history, achievements and contributions of black people in the UK.
A series of events are taking place throughout the borough in October and November that tells Bexley’s rich and diverse story of migration using real accounts from local residents.
The Exchange and Bexley African Caribbean Community Association will be displaying a Windrush Exhibition at Hall Place & Gardens from Monday 8 to Wednesday 31 October. This interactive exhibition looks at the themes of migration and display photographs, personal items and testimonies from local residents that represent the contribution that migrants have made to Bexley 70 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush.
The exhibition will be at Hall Place for the duration of Black History Month, with a family friendly weekend of interactive workshops planned for Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 October. The exhibition will then make its way to the Thames Innovation Centre in Erith in November. A smaller pop-up version of the exhibition will also be on display at the Central Library in Bexleyheath throughout October.
Freshwater Theatre will be bringing its fun and educational storytelling sessions ‘Stories from Africa’ and ‘A Caribbean Story’ to children and families at some of Bexley’s libraries.
Children aged four and above can watch ‘How Anansi became King of the entire Stories’ and ‘How the Zebra got his Stripes’ dramatically unfold through vibrant African scenes. ‘Stories from Africa’ is on Monday 22 October at either 11am to 12 noon at Crayford Library or 2pm to 3pm at Erith Library.
Children aged four to seven can hear the story of a young girl and her fisherman grandfather in ‘A Caribbean Story’ on Wednesday 24 October at 11am to 12 noon at Central Library in Bexleyheath and 2pm to 3pm at Welling Library.
Tickets to the library storytelling sessions are free and can be booked by calling the Bexley Libraries team on 020 8303 7777 option four. ‘A Caribbean Story’ at Central Library must be booked online.
Peabody and the House of Commons are working with artist Scarlett Crawford on a special project ‘First Waves’ to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Race Relations Act. Scarlett worked with community groups from Thamesmead and across the Country to share their experiences of race relations through drawing, participatory photography and recorded interviews. The artworks will be exhibited from Saturday 6 to Wednesday 31 October at the Information Hub, 216 Yarnton Way, Thamesmead, DA18 4AX.
Cllr Alex Sawyer, Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Communities said: “Black History Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on and teach our children the important histories, achievements and contributions of those from African and Caribbean descent.
“We’re proud to live in a diverse and colourful borough, welcoming people from all walks of life. This is why it is important that we don’t limit Black History to just one month. We’re putting plans in place to see that everyone’s history is celebrated and observed all year round.”
Black History Month was first introduced in the UK in 1987 by Akyaaba Addai Sebo, a special projects officer at the Greater London Council, and has been celebrated every year since. During the month of October, a range of events celebrating African and Caribbean cultures and histories are put on across the country and in schools.
To find out more about Black History Month visit Black History Month website.