BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Oliver Gardner reflects on the busy schedule of events across the College during Black History Month
O ur chosen theme for Black History Month 2023 was ‘Windrush 75’ to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush to Britain in 1948 and the significant contribution that British Caribbe- an communities have made to society. Our celebration of Black History Month began with a fan- tastic launch video shown to pupils in assemblies, in which Senior Prefects and members of the African and Carib- bean Society spoke about the significance of our theme and the contributions of British Caribbean people to the NHS, British Armed Forces and sport. We were delighted that Baroness Floella Benjamin and Arthur Torrington CBE also addressed the College community in the film. Pupils greatly enjoyed the wide range of external speak- ers who visited the College over the course of the month. In the final week of term, Years 7–10 attended inspiring assemblies given by Emmanuel Jal, who spoke about his journey from being a child soldier in South Sudan to be- coming a renowned artist and peace ambassador. A week earlier, Arthur Torrington, co-founder of the Windrush Foundation, addressed our African and Caribbean Society on the history of the HMT Empire Windrush and the lives of some of its passengers, including Sam King, who went on to become Mayor of Southwark. Year 8 pupils attended a screening of the film Standing Firm: Football’s Windrush Story and enjoyed a Q&A with the Executive Producer, Sally Brown. The Art Department’s Windrush 75 installation in The Store was used as a space of reflection during lessons and society meetings, allowing pupils to engage with a range of archival material and to complete tasks in response. We were delighted to welcome Joshua Obichere of Skin Deep
Education to host art workshops, where he worked with a selection of our Year 7, 9, 12 and 13 artists to create a collaborative canvas that responded to four different chapters of the 75 years of history since HMT Empire Windrush arrived. As ever, the Union of Societies played a vital role in our marking of Black History Month across the College, with pupils researching and presenting to their peers on a range of topics. Some notable examples include Politics Soci- ety’s talk on the Windrush Scandal by Koutaro Nomoto (Year 13) and Zaki Kabir (Year 13), and Chemistry Socie- ty’s exploration of Alice Ball’s treatment for leprosy.
178
THE ALLEYNIAN 712
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker