West Indies Calling (13:55)
A group of West Indians describes the Caribbean support during World War Two, including RAF officer Learie Constantine.

Windrush (9:33)
A short documentary chronicling the largest immigration of West Indians to Britain after WWII, in particular the ‘Empire Windrush’ which was the ship transporting the first major group of migrants.

The 1981 Brixton Riots (4:21)
Hear eyewitnesses from the day recount their experiences of the riots – infamously known as ‘Bloody Saturday’ – in this 20th anniversary documentary.

Linford Christie at the 1992 Olympics (3:33)
Linford Christie won 100m gold medal at 1992 Olympics and became the first male athlete to retain the title – witness the world record breaking event here.

Claudia Jones (10:05)
Claudia Jones founded Britain’s first weekly black newspaper and also helped launch the Notting Hill Carnival in 1959. Feminist, activist, journalist and community leader, gain more insight into her vision for equal opportunities and civil rights:

Click on the title of the film for more details.

Pressure
Sun 3 Oct, 14.00 | Free, booking advised
East Finchley

The New Blaxploitation? UK Urban Film Panel
Wed 6 Oct, 18.00 | £5
Notting Hill

Nollywood Now
Wed 6 – Tue 12 Oct | £3 single tickets – £12 festival pass
New Cross

Kwasu Mashu: Still My Home
Thu 7 Oct, 19.00 | Free, booking advised
Bethnal Green

Freestyle
Thu 7 Oct, Free
Haringey

Thriller in Manilla
Mon 11 Oct, 19.00 | £7.50
Bethnal Green

Walter’s War
Wed 13 Oct, noon & 13.30 | Free
Westminster

From You Were Black, You Were Out
Thu 21 Oct, 19.00 | Free
Haringey

Ousmane Sembene Night
Mon 25 Oct, 19.00 | £7.50
Hammersmith

Burning an Illusion
Sat 31 Oct, 14.00 | Free
East Finchley

Babylon
Sun 31 Oct, 15.00 | £11
Kensal Rise

Click on the name of the event to see the full listing.

Return of the SS Windrush
Fri 1 – Fri 29 Oct | Free
Elephant & Castle

Sixty Poems for Haiti
Sat 2 Oct, 18.00-20.00 | Free
Peckham Rye

The Brunel Museum history walks
Saturday 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Oct, 10.45am
Free for Southwark residents
Bermondsey

What Do We Look Like? Black Communities in the Media
Mon 4 Oct, 18.00 | Free
Homerton

Africans in Asia
Mon 4 Oct, 18.30 | Free
Tooting

Seminar: Haitian Revolution with Panyin Smith
Mon 11 Oct, 19.00 | Free
Seven Sisters

Walking Brixton’s Black History with Michael Groce
Sat 16 Oct, 14.00 | Free
Brixton

Westminster Historical Boat Trip
Sat 16 Oct, 11.00 | Free
Westminster

How To Be a Winner? Yana Johnson MBE
Tue 19 Oct, 18.00 | Free
Manor House

Research Your Black Ancestry
Thu 21 Oct, 16.30-18.30 | Free
London Bridge

Does Africa Need Fair Trade?
Thu 21 Oct, 18.00-20.00 | £5
Docklands

Seminar: Bernie Grant Memorial Road Show
Fri 22 Oct, 18.30 | Free
Seven Sisters

Walking Tour of New Cross and Deptford
Sat 23 Oct, 11.00-12.15 | £5
New Cross

Southwark Black History Walk
Sun 24 Oct, 14.00 | Free
Elephant & Castle

Our Memories of the Uprisings: The 1980s Revisited
Mon 25 Oct, 18.00 | Free
Euston

Slavery Is Not Our History
Tue 26 Oct, 19.00 | £4
Victoria

Black History in Britain before 1948
Wed 27 Oct, 19.00 | £4
Victoria

Evaluating Black History Month
Wed 27 Oct, 18.00 | Free
Barbican

African History Before the Slave Trade
Thu 28 Oct, 18.15 | £4
Ealing

Her-stories Course
20 and 27 September. 4, 11, 18 and 25 October, 18.30-21.00 | Free
The Lambeth Women’s Project
166a Stockwell Road, London
SW9 9TQlambethwomensproject@googlemail.co.uk | 07553 373 105
Led by Dr Ama Biney this six-week course for young women aged 14 plus about black women’s historical achievements, black identity and world history. It will focus on the stories of some famous black women unsing film, poetry, photography, workshops and discussions.

