Colleges celebrate Black History Month across campuses

This month for Black History Month, there have been multiple celebrations taking place across all of Education Partnership North East’s (EPNE) colleges and campuses, with activities including African drumming workshops, inspiring guest speakers, cultural activities and both students and staff were able to enjoy taster sessions of traditional foods.

Students from all different courses joined in to celebrate over the course of the month, teaching each other cultural dance moves and celebrating together while deepening their understanding of this important month.

This was a fantastic opportunity for both staff and students to come together, celebrate culture, and reflect on the rich contributions of Black communities throughout history.

Different topics were explored throughout the month such as the powerful themes of ‘Celebrating Identity’ and ‘Challenging Intolerance’ — promoting inclusion, understanding, and positive change across our communities.

Guests who were invited to the colleges included Sunderland legend Gary Bennett MBE who is an ambassador for ‘Show Racism the Red Card’.

Gary teamed up with the colleges to deliver a series of inspiring sessions across the different campuses.

Other guests included Transformers HPL, a local charity promoting racial harmony and understanding in the Hartlepool area, allowing students to get hands on with African drumming workshops and enjoy taster sessions of traditional foods.

New Horizon is an organisation that EPNE partnered with – they are dedicated to promoting pride, identity, and opportunity. From preserving African heritage to nurturing the talents of young people and strengthening families, their work empowers individuals and helps build stronger, more connected communities. This year they spoke about the meaning of Black History Month and brought drumming and African dance to life on campus.

Sunderland College student Concilia Amanfo said: “Black history month included some great events that happened across the college campuses. This whole month being black history month was worth being celebrated – the activities that took place were great and really varied and the feeling of students and staff being included in celebrating made them even more impactful and meaningful.”

Graphic Design, Social Impact and Engagement lead within Student Services, Afsina Begum added: “Celebrating Black History Month across our campuses was incredible. Leading these events showed me firsthand the value and impact of creating space for heritage and voices to be shared and seeing students learn from one another was truly powerful.

“Our communities across our campuses are varied, so it’s important to host celebrations like these and connect with local people and groups to keep the awareness ongoing.”