Previous events - Black History
2023
October
A Windrushers 75th Celebration Sketch Show - 'Welcome to England'
When: Sunday 29 October, 5 - 7pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: £3.50 - £7 (booking fee applies)
The event is a series of sketches developed by the students talking about their experiences, supported by poetry from Spoken Word and an exciting book launch.
Workshop: Making a collective story-telling chair
When: Sunday 29 October, 1.30pm - 4pm
Where: Bruce Castle Museum
Cost: Free
The workshop with Las Witchas Collective will explore the memories and knowledge our grandmothers have left in us to create a collective story-telling chair. As migrants, personal memories and specially the relationships with our ancestors, are what keep our roots and connections to our homeland alive.
Film Premier: Windrush 75: What is Home?
When: Saturday 28 October, 2pm - 4pm
Where: Bruce Castle Museum
Cost: Free
Join us for the premier film showing of 'The Excursion', a documentary that explores the inspiring stories of Haringey people who came to Britain from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush Generation.
Event: Celebrating Black Histories
When: Saturday 28 October, 12 - 6pm
Where: Living Under One Sun, Down Lane Park
Cost: Free
Join us for this fantastic family fun day celebrating the black histories of our neighbourhood with health, wellbeing and eco activities, arts and crafts.
RISE Project Presents... Somali Culture Night 2023
When: Friday 27 October, 4.30pm - 10pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: Free
Our yearly cultural extravaganza brings you the best in Somali culture, music, poetry and dance from renowned Somali artist and performers.
In Conversation: An Evening with Judith Jacob
When: Wednesday 25 October, doors open 7pm
Where: Bruce Castle Museum and Archive
Cost: Free
Come and hear her very own stories and how she has contributed to making British onscreen history – Judith, in conversation with Lady Esi.
OLCA African Dance Workshop
When: Wednesday 25 October, 12pm - 3.30pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: Free
OLCA brings you an empowering wellness experience of African dance and drumming and will help promote diversity, community cohesion and development in Haringey.
Book Club: Celebrating the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
When: Saturday 21 October, 2 - 3pm
Where: Marcus Garvey Library
Cost: Free
Celebrating the work of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the book club will be reading and reviewing Purple Hibiscus.
LK Yoga and Wellness Taster Session
When: Friday 20 October, 3 - 7pm
Where: St Ann's Library
Cost: Free
We're thrilled to offer a yoga and wellness taster session as part of Black History Month. It is suitable for all abilities and will feature a range of wellness techniques, including yoga, sound therapy, meditation, and more.
Live music: Contemporary Jazz, R&B & Neo-Soul
When: Wednesday 18 October, 5.30 - 6.30pm
Where: Coombes Croft Library
Cost: Free
Enjoy an evening of live music, celebrating its roots in the black communities of North America. Contemporary Jazz, R&B and Neo-Soul performed by Joseph Abe on saxophone and piano.
HLP's BHM Celebration Event: 'Saluting Our Sisters'
When: Wednesday 18 October, 2.30 - 4.30pm
Where: Haringey Learning Partnership
Cost: Free
Join us to see our students' work, completed across the curriculum. Enjoy performances and taste delicious African and Caribbean food from local Black-owned businesses.
Broadway Brunch (over 50s)
When: Wednesday 18 October, 11.45am - 2.30pm
Where: Jacksons Lane
Cost: £5
This October, join us in North Tottenham as we witness entertainment from much-loved poets, singers and dancers, around a glorious Caribbean feast brought to us by Blooming Scent Café.
Reminiscence Cafe @ The Castle: Who Do We Think We Are?
When: Tuesday 17 October, 2 - 4pm
Where: Bruce Castle Museum
Cost: Free
Every family has interesting, funny or sad stories, so can you share some of them with us?
Follow Your Art for National Hate Crime Awareness Week
When: Tuesday 17 October, 10am - 12pm
Where: Wood Green Library
Cost: Free
The workshop's themes and overarching concept will include the celebration of diversity within Haringey, highlighting the history of remarkable and inspirational individuals from the area.
Celebrate Black History Month with Ubele Initiative
When: Sunday 15 October, 12 - 5pm
Where: Wolves Lane Centre
Cost: Free
Learn more about Ubele's key projects, including Eat Wood Green and our plans for a new food growing and education space in Haringey.
Black History Tour: Stroud Green Road Legacy Walk with Avril Nanton
When: Sunday 15 October, 11am
Where: Meet at the Pret a Manger outside Finsbury Park station
Cost: Free
With Avril you will discover more about pioneering trailblazer John La Rose and the George Padmore Institute, the New Beacon Bookshop, Black supplementary schools, protests by Haringey anti-apartheid group as well as local Black-led businesses.
