Black History Month takes place in October every year and is an annual commemoration of the history, achievements and contributions of Black people in the UK.
People from many different backgrounds come together during this month to celebrate the positive role of Black people in shaping our communities. This adds to ongoing efforts to promote awareness and address historical and ongoing inequities.
The aims of Black History Month are to:
- promote knowledge and understanding of Black History and culture, both nationally and in Bristol
- acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by Black people to the cultural and economic development of the UK
At Bristol City Council, we make a difference in several ways. We follow our Equality and Inclusion Strategic Framework. We consider inequalities for racially minoritised groups and create clear steps to improve through our Equality Action Plans. We also consider the impacts of council decisions on Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic communities.
More information on our year-round efforts can be found in our equality, diversity, and cohesion policies (bristol.gov.uk).
Events in Bristol to celebrate Black History Month 2025
Black History Month Resource pack.
Bristol Libraries
St Pauls Community Centre Exhibition
Date: 13 to 31 October
Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music: Bristol Library Service
This panel display at St Paul's Library documents 500 years of Black music in Britain and explores the people, places and genres that have formed a British soundtrack.
Bristol Museums
Learning events for schools
Date: 6, 13 and 20 October
Free online assemblies and webinars on the Ancient Kingdom of Benin and Brilliant Black Bristolians.
Home Educator workshop: M Shed
Date: 15 October, 2pm to 3.30pm
Price: £10 per learner, book tickets on the Museums website.
Bristol's involvement in the Transatlantic traffic in enslaved Africans lasted a relatively short time in the city's history as a trading port, but its impact remains evident today.
This workshop is only available to home educating families and suitable for children aged 12 to 17.
Voices of Resilience: rap and poetry workshop: M Shed
Date: 18 October
Two workshops are running at the following times:
- 11am to 12.45pm
- 1.30pm to 3.15pm
Price: £6, book tickets on the Museums website
Celebrate Black History Month with a high-energy, 90-minute experience.
This unique workshop blends poetry, rap and play, rooted in Bristol's African-Caribbean heritage.
Bristol Bus Boycott walk
Available anytime through the Go Jauntly App.
This walk takes you past historic sites in the city, pivotal in the civil rights movement which paved the way for the Race Relations Act in the 1960s.
Bristol's Black History resources
Bristol's Black History: learn more about Black history in this city, with stories compiled by the Bristol Museums Black History Steering Group.
Black Bristol: a project by young people from Off The Record to show young black people the history of the city they live in and how this city has been shaped by black people across time and space.
Bristol and the Transatlatic Traffic in Ensalved Africans - Bristol Museums Collections: updated and improved collection of resources and information about the transatlantic traffic in enslaved Africans and Bristol's involvement.
Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery. Origins, impact and legacy: A textbook for secondary schools.
Together Bristol Museums and Bristol History teachers have supplemented the existing curriculum about Bristol's links to slavery. This so that schoolchildren in Bristol have a better chance of fully understanding this part of Bristol's story.
The origins of Black History Month
In 1926, Carter G Woodson established African Caribbean celebrations in America where Black History Month is still celebrated each February.
After visiting America in the 1970s, Ghanaian-born Akyaaba Addai Sebo, a special projects officer at the Greater London Council, founded the UK's version of Black History Month in 1987.
There are two reasons thought to be behind why Black History Month is celebrated in October in the UK:
- Traditionally, October is when African chiefs and leaders gather to settle their differences, so Akyaaba chose this month to reconnect with African roots.
- Additionally, many thought that since it was the beginning of the new academic year, October would give Black children a sense of pride and identity.
Black History Month has since grown in the UK, where over 6,000 events take place each year.