No booking or ticket needed! For more information email: intstudentevents@exeter.ac.uk
Black History Month 2024
About Black History Month
Black History Month happens every October in the UK and is a key campaign within the University's annual calendar of events. This month is a celebration of Black History, and a launch pad for ongoing activity throughout the year. This year, the theme for Black History Month is Reclaiming Narratives.
About This Year's Theme: Reclaiming Narratives
Each year for Black History Month there is a theme that activity and resources might be centred around. The theme this year is Reclaiming Narratives. As described by the Black History Month website introduction to the annual theme:
For too long, the history of Black communities has been told through lenses that often misrepresent, oversimplify, or entirely overlook the rich and diverse experiences of those who lived it. For far too long, Black histories have been narrated by others, leading to distorted portrayals that fail to capture the full breadth and depth of Black experiences. By emphasising “Reclaiming Narratives,” we shine a brighter light on Black stories, allegories, and history. 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 honouring Black heroes while challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black individuals both in the UK and globally.
You can read more about this year's theme on the Black History Month website.
Professor Rajani Naidoo is the University of Exeter's Deputy Vice-Chancellor focused on People and Culture. Here she reflects on this year's Black History Month theme, our World Reimagined globes, and wider race equity work.
If you are a University of Exeter student, colleague or alumni and want to share your reflections here, please email Sandip at EDI@exeter.ac.uk.
Why are narratives important?
2024’s Black History Month theme is reclaiming the narrative. Why are narratives important? Narratives are powerful. They are powerful because they slip into our hearts. They shape how we see the world, how we relate to others, what we desire, whom we fear, and when we feel compassion. Narratives are constellations of stories that drive both human to human and global geo-political change. They shape what is possible.
But narratives are enmeshed in power. The dominant narratives about empire, colour, identity and belonging are stories of imperial conquest. They become part of the fabric of society providing some groups in society with justification for continued racial injustices.
Reclaiming the narrative
I grew up in apartheid South Africa. The first story we encountered in our first years of schooling was the story of two Dutch settlers who went to see the Zulu King Shaka ostensibly to buy land. We were told they were asked to leave their guns outside, and when they entered, they were killed by Dingane, the head of the Zulu warriors.
The violent colonisation of indigenous Black people by European settlers was rendered invisible. The settler stories formed the bedrock of the apartheid narrative which was based on fear, division, distrust and control. Children were taught that the Dutch settlers who renamed themselves Afrikaners were sent by God to ‘civilise’ and bring progress to the continent. These narratives were propped up by state violence, law, and education to build apartheid.
But just as the dominant narratives have such power, understanding power and racism from the perspective of those who are oppressed and exploited unleashes the power for social change.
As a young teenager, I read books outside the school curriculum written by Black South Africans including Steve Biko, a Black medical student who opposed apartheid. I remember the sense of pride and power it gave me personally and to whole generations of young people when we understood that we were not the problem, we were part of the solution for an inclusive society.
Reclaiming the narrative is so powerful because it enables us to shift what we remember and value. It ensures that those who are most impacted lead us in setting priorities and identifying solutions.
The World Reimagined
Recognising the power of narratives in this way opens up the possibilities of reimagining the world. We at the University of Exeter are privileged to be working with Michelle Gayle – co-founder of The World Reimagined. This is a ground-breaking project which aims to transform our understanding of the transatlantic slave trade and its impact on all of us. Incredible artists have created 103 unique globes.
We have been gifted two globes, one for our Penryn campus and one for our Streatham campus. I had the privilege on opening the launch of the globe by Nadia Akingbule at Streatham in October 2024 (see photo below). The globe explores the complexity of Britain’s relationship with Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean across generations. Featured are a man and woman who have arrived in Britain from the Caribbean; also visible is the HMT Empire Windrush.
The official narrative surrounding the Windrush is one of a welcome to a multicultural Britain. The globe invites us to identify other narratives. As the Black Cultural Archives show, the Windrush did not mark the very beginning of the presence of Black people in Britain. There was also discrimination and hardship threading its way into our present as we can see all too clearly with the Windrush scandal.
The globe at the Penryn campus titled ‘A Dark Cloud’ by Caroline Daly brings to life how Britain was enriched as a result of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans in terms of financial and trading power; strengthening the Church and the might of universities; and establishing dynastic influence.