Carl Campbell Dance Company 7 Bob Marley youth dance theatre class
Tuesday 5, 12, 19, 26 October – 16.30-18.00| £1.50
Peckham Pulse Healthy Living Centre, 10 Melon Road, SE15 5QN
020 8670 4792 | ccdc7@easynet.co.uk | www.ccdc7.co.uk
A contemporary Caribbean-African dance project for young people between the ages of 8 and 12. Experience Caribbean-African dance and culture, and work together to develop your performing skills. The dress code for the class is looce, comfortable clothing and bare feet or jazz/ballet shoes. Music includes jazz, African and r&b.

Share your stories in pictures
South Norwoord Library
196 Selhurst Road Selhurst, London SE25 6XU
020 8726 6900 | www.croydon-blackhistory.co.uk
Children are invited to create artwork relating to black history through two competitions, running from 4–24 October at South Norwood Library.
Anansi Colouring Competition, for children aged 3–7
My African Caribbean Dream, for children aged 6–12

African-Caribbean storytelling
Tuesday 5 Oct, 11.00 – Noon | Free
Peckham Library, 122 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR
020 7525 0230 | susan.sierra@southwark.gov.uk | www.southwark.gov.uk
African-Caribbean stories and rhymes, for under fives accompanied by a parent or carer.

In Your Own Words
Sat 16 & Sat 23 Oct, 14.00-16.00 | Free
North Kensington Library
108 Ladbroke Grove, London W11 1PZ
020 7361 3010
A workshop for young people aged 12 to 16 years
What makes you? The clothes you wear? The street you grew up in? The company you keep? The music you listen to? The language you speak? Join Jacob Sam-La Rose on a journey to investigate the things that are most important to you and explore them through poetry and spoken word.

Black Youth Have Talent
Sat 23 Oct, 17.00-23.00
St Martins Community Centre Abbots Park St Martins Estate Tulse Hill SW2 3PW
Contact: 07575 863 283 | Imane_makonnen@hotmail.co.uk
Contribution: £5 towards prizes
Come and celebrate local talent with young people performing a mix of poetry, songs, music, dance and drama.

Creating short videos on black achievers
Mon 25 Oct, 10.00-16.30 | Free
Downham Library
Downham Health and Leisure Centre
7-9 Moorside Road, London BR1 5EP
020 3049 2002
Create a short documentary on slide show using film editing software. Maximum 15 places. Ages 8-15

Anansi Afternoon
Thu 28 Oct, 16.30-17.30 | Free
Peckham Library 122 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR
Contact: 020 7525 0230 | www.southwark.gov.uk/libraries
Join Peckham Library in sharing an afternoon of Anansi stories and crafts, for ages eight to eleven.

Click on the name of the event to see the full listing.

OMO London (Theatre – Celebrating Nigerian playwrights)
Tue 21 Sep – Mon 11 Oct | £5 – £12
Oval

Black 100+ Project (Photography)
Throughout October | Free
Manor House

Meet the Author: Precious Williams
Mon 4 Oct, 19.00 | Free
Willesden Green

Portobello Nu-Jazz: One-night Affair (Live Music)
Tue 5 Oct, 20.00 | £10
Ladbroke Grove

Afrovibes (arts, performances, music from South Africa)
Tue 5 – Sun 10 Oct | £34 festivalpass
Deptford

Tony Allen – Nigeria 50 (Live Music)
Wed 6 Oct | £13.50 – £22.50
Barbican

Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (Spoken Word)
Thu 7 Oct, 19.00-21.00 | Free
Elephant & Castle

African Weekender in Trafalgar Square
Sat 8 & Sun 9 Oct, 11.00 | Free
Trafalgar Square

Bob Marley, the Untold Story (Book reading)
Fri 15 Oct, 19.00 | Free
Harlesden

Fela Kuti’s Birthday Tribute (Live Music)
Fri 15 Oct, 19.00 | £15
Camden

Diana Evans: The Wonder (Book Reading)
Wed 20 Oct, 19.00 | Free
Brixton

Looking Back, Looking Forward (Spoken Word)
Fri 22 Oct, 19.00 | £5
Earls Court

J.A. Story: The Story of Jamaica in a Musical (Theatre)
Fri 22 Oct, 15.00 and 19.45 | £10-£20
Croydon

Celebration of Life Concert (Live Music)
Fri 22 Oct, 19.30 | £10 – £20
Enbankment

Salute to the Wailers (Live Music)
Mon 25 Oct, 19.00 | £20 – £26
Hammersmith

Burn My Heart (Theatre)
Thu 28 to Sat 30 Oct | £12.50 – £17.50

Untold Design CIC Presents Noir (Fashion)
Sat 30 Oct, 13.00 | £6
Charing Cross

For Queen & Country (Theatre)
Mon 1 Nov, 20.00 | £10
Kennington

We’ve made it our mission to celebrate black culture, history and heritage all year long and consider October as a month to celebrate it even more. It’s also a great opportunity to attend interesting events for free and meet like-minded people. Furthermore, it is that time of the year when the “blackerati” – black people working in the arts & media – are more approachable, so budding writers, journalists, actors, stage managers, musicians or filmmakers should embrace it, get out and network.

