Black History, Culture and Achievements. How did you go about celebrating this whilst in Sixth Form?

I attended The Coopers Company and Coborn Sixth Form in Upminster where I sat my A-levels. From year 7-11 I studied at a different secondary school (St Edwards Academy), where the students were predominantly black. Moving to Coopers was a drastic shift in the environment as the majority of pupils were white. 

Having studied a year at the sixth form it became apparent black culture was not embraced and a lot of individuals were not educated about the culture either, that being my culture. Can you imagine how I felt? Black History Month was fast approaching and the school made an effort to celebrate this (although it should be acknowledged and celebrated every day as black history is an essential part of all history), but squeezing in a 10-minute mention in assemblies for the week just didn’t cut it for me and others too. 

As the minority black students in the sixth form, we collectively pushed for CHANGE. We actively brainstormed a series of initiatives we can hold to revolutionise the way black history month was celebrated. I was effectively put in charge to lead this and created many teams from logistics, creatives/entertainment, marketing and finance to help execute our vision. Our vision being, gathering of the community, educating others about Black History, showcasing our art, demonstrating our talents, promoting our black heritage cuisine, modelling our traditional clothes, supporting charities and much more. 

What was the outcome? I believe a picture paints a thousand words.

The top three things I learnt:

1. Your environment won’t always remain the same, learn how to adapt.
2. Don’t be afraid to push for change, especially when it is more than necessary. 
3. Black lives matter, don’t let anyone tell you differently.