Black History Month

October is Black History Month in the UK, an event which has been celebrated nationally for over 30 years.

Black History Month in the UK was originally founded to recognise the contributions that people of African and Caribbean backgrounds have made to the UK over many generations. Now, Black History Month has expanded to include the history of not just African and Caribbean people but black people in general.

We have pulled together some useful links to help you celebrate Black History Month throughout October and beyond;

CBeebies Newsround  page looks at the origins of Black History Month; the history of black people in the UK; the Black Lives Matter movement and British children’s experiences of racism in the UK today

You can find a video of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech on the Culture Street website. Plus, a look at Nelson Mandela’s life in graphic novel format, links to the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool and lesson plans for the transatlantic slave trade.

This short article from BBC news looks at the unveiling of a stone commemorating Liverpool’s first black resident and Liverpool’s links to the transatlantic slave trade. 

National Archives has put together a virtual tour of six Liverpool landmarks with links to the slave trade.

This article from the Liverpool Echo looks at lifeguard James Clarke, the first black man to have a street named after him in Liverpool

The Core Knowledge website includes a teaching pack on the Abolition of Slavery for year 5 pupils

Booktrust have produced a reading list of historical stories from Black History around the world.

National Museums Liverpool explores stories, interviews and features on Liverpool’s Black community. They are also hosting a virtual classroom on understanding transatlantic slavery for KS3 students. There is a cost of £90 for this workshop.

Plus we have updated and expanded our own book collections to support teaching Black History Month in schools.

We will update this page throughout October with further links to useful resources.