We have designed a series of Black History Month events guides to help you navigate through the hundreds of events taking place all over London. We contacted all the councils, checked their BHM listings and highlighted which ones we think you would enjoy most.

But remember, we are not the events organisers so check with them before travelling (the listings include contact details). We cannot be held responsible for cancellations nor for events that do not quite match your expectations. All information is correct at the time of publication.

Black History Month 2010 Events Guide: CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Black History Month 2010 Events Guide: HISTORY & EDUCATION

Black History Month 2010 Events Guide: YOUNG PEOPLE

Black History Month 2010 Events Guide: FILM SCREENINGS

Pic (c) BBC

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”’ Martin Luther King, Jr. on the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

Since the day King spoke his ‘I have a dream’ speech, the effects have rippled down the years. It has come to represent the legacy King left behind and symbolizes the vision King had for the future.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in January 1929. His father was a Baptist minister and his mother was a schoolteacher. Both parents believed in the importance of a good education and spurred him to succeed academically. He had a passion for reading and as child, his mother would often educate him on prejudices and explain to him the Jim Crow Laws that separated whites from blacks. Later in King’s adult life, he and other black leaders formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight those same laws his mother had taught him about. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and the Civil Rights Movement turned out to be the last chapter of his life, eventually leading to his assassination on April 4 1968. He was only 39 years old.

Since his assassination, King has been celebrated for his political activism and he has found his rightful place in American history as a defender of justice and equality. MLK has also become a cultural icon. In 2009, the play The Mountaintop, written by acclaimed American playwright Katori Hall, presented Martin Luther King, Jr. the night before his assassination. With David Harewood in the lead role, the Mountaintop had a very successful run in London. And Steven Spielberg is supposed to chronicle Martin Luther King’s Life in a biopic.

Martin Luther King’s Day is celebrated in America on the third Monday of January, to coincide with the human rights activist birthday (January 15). Events are being held throughout the USA, such as the advance screening of Fighting For Justice, presented by the NYC Media And Commission Of Human Rights at the Apollo Theatre.

A little closer to home, the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green, London is holding a series of events under the banner Let the Freedom Ring from Monday 18 January to Wednesday 23 January. The movie Malcolm X will be screened, and Award winning saxophonist Denys Baptiste will perform a piece inspired by the spirit of Dr Martin Luther King’s momentous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech. The political organization Operation Black Vote is bringing over Reverend Al Sharpton to commemorate MLK’s day on Thursday 21 January. Kwame Kwei-Armah, Diane Abbott and other high profile guests will also deliver speeches.

Malcom X on slavery. Malcolm X in our News section

Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE - Self Portrait

To coincide with Black History Month, ‘Colour & Movement’ and Alexandra Galleries are showcasing work by some of the leading black artists in the UK (hosted by Haringey Council). Also organised earlier this month, was a panel discussion about the issues facing black artists, which featured a number of experts in the fields of art, culture and politics. One of those featured is Nigerian artist Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE. Catch a Vibe caught up with her to discuss what Black History Month means today and just what it was like to meet the Queen.

CAV: You were appointed an MBE this year, what does that mean to you?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: It’s always a great feeling to be acknowledged for what you do. It signifies that there are people, who, when aware of what you do, are very willing to give due credit.

CAV: How did the portrait commission for the Queen come about?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: I was asked to present my portfolio for that and consequently was commissioned. It wasn’t just meeting her, which I had done several times before – for instance when she unveiled my portrait of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, but actually having the opportunity to be in her company over the period of the sittings was massive. She is very experienced at sitting, having sat for over 150 portraits and tries to make the artist feel very comfortable.

CAV: How do you think you have developed as an artist and have your inspirations changed?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: My inspiration is still basically the same because I see my art from a human perspective and that has not changed that much. Experience in life has added some melancholy and smoothed the edges of some of the anger and intensified the colour somewhat but that’s what makes you who you are. I have worked and developed my competence with most of the different art media in order to learn and improve my creative ability.

CAV: Who are you favourite artists?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: As a child I grew up in awe of Ben Enwonwu (who incidentally was the first black artist to make a sculpture of the Queen) and have always admired his work.

CAV: Your art focuses a lot on African traditions – are there any other cultures from around the globe that influence your work?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: There are many cultures around the world that could influence my work and I’m sure have done in some way or another but Africa has so much to offer and lives so much inside me it is difficult to move away from it. But if I was looking it will be to the West Indies.

