Events and activities are being held across Cambridge University and the Colleges to mark Black History Month 2022. Throughout October, lectures, discussions, exhibitions and more will reflect on the experiences of the past, and explore the contribution of individuals and the achievements of communities.
Events taking place at Cambridge include:
Throughout October
Downing’s Early Black Cantabs
Downing College, Regent Street, Cambridge
Archive exhibition celebrating Downing College’s early black students, dating back more than 100 years. This exhibition shares research carried out in support of the Black Cantabs Research Society by the College Archivist and new profiles added over the past year.
The exhibition in the Maitland Robinson Library, Regent Street, is still available by appointment. Please contact the College Archivist, Jenny Ulph, for more information or to arrange to see the exhibition.
Saturday 1 October and Monday 31 October
St Catharine’s College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge
St Catharine’s College will again fly the flag of the Bahamas to commemorate its first Black student, Alfred F. Adderley CBE.
Flying the flag of the Bahamas to mark Black History Month
Thursday, 13 October
Black Women in Business with Dr Maggie Semple OBE and Jane Oremosu, 6.30pm to 8pm
Combination Room, Wolfson College, Barton Road, Cambridge
Wolfson student Annoa Abekah-Mensah chats with Dr Maggie Semple OBE and Jane Oremosu, two black women with extensive business acumen, about their work and experiences in the corporate space, and their professional services company I-Cubed Group which offers diversity and inclusion training.
Register for Black Women in Business with Dr Maggie Semple OBE and Jane Oremosu
Thursday, 13 October
Legal Profession, Public Office and Race – My Personal Journey, with Busola Johnson, 6-7pm
Lucy Cavendish College, Lady Margaret Road, Cambridge
Lucy Cavendish alumna Busola Johnson, a specialist prosecutor in the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the Crown Prosecution Service, will share her journey as a lawyer, discussing the legal professions, public office and race.
The event is free and open to all and will take place in the Wood-legh Room, in the Strathaird Building. There is no need to register.
Thursday, 20 October
Dreams from my Mother with Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, 6.30-8pm
Wolfson College, online event
Wolfson student Annoa Abekah-Mensah speaks with Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, a nurse, lecturer, professor and author, about her life – as detailed in her new autobiography Dreams from my Mother – discussing her time as a young child in care, her experience in nursing and journey into sickle-cell and thalassemia research, and her work in Black activism.
Register for Dreams from my Mother with Dame Elizabeth Anionwu event
Saturday, 22 October
Adderley Dinner
St Catharine’s College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge
The Adderley Dinner, named in memory of St Catharine’s first Black student and supported by the Master’s Fund, will celebrate the achievements of the College’s Black community and foster connections between current students and alumni. Invited guests will be welcomed by Lady Welland (2020) at a reception in the Master’s Lodge Dining Room. This event is primarily for members of the College community who identify as Black and mixed Black.
Sunday, 23 October
Choral Evensong
St Catharine’s College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge
Choral Evensong service live-streamed from the Chapel, with The Revd Shana Maloney preaching on the Magnificat and empowerment, and the work of Black composers featured among the musical performances.
Thursday, 27 October
How Can We Educate Children About Anti-Racism? with Laura Henry Allain MBE, 6.30-10pm
Combination Room, Wolfson College, Barton Road, Cambridge
Wolfson student Annoa Abekah-Mensah sits down with Laura Henry Allain MBE to discuss her work in education and race. Laura Henry-Allain MBE is an award-winning international writer, motivational and keynote speaker and consultant. She is the creator of the well-loved CBeebies show JoJo and Gran, of which she is the associate producer.
Register for How Can We Educate Children About Anti-Racism? with Laura Henry Allain MBE
Wednesday, 2 November
2022 Annual Race Equality Lecture, 5.30-6.30pm
The University’s 2022 Annual Race Equality Lecture will be given by sociologist Professor Ruha Benjamin, at the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University.
More details to follow.
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