October Blog: Black History Month

Sunday 6 October 2024

 

Black History Month

In the UK, October is Black History Month - an annual celebration of Black history and heritage.

The theme for 2024 UK Black History month in the UK is 'Reclaiming narratives' and there are some excellent resources available for teachers and students to address this theme in the classroom such as on this site:

Black History Month 2024 - (Black History Month 2024)

Facing History also has resources for an Assembly on Black History Month:

Resources for Celebrating Black History Month (Facing History & Ourselves)

The concept of a Black History month started in the US - where it is also known as African-American History Month - and it is always held in February, so we will make sure to bring this into our February blog.

This BBC site gives an overview of the interesting origins of Black History month and its importance:

Black History Month: What is it and why does it matter? (www.bbc.com)

First proposed in the US in the 1920s, the event was first celebrated in the UK in 1987.

Historical Anniversaries

Other historical anniversaries for this month include the following - any or all of which could be the focus of a display or discussion with students:

60 years - October 5, 1964 - Largest mass escape since the construction of the Berlin Wall occurred as 57 East Germans escaped to West Berlin tunnelling beneath the wall.
60 years - October 14, 1964 - Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., became the youngest recipient of Nobel Peace Prize. 
60 years October 15, 1964 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev was deposed as First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.
60 years - October 16, 1964 - China detonated its first nuclear bomb at the Lop Nor test site in Sinkiang.
 History in the news

This month sees Jimmy Carter become one hundred years old - the first time a former President has reached this age! Although Carter's foreign policy is not directly covered in this course, you may want to discuss his role in the Cold War and/or Middle East with students. 

This article provides a good overview of Carter's foreign policy:

Jimmy Carter: Foreign Affairs | Miller Center (Miller Center)

November Blog: Armistice Day
4 Nov 2024
September Blog: Anniversaries, site update, books, and programmes
23 Sep 2024