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Black History Month

In Person Events

See below for opportunities to come together in person to mark Black History Month 2024: 

Paper Chains: The 40-Year Wasafiri Archive 

Dates: 30 September-3 January 2025

Time: Open 24/7

Location: Exhibition Space, Ground floor and 2nd floor, Mile End Library

Wasafiri magazine, in collaboration with Angelique Golding – a PhD student on the Wasafiri archives, based at Queen Mary University of London – has curated an exhibition chronicling its forty-year publishing history. The exhibition crafts paper chains from Wasafiri’s archives, showcasing the magazine’s evolution over four decades, and its deep connections with Queen Mary University of London, academia, and libraries.

The exhibition in Mile End Library is open when the library is open – this is usually 24/7 but will be affected by university closure days in December, see the library’s website for any updates to this. It can be visited by anyone within and without the university, external visitors will need to get a visitor pass at the Library Welcome Desk when you arrive. The exhibition begins on the ground floor in the Exhibition Space and continues on the second floor. The 2nd floor is accessible by stairs and by lift.

 

Explore Black History in our Library collections

Dates: 1 October – 31 October

Time: Open 24/7

Location: Atrium, Ground floor and 2nd floor, Mile End Library 

Come and explore a special display of books and more curated especially for Black History Month 2024

 

Black Academic Success Panel

Date: 2nd October 2024

Time: 16:15-17:15

Location: Sofa Room, Department W

The QMUL Black Postdoc Society is hosting a panel discussion and celebration of Black academic success. We will hear about the career journeys of three Black professors from QMUL:
  • James Esson, Professor of Geography
  • Oyinlola Oyebode, Professor of Public Health and Centre Lead, Public Health & Policy
  • Segun Fatumo, Professor and Chair of Genomic Diversity
This will be an opportunity to discuss the experience of academia from a Black perspective, and in particular how to successfully navigate through an academic career.
Please register your attendance via this link.

After the Flood: The Church, Slavery and Reconciliation (film screening)

Date: 2nd October

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Bloc Cinema

BLOC Cinema is hosting a thought provoking and restorative season of films to celebrate Black History Month and its theme of 'Reclaiming Narratives' this year. The New Black Film Collective are proud to be working with Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, London's Screen Archives and Queen Mary University of London, supported by Tower Hamlets Council and Film London to deliver this programme.

Please register here.

Paper Chains: The 40-Year Wasafiri Archive Talk

Date: 9th October 2024

Time: 13:00-14:00

Location: Seminar Room, Ground Floor, Mile End Library

Wasafiri magazine, in collaboration with Angelique Golding – a PhD student on the Wasafiri archives, based at Queen Mary University of London – has curated an exhibition chronicling its forty-year publishing history. The exhibition crafts paper chains from Wasafiri’s archives, showcasing the magazine’s evolution over four decades, and its deep connections with Queen Mary University of London, academia, and libraries.

In this talk, Angelique will highlight the importance of materiality and storytelling drawn from the archives, offering a historical backdrop to the magazine’s connection with Queen Mary. The talk will detail how the exhibition sheds light on precarious and pivotal moments in the magazine's life and times together with Wasafiri’s visionary approach to commissioning, editing, and publishing critical work despite potential backlash. Delving into the magazine’s unwavering mission and commitment to publish not just creative, but also critical and academic writing, from around the globe, and tracing its history, trajectory, editorial strategy, and vision over forty years.

Black Minds Matter

Date: Tuesday 15th October

Time :  2:00pm – 3.30pm

Location :  The Hitchcock Cinema Room, Arts One Building

Leading mental health charity blackmindsmatter.uk are coming to Queen Mary University of London as part of their With You(th) In Mind University Tour, in partnership with Rare Beauty’s Rare Impact Fund by Selena Gomez 

They are delivering a FREE 1.5 hour event, designed entirely with our Black students/ Black mixed heritage students in mind.

You can expect a therapist-led panel discussion, live polls and a Q+A as we explore and unpack the mental health challenges that young Black students are facing today, in a psychologically safe and considered space. 

All attendees will receive a FREE Black Minds Matter UK goody bag (incl Rare Beauty Products for very early sign ups).