Four hundred swallows on the globe represent the four hundred years of the trade in enslaved Africans. Swallows migrate across the Atlantic and thousands die on the journey due to exhaustion and starvation. However, swallows are also depicted as a symbol of hope, and as we walk around the globe the colours turn to lighter tones reflecting hope for a brighter future.
Reclaiming the narrative is therefore also about re-centering who tells our stories. It seeks to truly honour the courage, resilience and the cultural richness of the contribution of Black people worldwide.
Black History Month and race equity
I am so grateful to colleagues and students for their time and the incredible talent in setting up so many inspirational events at our University (listed on this webpage). This includes the Collective for Racial Justice, the Race Equality Group, the EDI team, and all those working within faculties and professional services who drive forward our people, inclusion and culture work.
My gratitude to them goes far deeper and beyond Black History Month. They collaborate on activities, they innovate, and they challenge us to do better. They do this heavy lifting so that others may rise, and it is my very great privilege to work with them.
We have embarked on a journey to make our university more inclusive. For example, our Race Equality Charter work is implementing meaningful change and we are part of the 100 Black Women Professors Now and Elevate programmes.
Our work also extends beyond our university. For example, our alumnae of the 100 Black Women Professors Now programme founded the B-Hugs project to work with local schools to offer opportunities to engage with Black educators and enable improved representation and aspiration raising.
Our Black History Month engagement will continue with events leading up to the end of this year – more information is available on this webpage. On 20 November, staff and students can also join the Collective for Racial Justice as they celebrate their relaunch and bring together groups working on race equity at Exeter.
Our Race Equality Work
As we approach the mid term review of our Race Equality Charter application, we are hard at work with our Race Equality action plan. Visit our dedicated Race Equality Charter Priorities pages, where you can see the breakdown of the five priorities driving the University's race equality work, and how we are going to achieve them.
BHM 2024 events and resources
Click through the tabs below for events happening for Black History Month across our campuses and in the wider community.
If you would like your events and activities to be included and promoted here, or have resources/media or support offerings you think would make good additions to this page, then let us know by adding to the tracker (please email us if you do not have this) or by emailing details to edi@exeter.ac.uk.
w/c 30 September 2024
Below is a list of highlight events for BHM 2024 for the week commencing 30 September 2024. Check back regularly for updated information and new events added throughout the month.
Reclaiming Narratives: Making Black British History Sources More Discoverable
Wednesday 2 October, 14:30-16:30
Who: Students, Staff
Where: Room LTB10, Hatherly Labs, Streatham Campus.
Tickets: Free - Please register via Eventbrite.
Are you passionate about studying Black British history at the University of Exeter? Do you want to make a difference and help improve the way our institution foregrounds historical Black voices in our curriculum?
Come along to this workshop to explore the challenges of discovering Black British histories within archives, and help identify and showcase these histories in the library's digital collections. Together, we’ll create a new Black British History online guide to share these important histories.
The first half of the session will feature a discussion with Dr Ryan Hanley (Archaeology and History), who has just completed a biography of British-Jamaican, 19th-century radical abolitionist Robert Wedderburn. Dr Hanley is a foremost expert on Black British History, and his research engages with archival material and the problems faced by researchers as we try to overcome the biases which can structure archives.
We’ll also be joined by AM Digital, one of our digital Heritage database providers, to provide a publishers’ perspective on the discovery and digitisation of Black British histories.
In the second half of the workshop, Nicki Nye will provide hands-on training, as you help us recover sources which reveal Black experiences, thus decolonising the library records at the University of Exeter. With her expert guidance, you will search across our online collections to find these hidden Black British histories and showcase them, thereby contributing towards the creation of a new Black British History libguide, which will help students and researchers at all levels.
Black Students Mixer (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Thursday 3 October, 18:30 onwards. (Last entry 20:30)
Who: (Black) Students.
Where: The Greenhouse, Devonshire House, Streatham Campus.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
You’re invited to our (Student's Guild, Exeter) launch event for Black History Month 2024 in this opportunity to meet other Black students at Exeter. We’ll have refreshments from around the world as well as some games and activities to enjoy. You’re welcome to come for just some of the time, or for the whole thing!
