Black History Month: Representation in East London

Hat tip to Ade for arranging and recording this fascinating discussion (and beyond Newham). 

Ade Adeyemi

@i_Ade_Adeyemi

#BlackHistoryMonth Black councillors across Newham celebrating and discussing representation in policy and politics across #EastLondon #WestHam #CustomHouse #CanningTown #Beckton #Plaistow Lots to celebrate, more to do! See the convo https://youtu.be/UsKZe0OIBi0?si=Govi3vIkOX4k9GFO

2023: Year of Black Workers - Passing the torch to the next Generation

 Please check out this flyer for the Greater London UNISON Black History Month Event at the UNISON centre on 12 October. All members welcome. 

London UNISON Celebrating Black History Month 2021 "Breaking the Glass Ceiling"

This year the Regional Black Members Committee will be hosting a virtual event to celebrate Black History Month. 

The theme will be: Breaking the Glass Ceiling. This is an opportunity for the Region to recognise and celebrate Black Lives, which is especially important in the current climate.  

The event is open to all members and activists and will feature music, poetry, and inspirational speakers. It will be hosted via MS Teams on Friday 29th October 2021, starting at 2.00pm.

Please circulate details of this event to all members in your branch. 

If you are a London UNISON member you can register for the event here:

https://forms.office.com/r/1xHXtyqKiw (or scan above) - you need your membership number and if you do not know it ring UNISONdirect to find out on 0800 0 857 857)

Black History Month - Noorunissa Inayat Khan - Wartime British Secret Agent Murdered by the Nazi

Before she joined the SOE as a secret agent and was sent to occupied France, she worked with the mother of one of my branch UNISON stewards in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force as a Battle of Britain wireless operator

Never forget.

This brave woman volunteered to risk her life and ended up being horribly murdered by the Nazi. 

Newham Black History Month 1 Oct - 2 Nov 2019

"Join us this October for a month of poetry, talks, film screenings, exhibitions, oral history, singing and author events to explore Black History Month".

Newham celebrates Black History Month

Black History Month is being revived in the borough for the first time in more than ten years.​

With a new mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz and a new administration, the decision has been made to reinstate the event as part of the council’s wide reaching events programme.

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “I’m really pleased that for the first time in many years, Newham Council will be celebrating Black History Month!

“It’ll be a chance for us to acknowledge the significant contributions, past and present, to our borough’s rich history of people like Frank Arthur Bailey, the first full time black firefighter in England who joined West Ham Fire Brigade in 1955 and served at Silvertown; or actor Idris Elba from East Ham; or gold medal winning Olympian Christine Ohuruogu from Stratford.

“There’s a plethora of amazing black talent that has emerged from Newham whose contributions are equally as important and I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens during Black History Month through the range of talks and events taking place. We’re also asking how Black History Month can be “re-imagined” so that in future it features in what we do throughout the year.”

The programme will allow residents to explore the meaning of Black History Month and to inform and shape future programmes, ensuring that it genuinely reflects the borough’s Black communities.

Free film screenings, exhibitions and talks highlighting black history and culture will be staged across Newham in October to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of many of its residents. The events will highlight icons, innovation, achievements and culture through poetry recitals, talks, spoken word and author events.

All of the events will have a discussion or question and answer session so residents can share their ideas of how future Black History Months are produced.

Events include screenings of Grace Jones’s “Bloodlight and Bami”, an insight into her electrifying concert performances and intimate, personal footage showcasing her life. Marvel’s Black Panther, the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time and the highest grossing film by a black director will also be shown.

There will be talks on Pan-Africanism , A History By Professor Hakim Adi and Black Female Authors in Conversation with Jay Lopez and Trina Charles (Curlture); Chimmy Lawson (The Pinker Print); and Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené (Slay in your Lane), as well as The Cultural Politics of Lovers Rock by Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University, Lisa Amanda Palmer.

Deputy Mayor McLean said: “I’m pleased as a council we are celebrating Black History Month and we now have a commitment to deliver a long lasting, vibrant selection of events and activities that showcase the history and culture of Newham’s communities. It’s important that we use this month to show the strength of our diverse community and also challenge ignorance, prejudice, and bias and race hatred.”

More information on the events programme can be found at
www.newham.gov.uk/BlackHistoryMonth

Newham Heritage Week ECH programme 21-29 Oct 2017

This is great but I am still trying to find out why in Newham we did not have a Black History month? Anyone know?

Black History Month, Carnival & Conference 2018

Black Members – please see important information below to action or note, thanks.

Notting Hill Carnival, London, 27-28 August

Notting Hill Carnival is Europe’s largest street festival representing London's multicultural past and present. UNISON has a regular presence every year at the carnival through its relationship with South Connections, an award winning group – many of whom are NHS workers.

This year we will be promoting UNISON’s key messages and campaigns and engaging as many members as possible. To volunteer - from distributing information to wearing a costume - email blackmembers@unison.co.uk

UNISON Celebrates the Journey of Black Trade Unionism

UNISON is organising a networking and community event to celebrate Black History Month at the UNISON Centre on Friday 20^th October from 11am to 6.30pm. The event will focus on the journey and link with trade unionism that brought many Black people to the shores of Great Britain. The theme for the event is “The History of Black Trade Unionism across the Diaspora – The Journey". There will be presentations on educational aspects of Black History Month, which will also include music, poetry, food from different continents of the world and lots of drinks and nibbles. Speakers include Dave Prentis, General Secretary, Margaret McKee, UNISON President, Rakesh Patel, Thompsons Solicitors, Francis Duku, Show Racism the Red Card, Oku Ekpenyon, Memorial 2007 and others. To attend the event, you will need to register your interest at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-black-history-month-event-tickets-36153354657.

National Black Member’s Conference, Liverpool, 19-21 January 2018

The 2018 UNISON National Black Members’ Conference bulletin is now available on the UNISON Conference website. The conference is now open for registration on the Online Conference System (OCS). The conference will be held at the BT Centre, Liverpool from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 January. If you are interested in attending, now is the time to speak to your branch about registering you as a delegate to the conference.

Margaret Greer

National Officer, Race Equality

Black History month & National Older People Celebration in Kent

This celebration event is being organised by one of my branch UNISON Housing Association Executive Committee members who is also a Labour activist in Kent and a volunteer for a Christian charity.