 Please note: students will directly get an email to sign up, so there will not be a public sign up link going out.

Walter Rodney: What They Don't Want You to Know (film screening + Q&A)

Date: 18th October

Time: 7pm

Location: Bloc Cinema

BLOC Cinema is hosting a thought provoking and restorative season of films to celebrate Black History Month and its theme of 'Reclaiming Narratives' this year. The New Black Film Collective are proud to be working with Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, London's Screen Archives and Queen Mary University of London, supported by Tower Hamlets Council and Film London to deliver this programme.

Please register here.

Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (film screening + Q&A)

Date: 21st October

Time: 6pm

Location: Bloc Cinema

BLOC Cinema is hosting a thought provoking and restorative season of films to celebrate Black History Month and its theme of 'Reclaiming Narratives' this year. The New Black Film Collective are proud to be working with Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, London's Screen Archives and Queen Mary University of London, supported by Tower Hamlets Council and Film London to deliver this programme.

Please register here.

 Exploring Black History in Queen Mary Archives

Date: 23rd October 2024

Time: 1-5pm

Location: Archives Reading Room (MEL-232), 2nd floor South Reading Room, Mile End Library

Queen Mary’s Archives and Students Union have collaborated to bring you this event exploring the lives of our former students and alumni through a display of historical records from our collections. We are inviting you to explore these records yourself, so touching is encouraged! This year will include a special focus on Princess Alakija Tejumade, an Ife Princess from Nigeria who travelled to London to study at Westfield College in the 1940s. Westfield College is a founding institution of Queen Mary University of London and a former women’s college. This is an informal drop-in session, so come along for as little or long as you like and find out more about your university's heritage. On the day look out for our helpers near the Black History Month book display on the ground floor of Mile End Library – they are happy to point you in the direction of the Archives Reading Room. We plan to make this event fully accessible but if you have any questions about this do get in touch with archives@qmul.ac.uk.

The Battle for Laikipia (film screening + Q&A)

Date: 29th October

Time: 7pm

Location: Bloc Cinema

BLOC Cinema is hosting a thought provoking and restorative season of films to celebrate Black History Month and its theme of 'Reclaiming Narratives' this year. The New Black Film Collective are proud to be working with Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives, London's Screen Archives and Queen Mary University of London, supported by Tower Hamlets Council and Film London to deliver this programme.

Please register here.

Race Equality Celebration Lunch

Date: Wednesday 30th October 2024

Time: 12-1:30pm

Location: Department W Sofa Room (Level 1) 


Colleagues, students and the wider QM community are invited to join the EDI Team for the annual Black History Month celebration lunch.

Queen Mary is hosting our annual celebration lunch as part of Black History Month 2024. This event provides a great opportunity to celebrate our Bronze Race Equality Charter award, discuss the progress of our race equality work, and network with the wider QM students and staff. This is also a great opportunity to meet our Race Equality Staff Network and the Students' Union Black History Month organising committee. Refreshments will be provided.

Please note: all attendees must register and spaces are limited. 

For questions/dietary requirements, please contact Denis Lelin, EDI Officer. 

 

Reclaiming Narratives in Science and Engineering

Date: Wednesday 30th October 2024

Time: 1:30-5pm

Location: School of Mathematical Sciences, Mile End

October is Black History Month, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements, contributions and histories of Black people in the UK and around the world. This year, the national theme is 'Reclaiming Narratives’.

Join us for Reclaiming Narratives in Science and Engineering to hear from guest speakers and a staff panel.

 

40 Years of Wasafiri: An Exhibition & Two Editors in Conversation

Date: 20th November

Time: 7-8:30pm

Location: BLOC Cinema

Speakers: Angelique Golding, Sana Goyal, Susheila Nasta

The event promises to shed light on precarious and pivotal moments in the magazine's life and times, including its adaptive strategies in the face of funding challenges and political shifts over four decades, and hopes to juxtapose the magazine's past with its present and future — enriched by sounds and images from the archives.

Join us for an evening of reflection and celebration – by way of the archives – as we mark 40 years of Wasafiri.

 

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