Accessibility statement: There is wheelchair access. There is padded seating, an accessible toilet, a gender neutral toilet, a designated quiet space (Exehale), general car parking, and blue badge parking. There isn't a hearing loop, or a BSL interpreter. If you have any questions about this event, please do get in touch: communities@exeterguild.com
The World Reimagined Globe Launch - Streatham
Friday 4 October, 13:00-17:00
Who: Everyone welcome!
Where: Queen's Building, Streatham Campus.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
The Faculty of HASS and the BME Network are delighted to invite you to The World Reimagined Globe Launch: ‘Uncertain Voyage'.
The full programme will be confirmed in due course, and will include a musical performance, exhibitions, and keynote speakers across the afternoon. Specific locations in the Queen's Building include: The Quad, Digital Humanities Seminar Room 1, Senior Common Room, Foyer (between the Queen's Cafe and Senior Common Room).
The World Reimagined is a ground-breaking art installation project which aims to redefine how we understand the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans and its lasting impact.
The university has been gifted two globes from this initiative, with one now installed at Exeter, Streatham Campus. The globe was gifted to the University on the agreement that it would be used for hosting educational and cultural events and activities.
The Exeter (Streatham Campus) based globe - ‘Uncertain Voyage’: A complex Triangle created by Nadia Akingbule.
Read more about the two Globes, based at our Penryn and Exeter Campuses.
Falmouth Reggae Festival (External event) (£)
Friday 4 October, 12:00 - Saturday 5 October, 23:30
Where: Princess Pavilion (and other venues) in Falmouth
Who: All
Tickets: Required, prices vary. Available here.
Welcome to FRF 2024 - returning to its tropical seaside home at Princess Pavilion for another vibe filled year of handpicked Reggae, food, rum 'n' vibes.
Featuring acts including Kabaka Pyramid, Linval Thompson and Da Fuchaman, with after sessions at Fives, Kings and The Cornish Bank. Check Facebook for the full line-up.
Tickets: Friday: £29.40, Saturday: £36.75, weekend: £47.25. Weekend 12 – 18s: £11. Under 12s go free.
This event usually sells out, so book tickets soon to avoid missing out!
w/c 7 October 2024
Below is a list of highlight events for BHM 2024 for the week commencing 7 October 2024. Check back regularly for updated information and new events added throughout the month.
Film Night: Film Chosen By You! (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Tuesday 8 October, 18:30 doors & refreshments, 18:45 film start.
Who: Students
Where: The Greenhouse, Devonshire House, Streatham Campus.
Tickets: Please register here to attend.
Join us for a film night as we continue our Black History Month programme themed ‘Reclaiming Narratives’. This will be a relaxed event with free popcorn and other snacks as you sit back and enjoy the movie. The movie will be chosen by students in a poll on the Guild’s Instagram in the run up to the event.
Doors open and refreshments from 18.30, film starts at 18.45.
Accessibility statement: There is wheelchair access. There is a variety of seating including padded seating, an accessible toilet, a gender neutral toilet, a designated quiet space (Exehale), general car parking, blue badge parking, and English audio. There is subtitles, by request at the event. There isn't a hearing loop, a BSL interpreter, or audio description. Any questions about this event, please get in touch: communities@exeterguild.com
Narrating Black Lives in Theatre
Wednesday 9 October, 14:00-16:00
Who: Students, (staff welcome)
Where: TS1 Alexander Building, Streatham Campus.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
Run in conjunction with the National Theatre, this talk organised by the Comms, Drama and Film department explores Black British theatre through the Black Plays Archive (BPA). The Black Plays Archive at the National Theatre, one of the UK's largest theatre archives, aims to catalogue every work by Black British, African, and Caribbean playwrights produced in the UK. Rianna Simons, the Black Plays Archive Coordinator and Dr Michael Pearce, University of Exeter Drama, will be discussing the extraordinary body of work produced by Black playwrights living in the UK since the 1950s and why archives are important tools in recognising the works of marginalised people.
The Black Plays Archive can be accessed here: https://www.blackplaysarchive.org.uk/
w/c 14 October 2024
Below is a list of highlight events for BHM 2024 for the week commencing 14 October 2024. Check back regularly for updated information and new events added throughout the month.
