Black History Month is an annual observance held each October that remembers important people and events in the history of the African Diaspora. We spoke to Dr. Kerry Pimblott, a Lecturer in International History and member of Manchester’s Race, Roots and Resistance Collective
Race, Roots and Resistance describes itself as “a democratic collective of staff, students, and community members dedicated to the critical study of race and its impact on the lived experiences of people across temporal and spatial boundaries”, and meets throughout the year to share research findings and host events to raise wider community awareness and understanding.
Dr. Pimblott shared with us some of the groundbreaking work Race, Roots and Resistance are doing in Manchester including hosting public talks and film screenings about BAME history and culture and creating a student-led magazine exploring the topics of race, racism and identity.
The collective is also working to decolonise curriculum initiatives in traditional academic disciplines, reaches out to schools to hold Black history events for Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils and is developing targeted initiatives to promote the recruitment and retention of BAME students in the discipline of History and both undergraduate at postgraduate levels.
The collective have been hosting a series of events throughout Black History Month, including a successful symposium on the Global Black Freedom Movement at the University of Manchester. The following events are yet to come:
- 22nd October: Generation Revolution at Manchester Central Library Performance Space. A screening of the feature-length documentary film telling the story of the new generation of BAME activists in London.
- 30th October: Fanon, Education, Action: Child as Method book launch at Blackwell’s Bookshop. Erica Burman (Professor of Education in Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester) will be in conversation with Dr. Pimblott about her new book.
For more information or to get in contact with Race, Roots and Resistance visit their website and get involved!