Capoeira Workshop
When: Saturday 14 October, 1 - 2pm
Where: Wood Green Library
Cost: Free
Capoeira a martial art developed in Brazil, derived from traditions brought across the Atlantic Ocean by enslaved Africans and fuelled by the burning desire for freedom.
Black History Haringey 365 Celebration event 2023
When: Thursday 12 October, 5.30 - 9pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: Free
Join us at Bernie Grant Arts Centre for an evening of dance, music, poetry, speeches and much more, in celebration and recognition of the huge contribution Black communities have made and continue to make in Haringey.
Film Screening: ME MY MUSIC AND MENTAL HEALTH . . . A story by SHOCKA
When: Tuesday 10 October, 4.30pm - 6.30pm
Where: Everyman Cinema, Muswell Hill
Cost: Free
Directed by SMILA, this mental health docufilm is an extraordinary exploration of his personal journey and triumph over adversity. With compelling narrative, SHOCKA shares his experiences of the power of music and its impact on mental health.
Craft and Conversation: World Mental Health Day event with Sewn Together
When: Tuesday 10 October, 12pm - 2pm
Where: Chestnuts Community Centre
Cost: Free
On World Mental Health Day which also falls in Black History Month, we invite you to join us for a special event where you can express your creativity and connect with others.
Talk and Exhibition: Black History Month 2023 Fashion and Identity
When: Tuesday 10 October, 10am - 4pm
Where: Winkfield Resource Centre
Cost: Free
As you know every cloth carries a strong message about an individual’s history and cultural identity. Therefore, the clothing of a person is a means of communication with the outside world.
Tea Party Delight
When: Saturday 7 October
Where: Marcus Garvey Library, 2 - 4pm
Cost: Free
Come enjoy refreshments and entertainment, with Winston Albert, celebrating Black History with live Calypso music, songs, stories from the Windrush, and more!
Graceland Reimagined: London African Gospel Choir
When: Friday 6 October, doors open 6.30pm
Where: Alexandra Palace
Cost: Tickets from £29.25 to £40.25
The London African Gospel Choir bring their re-imagined and totally uplifting rendition of Paul Simon’s iconic Graceland album to the Alexandra Palace Theatre.
Launch of Exhibition: Windrush 75 'The Grip'
When: Wednesday 4 October, 6 - 8pm
Where: Bruce Castle Museum
Cost: Free but places must be booked through Eventbrite (external link)
Focusing on ‘the grip’ – a traveller’s suitcase – this community-led exhibition marks Windrush 75 with photographs, written word, a short film and artwork.
Stories and Art Workshop: Fruits for the Soul
When: Monday 2 and Wednesday 4 October, 3.30 - 4.45pm
Where: Coombes Croft Library
Cost: Free
Join Maureen - Friend of Coombes Croft Library - as they tell stories celebrating family life, featuring: Atinuke, and Song & Splash! by Anna Habiscus. Followed by an Art workshop: tropical fruit, still life sketches.
September
Workshop: Fola the Music, Voices Unleashed
When: Saturday 16 September, 10.15am - 6pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: From £65
“Voices Unleashed” is an immersive one-day singing workshop open to everyone, from novice to expert singers, designed to unlock the hidden potential of your voice.
Interactive Workshop: Better BAME Women's Health
When: Monday 18 September 2023, 12.30pm - 2.30pm
Where: Chestnuts Community Centre
Cost: Free
A free event for women who want to learn more about high blood pressure and how to prevent or manage it.
July
Black Lens - Pretty Red Dress (15+)
When: Thursday 6 July, 7pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: £9
Travis has just been released from prison and it quickly becomes apparent that everything has changed while he’s been gone.
Steppaz - The 10th Series
When: Saturday 15 July, 3 and 6pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Cost: Adult £20, under 16 £12
Since they opened their doors in 2013, Steppaz high energy and precise dance routines have set them apart from their peers.
April
All Roads by Roy Williams (12+)
When: Thursday 30 March to Saturday 1 April, 1.30 and 7.30pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
All Roads is the world premiere of a new play by Roy Williams (Death of England, Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads) which explores what it means to love, grieve and build your own future, being young Black British today.
This is not a Burial, It's a Resurrection (15)
When: Thursday 6 April, 7pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
'This is not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection' is a critically acclaimed feature that pits the strength of collective resistance against the forces of capitalism and colonialism.
