Black History Month 2024

October is Black History Month - an annual celebration and commemoration of moments in history, achievements, and contributions that Black people have made. 

This year’s theme for Black History Month is “Reclaiming Narratives,” and marks a significant shift towards recognising and correcting the narratives of Black history and culture. This theme underscores a commitment to correcting historical inaccuracies and showcasing the untold success stories and the full complexity of Black heritage. It’s about taking control of stories and honouring heroes while challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black individuals both in the UK and globally.

The Black History Month UK magazine has a new updated Black History Month Resource Pack for 2024. This resource pack has been produced to 'Celebrate, Educate, and Inspire' and is packed with downloadable resources to support the theme of reclaiming narratives. This includes celebrating Black voices in literature, reclaiming Black contributions to science and technology, reclaiming Black narratives in social justice, reclaiming Black narratives in Social Justice, and honouring Black contributions in the armed forces.

LGfL Resources

Black History Month allows students to look at significant figures throughout history.

The ReadingZone Bookclub is offering schools the opportunity to join 'Brilliant Black British History' with Atinuke for pupils aged 8-12 years on Wednesday, 16th October, 2 pm - 2.45 pm.
Join Atinuke to learn about Black History in Britain as she introduces you to historical facts about Britain's Black history in her new book, Brilliant Black British History. 

Email 'Black History Month' to info@readingzone.com to book a free place for your class(es) and learn more.

Also, in the Readingzone Live resources, we feature Joseph Coelho, a performance poet and playwright. He has written plays for the Polka Theatre, the Lyric, Hammersmith, and the Unicorn Theatre. He performs his poetry shows with the UK's top performance poetry organisation, Apples and Snakes, visiting venues across the UK. Joseph's poems have appeared in many anthologies, including Green Glass Beads by Jacqueline Wilson and The Works 6, edited by Pie Corbett, but Werewolf Club is his first solo collection.

Jamia Wilson is another one of the many authors to feature on ReadingZone Live; she has been a powerful force in the social justice movement for nearly a decade, in the videos below, she talks about her commitment to inspiring young people and highlighting the achievements of figureheads, leaders, and pioneers as well as cultural trailblazers and sporting heroes. As well as being a thought leader, an activist, a feminist, and a media maker, she is also a storyteller; her book Young, Gifted, and Black features fifty-two icons of color from the past and present.

The Life of Mary Seacole from the BBC Teach resource is a series of three short video episodes and a study on Mary Seacole as a famous Victorian that tells her life story.  Mary begins her story with her journey from Jamaica to London - and then onward to the Crimea during the Crimean War and her meeting with the journalist William Howard Russell. After the war ends, Mary tells of her time in London, impoverished and forgotten by the British public.

There are also activities related to the videos on the site.

The BBC has also put together a range of inspiring resources for both primary and secondary schools around black history, heritage, culture, and achievements. There is also a range of teacher notes, and the content is suitable for KS2 through GCSE. The resources include videos, assemblies, and lesson plans.

Walter Tull was a professional football player, the first British-born black army officer, and the first Black officer to lead white British troops into battle. The video below tells his story and is perfect for KS2 and KS3 pupils looking at WW1 and Walter's impact, as well as matching this month's theme of honoring Black contributions in the armed forces.

As well as researching significant figures, this month provides pupils the chance to reflect on tolerance and inclusivity in society, Developing British Values from LGfL - looks at this topic and provides short video clips for discussion in class. 

Black History 4 Schools contains a wide range of links to useful resources (including fact sheets and ppts) all separated into historic sections:

• Black Presence in Tudor Times
• Transatlantic Slave Trade and Abolition of Slavery
• Black Presence in the 18th and 19th Century
• Black Presence in the 20th Century
• South Africa

BBC Bitesize looks at six key events in black history that you may not have heard of, as highlighted by Prof Kehinde Andrews, who teaches Black Studies at Birmingham City School of Social Sciences.

• Create an impactful presentation about an inspirational person of color using Adobe Express! here
• Research a famous African American from history to learn about their contribution to our nation's history and produce a poster in Adobe Spark. here
• Make a video about Black leaders who made a difference using Adobe Spark. here

What will you be doing for Black History Month? Please share your work with us via our Twitter and Facebook page #BlackHistoryMonth