Give It A Go Craft Event - St Luke's (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Monday 14 October, 14:00-16:00
Who: Students
Where: G48, St Luke's Campus, Exeter.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
Join us for a Give it a Go X Black History Month crafting session! We'll have a range of crafts available!
The venue is wheelchair accessible, has access to basic seating and an accessible toilet in the nearest building. There is car parking available next to the venue, including blue badge parking. If you have any questions about this event please don't hesitate to get in touch either via social media on @Exeterguild or via email at info@exeterguild.com
Film screening: Spirits of the Land – Mathonga Elizwe
Tuesday 15 October, 3-5pm
Who: Open to all
Where: The Atrium, European Centre for Environment and Human Health, Peter Lanyon building, Penryn Campus, Cornwall
Tickets: Please register here to attend
About the film: This is a true story of latter day land struggle in South Africa as that country is haunted by enduring colonially determined white landownership. The film lays bare the struggles of ordinary South Africans in obtaining land through the democratic land tenure reform process. Protagonists tell their stories of struggle and constant frustrations on white owned land. Antagonists unapologetically undermine the land reform process and stunt its progress. Beyond odd the future seems bright the land claimants manifest in their well calculated struggle through the courts.
The film screening will be followed with a Q&A with the producer Dr Mnqobi Ngubane online (Senior Lecturer, Nelson Mandela University).
Film screening + panel discussion: Il Moro
Wednesday 16 October, 14:00-16:00
Who: Staff, Students.
Where: LT 7.2, Queen's Building, Streatham Campus, Exeter.
Tickets: Register for a free ticket on Eventbrite
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to welcome you to a film screening of the short film Il Moro, followed by a panel discussion (details tbc).
About the film: The illegitimate son of an enslaved African woman and Pope Clement VII becomes the head of the Medici dynasty. However, taking on that role doesn’t mean that his family is going to accept him. Based on a true story. Il Moro - The Moor is a short film about the untold story of Alessandro de’ Medici, the first Duke of Florence in 1530 and the first man of African descent to become a head of state in Renaissance Europe. While unveiling a true story from the past, the film aims to speak loudly of the situations that Black Europeans are still experiencing today and to celebrate today's Afro-European community in the history of the continent.
Give It A Go Craft Event - St Luke's (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Monday 14 October, 14:00-16:00
Who: Students
Where: G48, St Luke's Campus, Exeter.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
Join us for a Give it a Go X Black History Month crafting session! We'll have a range of crafts available!
The venue is wheelchair accessible, has access to basic seating and an accessible toilet in the nearest building. There is car parking available next to the venue, including blue badge parking. If you have any questions about this event please don't hesitate to get in touch either via social media on @Exeterguild or via email at info@exeterguild.com.
Art exhibition + lecture: Distinguishing African Identities: Colonial-Era mining images, maps, African textiles past and present
Wednesday 16 October, 17:00-19:00
Who: Open to all
Where: Trevithick Room, ESI, Penryn Campus
Tickets: Please register here to attend.
Join Madeline R. Young-Toure for a lecture and gallery visit exploring her work on African identities and material cultures and European colonial archival images. The event will include food and socialising.
There will be a lecture from 5pm to 6pm in the Trevithick room in the Environment and Sustainability Institute.
There will be a West African buffet from 6pm to 7pm served by Cocobean Cornwall.
This is part of a calendar of events by Early Career Researchers at the ESI and has been kindly opened up to all students by Madeline as part of The SU's Black History Month collaborations.
Give It A Go Craft Event - Streatham (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Friday 18 October, 10:30-12:30
Who: Students
Where: The Greenhouse, Devonshire House, Streatham Campus, Exeter.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
Join us for a Give it a Go X Black History Month crafting session! We'll have a range of crafts available!
The venue is wheelchair accessible, has access to basic seating and an accessible toilet in the nearest building. There is car parking available next to the venue, including blue badge parking. If you have any questions about this event please don't hesitate to get in touch either via social media on @Exeterguild or via email at info@exeterguild.com.
w/c 21 October 2024
Below is a list of highlight events for BHM 2024 for the week commencing 21 October 2024. Check back regularly for updated information and new events added throughout the month.
