Black History Month 2023

The University of Hertfordshire proudly celebrates Black History Month in October 2023, with this year's theme: 'Saluting our Sisters'.

Black History Month is a time for us all to pause, reflect, learn, and to broaden our understanding and challenge our knowledge and beliefs around black history and culture. It also provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the diverse community here at Herts.

What's on?

From a concert featuring a piece by Florence Price, the first African-American woman to be recognised as a symphonic composer to a showcase of business start-ups and entrepreneurial journeys from black students and graduates, and a presentation about British-Ghanaian artist-filmmaker John Akomfrah, there is something at Herts for everyone to get involved with.

Student events calendar

Explore Black History Month

As part of our ongoing commitment to helping staff and students broaden their understanding and knowledge of black history, we have collated a range of resources to support formal and personal study.

Tackling Racism in Higher Education
- Racial equality in higher education: Is it really one step forward?
- Inclusive teaching is harder then it looks – but there is a way
- Tension (Ricardo Barker), a short film centring around institutional racism, unconscious bias and the impact this can have on retention and attainment for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students
- Dismantling Hegemonies and Anti-Blackness in Higher Education symposium (Recording: Brunel University London)
- Turning Words into Action: Eliminating racism and racial inequality in higher education (Recording: Universities UK)
- Black Lives Matter: Taking action to tackle racism across HE, with Amatey Doku (Recording: Wonkhe)
Allyship & Understanding Privilege
Recommended Reading
- The University of Hertfordshire Decolonising and Diversifying Studynet book list contains a wealth of great reads like Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- About Black History Month 2023
Reports
- Racial harassment in higher education (Equality and Human Rights Commission)
- Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Student Attainment at UK Universities: #CLOSINGTHEGAP (Universities UK and National Union of Students)
- The white elephant in the room: ideas for reducing racial inequalities in higher education (Higher Education Policy Institute)
- Ethnicity and the Postgraduate Student Experience (Advance HE)
UK charities