Black History Month (BHM) activities within the higher education sector as well as in other educational institutions in the UK are often infused with an underlying presumption that while we may celebrate the Black British presence in the UK there is no cerebral benefit to studying Black/African history.
Further, they signify that while there is something to learn from the Black experience, there is no intellectual value underpinning the Black/Africana presence in the UK or in the world more generally. This is replicated by the massive absence of ethical engagement with knowledge production driven by Black scholars at various stages of the education sector. This results in the lack of a deep understanding and appreciation of the presence and contributions of Black people in the UK.
To address these limitations in 2023-2024 the Global Lounge aims to initiate a year-long series of events exploring the Black presence and/or contributions in the UK and more globally from different angles. Using Black History Month 2023 as a launch pad, the planned series of events aims to begin the process of shifting our focus from occasional events, often centred around food, fashion and music, to interrogate the presence and contributions of Black people in the UK more deeply and systematically.