Guest Lecture: Black Feminism and Futurity with Lola Olufemi *POSTPONED*
Tuesday 22 October, 14:00-16:00
Who: Open to all
Where: Seminar K, Daphne du Maurier, Penryn Campus, Cornwall.
Tickets: Please register here to attend
*Apologies, due to speaker availability unfortunately this talk has had to be postponed. A new date will be announced as soon as possible*
HaSS Cornwall are pleased to invite you to a guest lecture on Black Feminism and Futurity with spectacular speaker Lola Olufemi.
Lola Olufemi is a black feminist writer and researcher from London. She is co-author of 'A FLY Girl's Guide to University' (Verve Poetry Press, 2019), author of 'Feminism Interrupted: Disrupting Power' (Pluto Press, 2020) and 'Experiments in Imagining Otherwise' (Hajar Press, 2021). She is a member of 'bare minimum', an interdisciplinary anti-work arts collective and the recipient of the 2020 Techne AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership between The Stuart Hall Foundation, CREAM and Westminster School of Arts. Her work focuses on the uses of the imagination in revolutionary cultural production; its relationship to futurity, political demands and 'imaginative-revolutionary potential'. Her short story, "Red" was shortlisted for the 2020 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing prize. She tweets at @lolaolufemi_ and is represented by Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander Associates. Alongside writing, she facilitates reading groups and workshops, occasionally curates and is volunteer co-ordinator at the Feminist Library.
This guest lecture is open to all staff, students and members of the public.
AccessAble Location Guide
Film screening + discussion: Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol
Tuesday 22 October, 17:00-19:00
Who: Staff, students (from University of Exeter, Falmouth University, FX Plus and the Student's Union)
Where: DM Lecture Theatre A, Penryn Campus, Cornwall.
Tickets: Register here to attend
Film screening of Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol with pizza and discussion facilitated by Andrew Schaap. This is part of the core first year Politics module ‘Political Communication’ but is warmly open to all.
Post-film pizza and discussion facilitated by Dr Andrew Schaap and Dr Karen Scott.
About the film: On Sunday 7th June 2020, sparked by the horrific murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protestors marching to support the Black Lives Matter movement tore down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the city’s harbour. This dramatic action in Bristol thrust the city onto the global stage and put it at the forefront bitter culture wars that summer. Caught in the eye of this storm was Bristol’s mayor Marvin Rees, the first directly elected mayor of Black African heritage of a major European city. Born and bred in Bristol and himself a descendant of enslaved people, how would he hold the city together in the face of rising tensions that threaten to explode into violent confrontation?
Black history and culture celebration at St Luke’s
Wednesday 23 October, 11:30-15:00
Who: Open to all
Where: South Cloisters 3.06, St Luke's Campus, Exeter
Tickets: Please register to attend
Join us for a day of activity - join us for all or some of our agenda!
11:30 am to 12:45 pm: 4 X Staff Talks (15 minutes each), with last 15 minutes for audience questions.
- 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm: Food and Networking
- Enjoy delicious ethnic food from Black heritage
- 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm: Student Panel (45 minutes)
- 2:45 pm to 3:00 pm: Student Prizes
The event will feature:
- Insightful staff talks on the theme of Reclaiming Narratives
- Student panel discussions: Listen to students share their perspectives, experiences, and reflections on Black history, culture, and heritage.
- A taste of traditional food from Black heritage
To create a lively and celebratory atmosphere, attendees are invited to wear traditional clothing from their cultures if they choose. In keeping with centring Black experience and creativity, a prize will be awarded for the best traditionally dressed attendee of Black (African/African diaspora) heritage.
Join us for an afternoon of learning, culture, and celebration. We look forward to seeing you there!
BHM at the Intercultural Cafe! (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Friday 25 October, 10:30-11:30
Who: Students
Where: ISCA Eats, Cornwall House, Streatham Campus, Exeter.
Tickets: No ticket required, just drop in!
The Guild will be celebrating Black History Month at the Intercultural Cafe!
w/c 28 October and beyond BHM
Below is a list of highlight events for BHM 2023 for the week commencing 28th October 2024, and some of those happening beyond the month.
Please check back for updates as more events and details may be added as the month goes on.