February
Simmer Down Fridays presents African Pursuit
When: 24 Feb 2023, 7 to 9pm
- Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
African Pursuit is a game that traces the journey of the African diaspora from pre-colonial Africa, through the triangular slave trade to the movement for civil rights in the USA and independence movements in the Caribbean and Africa. No prior knowledge required but a sense of humour is essential!
2022
See the Black History Haringey 365 2022 full events list (PDF, 734KB)
July
PACHA PEOPLE
When: Sunday 17, 24 and 31 July, 11am to 1.30pm
Where: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Three workshops exploring the local connection to nature in Tottenham.
2021
See the full list of Black History Month Events 2021 (PDF, 452KB)
October
- Performance: Vest-igios - all about brotherhoods, a journey through a dystopian wasteland, fusing stunning physical performance with film to create a remarkable visual journey at Jackson's Lane theatre
- Young Curators, Future Histories – Telling and redefining stories from Haringey’s Black Heritage through a hybrid event at Bruce Castle Museum
September
- Haringey Creates: Diversifying the Creative Curriculum - Haringey Creates brought together teachers and artists online to discuss how we can champion the work of our diverse artists in the borough and beyond
June
- The Bernie Grant Arts Centre 2021 Windrush Festival - From 21 - 27 June the Bernie Grant Arts Centre held a week of events including special guests, talks, music, activities and lots more to celebrate National Windrush Day
- Celebrating Windrush Day with Haringey Learning Partnership - Haringey Learning Partnership delivered a number of activities including music, dance, art, food, performances and talks
- Windrush Event at T on the Green - T on the Green in Bruce Castle Park celebrated the 73rd anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush, and the contributions of Tottenham's Windrush Generation to British life, with music, food, and activities for all ages
March
- Online Event: Talking Textiles - Celebrating the Crafting Genius of Althea McNish - Bruce Castle Museum joined with Rose Sinclair of Goldsmiths College for this special talk, to celebrate the life and work of Althea McNish (1924-2020) of Trinidad and Tottenham
- Online Talk: Haringey Women's History Walk - Bruce Castle Museum and Avril Nanton organised an online women's history walk which looked at the history of some of the women in Haringey, in particular the black women who lived, worked in or visited the borough
January
- Culture Bubble: Youth Voice - In a free Zoom webinar, run as part of a programme at Alexandra Palace, each trailblazing panellist told stories of their own experience and discussed what prompted them to speak out, what personal challenges they might have overcome and what continues to keep them motivated. Issues such as Black Lives Matter, the climate crisis, intersectionality, identity, representation, disability and more
2020
See the full list of Black History Month Events 2020 (PDF, 563KB)
December
- Tottenham Literature Festival - The Bernie Grant Arts Centre's Tottenham Literature Festival, a bold festival of words with a theme of 'Connectedness' ran from Monday 14 December to Saturday 19 December
November
- Culture Bubble: Art and Activism - a panel of contemporary artists met to discuss and explore the space where politics and art collide, ran as part of a programme at Alexandra Palace. Drawing on a vast range of experience in their fields, each panellist talked about the personal challenges and motivations that cause them to speak out about important matters in art
October
- Online Workshop: A Story to Tell: Creating, Collecting and Sharing our Stories - Bruce Castle Museum's archivist Julie Melrose, ran this workshop to explore how to go about setting up an oral history project to record people's stories for future generations to learn from and enjoy. If you missed the workshop you can view the presentation slides A Story to Tell Presentation (PDF, 1786KB)
- Online Event: Haringey Gold: Race Relations Seminar - a discussion of the historical context of racial relations in the UK. It was delivered by local academics and facilitated by Haringey Community Gold and the Youth Advisory Board, in partnership with Access UK and London Elite
- Exiled: Sixty Years Since the Arrival of Oliver Tambo - this online talk focused the local history of Haringey, the place where Tambo spent his exile in Muswell Hill and where Nelson Mandela came to visit his friend
- Children's Storytime: African Caribbean folktalkes with Wendy Shearer at Marcus Garvey Library - author and storyteller Wendy Shearer, told African Caribbean folktales inspired by her heritage, and a childhood filled with written and oral stories passed down from her grandmother
- Online Talk: Black Statues Around London by Avril Nanton - London is full of statues that represent black people. Avril Nanton gave a breakdown of these interesting, intriguing, and sometimes downright strange statues, memorials and busts
March
- Online Panel Discussion: United Black Women's Action Group (UBWAG) - a discussion took place with former United Women's Action Group (UBWAG) members, including civil rights campaigner and community activist, Baroness Martha Osamor, Monica White, former UBWAG member, and Stella Dadzie, author, education activist and historian