Black History Month (BHM) is an annual celebration in the month of October to raise awareness of the contributions of African, Asian and Caribbean people to British society, amongst others. This year’s national BHM theme is ‘Time for Change: Action not Words’.
BHM provides the Council with another opportunity to share and demonstrate its commitment and work on equality, diversity and inclusion. The Council is proud of the changing and growing diverse population in the borough and the richness it brings to society.
Throughout this month especially, the Council is encouraging all those associated with BHM to share stories of their rich and varied personal and group identities using the hashtag #BHM2022 on social media, allowing all Silhillians to gain unique perspectives on all individuals that make up the people of the borough.
This year’s theme seeks to go beyond simply celebrating Black history and culture in theory towards stimulating long-term change and action in practice. The Council is frequently reviewing and updating all its key equality, diversity and inclusion priorities and plans.
Councillor Karen Grinsell, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Solihull Council, said:
“Black History Month is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about the contribution of African, Asian and Caribbean people to Solihull, both from history and today. I hope that people will share their experiences with us on social media. This year’s campaign aims to amplify the voices of those who have historically been marginalised in the UK.
“We continually review our own policies to ensure the Council remains a welcoming environment for everyone, including ethnic minorities, so that we can continue delivering effective services to the whole community that live and work in our borough.
“All communities are welcomed and celebrated by Solihull Council throughout the wider region. Encouraging these important conversations in the workplace is a part of the Council’s continued commitment to being an inclusive and welcoming employer for all.”
People in Solihull are encouraged to celebrate #BHM2022 through a range of local community events:
- Solihull & Birmingham Caribbean Family History Group (CFHG) will be commemorating BHM by hosting an exhibition on Caribbean Ancestry at The Core Library for the full month of October. You can meet and speak with members of the Group at the library on 29 October from 2pm.
- The Solihull Heritage and Local Studies Service at The Core Library is the first port of call for anyone interested in local history or family history within the borough of Solihull. For BHM, the local story of Jake Jacob has been shared. People can also read how Solihull Library became one of the UK’s first Family Search affiliate libraries.
- Solihull Libraries have shared a recommended reading list of books they have available for BHM. This is a range of fiction and non-fiction titles available in physical, audio and e-book formats.
- The Solihull Core Theatre will be showing a series of films between October 15 and October 29.
- The national BHM site provides loads of information and events that can be found here - https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/