Reclaiming narratives students' workshop (Exeter Student's Guild Event)
Wednesday 30 October, from 10:30am
Who: Students
Where: The Greenhouse, Devonshire House, Streatham Campus, Exeter.
Tickets: Please register here to attend.
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.' - Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE at Black History Month 2024.
Exeter Students' Guild has set-up this collaborative workshop to create actions to drive forward anti-racism work. Our aim is to create an anti-racism project group for students, led by students. This event is the starting point to discuss ideas, share honest feedback, co-create solutions and to find students that are both passionate and interested in participating in this work. Our mission at the Guild is to help students love Exeter, but this month we particularly want Black students to come together and to reclaim, retell, and celebrate the narratives that matter most.
The venue has access to basic seating, is step free, has access to accessible and gender neutral toilets, and blue badge and general parking nearby.
If you have any questions about this event please don't hesitate to get in touch via email at voice@exeterguild.com.
*NEW DATE* Lecture: Reclaiming narratives on Black and African identities: History, evolution and disambiguation
Tuesday 5 November, 4-5pm (Hybrid, on Teams)
Who: Open to all students, staff, and external
Where: Exchange Yellow, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, and online via Teams (any campus welcome to join!)
Tickets: Free, please register here to attend- https://tinyurl.com/FXSU-BHM-Identities
All students, staff and external guests are invited to join us for a sociology, cultural anthropology, and social movement history lecture on the diverse Black and African diaspora identities in the Americas, Europe, and their counterparts on the African continent, including multi-ethnic Black and African identities. Discussion of the complexities and differences between race, place, nation states, and ethnic identities. Trigger warning for discussion of racism, colonialism, and enslavement. Lecturer is of West African and European family heritage and lived experience. Supported by The Students' Union. Please contact Madeline R. Young-Touré if you have any questions.
Join the talk online at this link. Please register above as well.
*NEW DATE* Lecture: Embodied intelligence of West African and Afro-Latin dance: Physics, anatomy, proprioception, and mathematics
Wednesday 6 November, 4:30-5pm (Hybrid, on Teams)
Who: Open to all students, staff, and external
Where: Exchange Lecture Hall, Penryn Campus, Cornwall; or online via Teams
Tickets: Free, please register here to attend.
All welcome to join us for this lecture on the embodied knowledge of West African dance and their diasporic descendants in North and South America and the Caribbean. This will offer an overview of an array of physical, musical, and mathematical intelligence passed down through generations, as a testimony of cultural knowledge resilience often unrecognised outside of global communities of African cultural dance practitioners. Supported by The Students' Union. Please contact Madeline R. Young-Touré if you have any questions.
Join us in person, or anyone is welcome to join us online via Teams - please register above first, and join us on Teams here.
For those attending in person, this will be followed by the dance class listed below - please feel free to stay for both.
*NEW DATE* Dance class social: Intro to Afro-Latin dances and cultures
Wednesday 6 November, 5-7pm (in-person only)
Who: Open to all students, staff, family & friends
Where: Upper Stannary, Penryn Campus, Cornwall.
Tickets: £1, Register here to attend.
Come join us for a fun introductory dance class - All welcome, no previous experience required. Refreshments provided.
*NEW DATE* Food, film screening + panel discussion: Can I Live?
Wednesday 20 November, 12:30-3pm
Who: Students and staff (from the University of Exeter, Falmouth University, FX Plus and the Students' Union all welcome).
Where: Chapel Lecture Theatre, Penryn Campus, Cornwall.
Tickets: Please register here to attend.
The Centre for Ecology and Conservation are delighted to welcome staff and students to join us for lunch, and a screening of Can I Live? followed by a panel discussion.
About the film: “Why don’t we talk about it?”
An urgent question and an invitation offered by Can I Live?: a vital new digital performance about the climate catastrophe conceived, written and performed by Fehinti Balogun who shares his personal journey into the biggest challenge of our times. Weaving his story with spoken word, rap, theatre, animation and the scientific facts, Fehinti charts a course through the fundamental issues underpinning the emergency, identifying the intimate relationship between the environmental crisis & the global struggle for social justice, and sharing how, as a young Black British man, he has found his place in the climate movement.
