Halcyon marks Black History Month

In alignment with UK Black History Month, Halcyon has recognised the role of the black community, both globally and locally.

Framed under the theme 'Reclaiming Narratives', we have recognised the contribution of the black community whilst equally examining where stories haven't been acknowledged.

The focus, according to Halcyon Geography and Individuals and Societies teacher Shah-Noor Ashraf, who supported the delivery of Black History Month at Halcyon, "is about correcting and recognising these historical inaccuracies and spotlighting these important stories and events."

Shah-Noor Ashraf says, "I think we have to get into a position where people recognise the black community every day and feel free to speak about it with confidence. We shouldn't be constrained to a singular view of the school curriculum. We are here to do much more to further our engagement with the wider community, not just this month but every month."

Black History Month has touched every subject – from Chemistry and Geography to languages like German and our Mother Tongue Language Programmes - with staff working collaboratively to weave Black History Month into their curriculum.

Research projects included students unearthing remarkable people and stories, many of whom have fallen through the cracks of time and visibility. Examples include trailblazing designer Kitty Black Perkins, who created the first official black Barbie (1979); or in chemistry, Professor Robert Mokaya - who stands among the less than 1 per cent of black professors - despite leading groundbreaking discoveries into porous materials, including synthesis and use as adsorbents, catalysts and energy materials.

Similar research projects extended into our languages programme. In German lessons, taught by Andrea Milde, students learned about the lived experiences of Afro-Germans (Afrodeutsche). Ms Milde shares that the students chose video clips (in German language, of course) according to their interests before discussing their findings in German.

Ms Milde says: "Being an important but often overlooked part of German history and culture, the idea was to raise awareness and connect the topic to themes we have already worked on and/or which are yet to come, rather than treating it as a one-off activity."

For example, students learned about the Diek family, who have been living in Germany for over 130 years and yet still experience discrimination. In another class, they listened to Alpha Dia's own take on his journey to become a supermodel.

To further materialise Black History Month at Halcyon, History Teacher Hannah Austin, alongside Shah-Noor Ashraf, organised a whole-school assembly. Part of this featured Grade 10 students presenting research on overlooked people who have specifically made contributions to the United Kingdom.

One example was Grade 10 student Luisa, who studied British activist, journalist, feminist and founder of The Notting Hill Carnival, Claudia Jones. Luisa says: "Before Black History Month, and studying this topic in History, I didn't know who Claudia Jones was, but the reality is we should all know who she is."

Luisa says learning about Claudia Jones deepened her understanding of not only the rich international history of the Notting Hill Carnival but also its connection with her Brazilian heritage.

"Everything was new to me, including all the remarkable identities that were shared at the assembly. When I discovered Claudia Jones, I was really interested because of her story; she was born in Trinidad, then she got deported to the US and later arrived in Britain. She continued fighting and didn't stop; she kept making an impact."

Luisa adds that the project extended beyond her own research into Claudia Jones and magnified the importance of Black History.

"I think it's very important to understand diversity. It's important to understand your story to understand who you are. If you don't understand the past, the legacy that people leave behind, then you can't look forward. We often overlook people and stories when we learn history.

"There isn't only one perspective, there are multiple perspectives, so it makes us rethink everything we have learned in history. That was one of the important parts of Black History Month, to recognise the people who have been overlooked based on the colour of their skin."