Welcome to Black History Month 2021!  This October we celebrate Black History, the successes and achievements of Black individuals and offer a critical examination of where we need to do more and be better, both as a University and a society.  

This year’s theme at Kent is Black Excellence, and this is exactly what the month aims to showcase. Black Excellence across a variety of academic and non-academic fields such as Business, Research, Sports, Literature, Media and Culture and celebrates a host of British and international figures.

Led by volunteers from BAME Staff and Student Networks and the Kent Union Representative Officers, this year’s Black History Month features a wide range of events that are sure to capture your interest and attention. They include inspirational speakers, art exhibitions, workshops and training courses, film screenings, a book club and even a reggae night in the Gulbenkian on the Canterbury site. The vast majority of events are free, open to anyone to attend and a lot are online so can be dipped in and out of at your leisure if you are unable to attend on the scheduled time and date or are studying or working at home or at a different site.

You may want to try our recommended reading list, go and see a film in the Gulbenkian, grab a chat and a coffee at Woody’s, listen to Professor Kalwant Bhopal speak on Black Excellence in Higher Education and Scholarship, view the photos from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, watch some YouTube videos or simply enjoy some food from the Ile Afrik food truck. Whatever you get involved in, make sure you share it with #BHMKent2021

The full programme is available on the Kent Union website

Our programme of activity doesn’t end when Black History Month is over either- keep a look out throughout the academic year for more events and activities on campus to engage with.

We hope you enjoy everything that Black History Month 2021 has to offer.