In the face of a sense of helplessness about the climate catastrophe, Can I Live? is an outstretched hand, inviting audiences to recognise they are not alone – and that through understanding the issues and connecting with the many powerful activists around the globe driving change, we can find a sense of hope for the future.
All staff and students from the University of Exeter, Falmouth University, FX Plus and The Students' Union are welcome to attend.
Please feel free to join us in the Chapel Lecture Theatre at any time, however we kindly ask that you don't disturb the film screening by joining part way through (between 13:00 and 14:00).
12:00: Doors open for food (catering TBC)
13:00: Film starts promptly
14:10 - 15:00: Post-film panel discussion
Reclaiming narratives: Celebrating race equity work at Exeter
DATE TBC 2025
Who: Students and staff
Where: XFi, Streatham Campus
Tickets: Information coming soon
Join The Collective for Racial Justice, B-HUGs and the 100 Black Women Professors Now cohort for an afternoon celebrating and showcasing racial equity work at the University.
The Collective for Racial Justice Relaunch
The Collective, formerly called the BME Network, is excited to officially launch with their renewed focus on racial equity. To mark this occasion, they are bringing together a number of groups, colleagues and friends working on racial equity at the institution.
Guests including
- Professor Robin Pierce
- B-HUGs
- 100 Black Women Professors Now cohort
The event will feature talks, a panel discussion and short film viewing, followed by an opportunity to mingle and view the artwork created at the Black History Month B-HUGs workshops with local schools.
Catered by Cocobean
CocoBean Cornwall - Delivering fusion food from the melting pot of different African and Caribbean cultures. Prepared with Care, Served with Love.
If you have any questions or accessbility requirements, please contact Beth at edi@exeter.ac.uk.
Below is a list of learning resources that you can access for BHM 2024!
Black History Month webpages
More information about Black History Month, including introductions to this years theme (Reclaiming Narratives) can be found on the Black History Month website.
University of Exeter
Library
The Exeter University Library is celebrating Black History Month by putting together resources to explore Black history. There will be displays at the entrance to the Forum Library as well as promotions on social media (@ExeterUniLib).
The library is proud to promote their Black History and Black Lives Matter Lib Guide pages.
They have also put together a Black History Month BHM Reading and Watching Recs which has a range of books as well as film and television resources for you to explore.
They are also pleased to highlight their Archival Black History Research resource.
All items are freely available for use by all staff and students all y ear round, and the library team are always keen to hear feedback and suggestions on these lists and resources, and to expand the texts they have available. We hope there is something interesting and new in these resources for everyone.
Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Black Screen History: A Tale of Trailblazing Talent, Tribulation, Trials and Triumph
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum has a permanent exhibition celebrating Black screen history in the Upper Gallery of the museum on the Streatham campus. The exhibition, created after feedback at a community Black History Month event in 2021 was curated by student intern Chloe Jarrett-Bell, and expanded further by Chloe in 2024.
Read Chloe’s blog on curating the display and her digital exhibitions and podcasts on Black Screen History.
The exhibition can be visited in the upper gallery of the Bill Douglas Museum on Streatham campus.
Free entry, no ticket required.
Revisit past resources
Pre-Recorded Academic Lecture Series
There are 16 lecture recordings available on a number of topics, all produced by Exeter University academics and PhD students. These are appropriate for a wide audience. Check out the topics available and dive in!
Student Voices Blogs
You may wish to revisit these fantastic essays written last year by current students about their lived experience as Black students at the University of Exeter.
As well as reading those at the link above, you can also check out the videos from previous years by some of our students sharing what makes them 'Proud To Be'.
Black History Month X Stonewall
LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall last year put together a number of resources for Black History Month, including a list of Black LGBTQ+ organisations offering a range of different support for Black LGBTQ+ people and 10 ways to be a better ally to Black LGBTQ+ people.
From the SU BHM microsite (Cornwall, 2023)
Black wellness/wellbeing resources
- The Nap Ministry
- The Black Wellbeing Collective
- Black Yogi Nico Marie
- @blackgirlinom
- @bmhaofficial
- BAME students' mental health support
Allyship and solidarity resources
- Effective Allies Who Take Meaningful Actions
- UK Black Pride
- Smarter in Seconds
- @everydayracism
- Become A Good Ancestor (Layla F. Saad)
- Candice Brathwaite
- Glitch
- @sistahspace_
- gal-dem
- Rachel Cargle
- Temi Mwale
From the SG BHM microsite (Exeter, 2022)
Connect
Staff Networks
- The Collective for Racial Justice (Formerly called the BME Network) Open to staff and students across our campuses.
