{"id":3481,"date":"2026-09-29T09:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/?p=3481"},"modified":"2026-09-29T09:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:22:13","slug":"black-history-month-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/2026\/09\/29\/black-history-month-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Black History Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is it and when is it?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Black History Month in the UK is celebrated every October to recognise and honour the contributions, achievements, and experiences of Black people. The UK’s first Black History Month took place on 1 October in 1987 at London’s County Hall. It was organised by Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who served as a coordinator of special projects for the Greater London Council. 1987 marked the African Jubilee, the 150th<\/sup> anniversary of Caribbean emancipation, the centenary of Marcus Garvey’s birth, and the 25th<\/sup>. anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity. The official theme for Black History Month 2026 is ‘Honouring Our Communities’, focusing on the everyday unseen contributions by Black people that shape and sustain society.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How can I learn more? <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can find out more about Black History Month on the Black History Month website<\/strong><\/a>. You can also find out what the University is doing to celebrate the event and support\/resources available for students and staff by visiting the Black History Month page<\/strong><\/a>. This page will be updated regularly throughout October. However, some information is below.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is happening at Kent?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018You Belong Here: Stories of belonging and identity in Higher Education\u2019<\/strong><\/a> is an event taking place for incoming students during Welcome Week. This is part of the Belonging and Beyond<\/strong><\/a> programme, which supports inclusivity at Kent by helping students feel seen, valued, and empowered, through opportunities to feel at home in their learning community, build networks, and flourish in their studies. During the Belonging and Beyond Welcome Week event, students can meet academics from across the University and hear about their experiences of university, their journeys into academia, and the things they wish they had known as students.<\/p>\n

‘Caribbean Folklore as Living Archive’ is taking place on Wednesday 28 October at 3pm in Cornwallis Lecture Theatre 3, with guest speaker Dr Leighan Renaud from the University of Bristol. Her talk will be followed by a drinks reception. The POC Humanities Club, POC Arts Society, School of Humanities, School of Arts, and the Language Centre are hosting this event.<\/p>\n

The Affirmations Wall will be in the Templeman Library (Library Caf\u00e9) throughout October. This space is to write positive and encouraging messages to your younger or future self, your friends, your loved ones, and the wider community. There will also be a physical display of Black History Month literature in the Templeman Library throughout October.<\/p>\n

You can find out about other events happening on the Black History Month page<\/strong><\/a>. Kent Students\u2019 Union and academic school events are being organised throughout Black History Month, including panel discussions, so please keep an eye out for updates!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What other opportunities are available to me?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can visit the \u2018Kent Global Hangouts\u2019<\/strong><\/a> page to find out about opportunities to meet students and enjoy creative activities. The African Heritage Mentoring Programme<\/strong><\/a> supports community, belonging, and academic success, by enabling African students to navigate academic, cultural, and social transitions, alongside mentors. Diversity Mark<\/strong><\/a> provides a paid professional development opportunity to students. It is the University’s programme for developing and celebrating curricula and teaching that bring diverse voices, perspectives, and lived experiences into the curriculum. Students are recruited through the Empower scheme<\/strong><\/a> to be Diversity Mark Officers and are trained to work directly with academics, bring fresh perspectives, and co-create more inclusive, culturally sensitive curricula.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What resources are available to me?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The University has lots of resources for Black students and those who would like to increase their awareness of Black History Month and inclusion. You can look at the Black History Month reading list<\/strong><\/a> to explore fiction, memoir, non-fiction, podcasts, audio books, and audio-visual books. You can also read guidance on inclusive language<\/strong><\/a>. The University has an Expect Respect<\/strong><\/a> module which introduces equality, diversity and inclusion principles and values at Kent, and how that translates to expectations around behaviour. You can also visit the University\u2019s website to view the \u2018Black Student’s Guide to Kent\u2019<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What networks and societies are there?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kent Students\u2019 Union have numerous societies and networks students can join, including the African Francophone Society<\/strong><\/a>, the African-Caribbean Society<\/strong><\/a>, the BAME Law Society<\/strong><\/a>, Being Black in Kent<\/strong><\/a>, the Black Scholars Society<\/strong><\/a>, the Caribbean Society<\/strong><\/a>, the East African Society<\/strong><\/a>, the Ghanaian Society<\/strong><\/a>, Kent International Law Society<\/strong><\/a>, the Nigerian Society<\/strong><\/a>, the Zimbabwean Society<\/strong><\/a>, the International Network<\/strong><\/a>, and the Racially and Ethnically Marginalised People (REMP) Network<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do I report an incident?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Students and staff can report an incident such as harassment or bullying through Report + Support<\/strong><\/a>. You can either make a named report and speak to an adviser or give an anonymous report. We also recommend downloading the Safe Zone app<\/strong><\/a>, as this is a free and simple way to summon first-aid, security, or safety assistance via your mobile phone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is it and when is it? Black History Month in the UK is celebrated every October to recognise and honour the contributions, achievements, and … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80318,"featured_media":3482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[312383],"tags":[243053,314661,143892,112454,18228],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80318"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3481"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3493,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions\/3493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/student-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}