CAV: What do you think is the state of black art in London today?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: What you mean is art by black people – there shouldn’t be a compartmentalised section of art called ‘black art’ – once compartmentalised you are stuck in that box and will never be seen as an artist without the classification nor be accepted as part of the mainstream. The effect being that there is art (which is proper) and there is ‘black art’ – this can’t be right.

CAV: Do black artists get enough recognition and support today and why?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: No there isn’t enough recognition and support but in reality it has changed a lot even from when I started to now. Like everything else, we have to work harder for that recognition – no one will do it for us. We also have to make sure that black people of middle-class and wealthy status, give artists the support they need.

CAV: How do you think the state of black art – or art by black people, today reflects the political/social situation and history of its community?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: Socio/political art is still very relevant and like a mirror reflects society back to itself, which is the intention, like Sonia Boyce and co did very effectively in the ‘80’s.

CAV: What does Black History Month mean for you? Is it still important and why?
Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy MBE: I thought Black History Month was to help integrate the history of black people into the mainstream so our history and achievements can be studied in schools but it seems that every year we have the one month to tell our story and achievements, usually to the convinced, then pack it all away till the following year as if we lie dormant for the rest of the year.

About Black History Month Exhibitions in Haringey Council

Catch a Vibe: Can you give a brief summary of what The Curse of Being Black in Britain is about?
Simon Owoade: It’s about the negativity; everything that is negative, that is attached to, or surrounds a black person in the UK. Things like underachievement, over representation in the criminal justice system, being more likely to be stopped and searched, the problem of knife and gun crime, the lack of positive male role models, dysfunctional families and aggressive behaviour that is sometimes attached to being a black person are what I see as the curse of being black in Britain.

CAV: The Curse of Being Black in Britain is based mainly on your personal experiences. Was the book difficult to write?
Simon Owoade: I wouldn’t say I found it difficult to write about them. Actually writing was kind of a therapy for me. I went through such an unpleasant experience, with the bullying at work it got to the point that waking up in the morning and just thinking that I have to go to work with these people was a really depressing experience, in Customs and even more so in the prison service before I resigned. When I started writing I didn’t plan at that time to publish anything; I just began to write my experiences – day in day out.

CAV: What do you think of Black History Month?
Simon Owoade: I think it should continue, but I do think there are a lot of things that need to change – it shouldn’t just become a routine. We must see things happening that make it worthwhile. For example I’ve heard young people say: ‘You know what I’m sick and tired of this Black History Month, all I hear them talk about is slavery.’ At an Afro-Caribbean Conference last year one of the main issues we talked about was slavery. But Black History Month has to be more than that. We should be talking about where we are now and what we are aspiring to achieve. I wouldn’t say that we need to stop celebrating Black History Month but our focus needs to change.

CAV: What do you think is positive about being black in Britain today?
Simon Owoade: There are many things that are positive, young black people are doing well in many areas of human endeavour but it’s just not highlighted. We do have the problem of knife and gun crime and all that but it is a limited amount of people who are involved in that There is a lot of positivity in our culture; we have a culture that says that you should be your brother’s keeper for example: A culture that we brought from Africa and the Caribbean – that communal spirit of caring for other people. I think we still have that even though it has been undermined.

CAV: Your new book is called Be inspired: You can fulfil your dream. Who inspires you?
Simon Owoade: Obama of course is an inspiration to people all over the world and to me. I also look up to Alexander Amosu, a successful and accomplished black entrepreneur in the UK who started from the grassroots and worked hard to achieve success and is a millionaire now. My older brother is an inspiration to me because we share a lot in common. He encourages me especially when I’m down, or have had a bad experience. I go back home to my brother and speak about it and he encourages me. He’s been a great inspiration and motivation for me to carry on.

CAV: Which role do you prefer: being a motivational speaker or an author?
Simon Owoade: I find it difficult to say at this time since I am doing both. I didn’t get any training to be a motivational speaker. I didn’t get any formal training to be a writer even though I have a degree in English but I didn’t go to any school to learn how to write. When I speak people see I’m passionate about the issues that I comment. I am very interested to see how people will feel about the issues I’ve raised in the book since they are based on my personal experiences I know there will be areas where people agree and where they will not agree.

Simon Owoade’s latest book Be Inspired, You Can Fufill Your Dream will be out soon

Follow our discussion on Black History Month

Find Black History Month events in our What’s On Section

Over the years, Black History Month has been widely criticized, not least by people of African descent, who argue that BHM should be taught all year long. Others deem the whole project unfair to other cultures and that the event, once significant, has become shallow and meaningless.

Do you attend BHM events? Is BHM is still relevant? Should we abolish BHM? How could we improve on the BHM celebrations? What do you think of this year’s events? See Black History Month events here

Add your comments below.