- International Staff and PG Network
- List of other Equality Networks / Societies
Student Societies (Devon)
- African and Caribbean Society Student's Guild page.
- Students of Colour Assosciation Student's Guild page.
- The Collective for Racial Justice (Formerly called the BME Network). Open to staff and students across our campuses. Join form here
- Students Of Colour Community Feed
- Full list of Exeter student societies
Student Societies (Cornwall)
- African Caribbean Society and the Exeter and Falmouth ACS Instagram
- The Collective for Racial Justice (Formerly called the BME Network). Open to staff and students across our campuses.
- Full list of Cornwall student societies
Support
Nilaari: A counselling service for our Black, Asian and minority ethnic community
The service is a culturally appropriate counselling service based in Bristol who provide help and support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people. Their counsellors are trained and qualified in the same way as our own University Wellbeing staff, with whom they meet regularly to ensure a joined up approach to student support.
Nilaari offer a range of therapies for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people experiencing:
- stress and worry
- general anxiety and depression
- low self-esteem and low confidence
As with many services in this sector, there may be a waitlist for accessing support. Please avail yourself of other support should you need while you wait. Information about central wellbeing is at the bottom of this list, plus do reach out to your GP or urgent services shoudl you require.
Black, African and Asian Therapy Network
This site has a list of free services available throughout the UK which offer counselling specifically set up to serve the BAME community. Many of these services encourage you to self-refer but if you are unsure your GP/doctor can signpost or assist you with a referral.
BEAT Eating Disorders
BEAT Eating Disorders are a charity, and have collated research and videos to tackle perceptions & media stereotypes around eating disorders, and to show that diverse communities are just as affected.
Aspire2inspire Dyslexia
Aspire2inspire Dyslexia have a series of podcasts aimed at the BAME community about dyslexia, and aim to raise awareness within the local community of Dyslexia and several other learning difficulties.
Menopause Whilst Black
Menopause Whist Black by Karen Arthur is a series of podcasts opening the long overdue conversation about diversity in menopause, and places the experience of Black, British women of the menopause front and centre by sharing their stories - positive and negative.
Black Out UK
BlackOut UK is a not-for-profit social enterprise run and owned by a volunteer collective of Black gay men, for Black queer men. It focusses on the need to talk; to each other and to the communities we are part of. It is a space to think, shout, show off, curse, celebrate, laugh, reflect and share, to hear and to be heard.
Therapy for Black Girls
Therapy for Black Girls seeks to break down the barriers experienced by Black women in accessing therapy, and in finding a therapist who understands their experience, and can provide compassionate and constructive support. As well as a Find a Therapist portal and mailing list, there are also other resources including blog posts and a podcast (also available on Spotify).
Togetherall
You can request online counselling with a BAME practitioner from Togetherall upon referral from Wellbeing Services. Referral can be discussed by booking an appointment with a Wellbeing advisor, or contacting using the information below.
University Student Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Service provide free advice, guidance and support for students. If you are based on our Cornwall campuses, please visit the Cornwall wellbeing pages.
Students can access our service remotely by phone or email, or book in-person appointments.
Students can also access urgent support, on campus or remotely, whenever needed.
Please see our Wellbeing Services summary leaflet for information on the full range of support we have to offer, including urgent support, ILP appointments for disability support or DSA-funded mentoring.
If you are unsure what support is best for you, please ring us on 01392 724381 or email wellbeing@exeter.ac.uk and we will be happy to help.
University Staff Wellbeing
The Colleague Wellbeing pages have links to available support for University Staff including pages on various avenues for mental health support, Occupational Health and Spectrum Life, the free 24/7 telephone support service.
There is also self-care advice including support for alocohol, drugs, smoking, and sleep, as well as support for support with sickness absence, working with disability. There is also an extensive A-Z of Wellbeing support to help you connect you with what you may need, even if this information is hosted elsewhere on the University site. Please explore these pages and the tabs across the top should you need any support, and reach out.