Black History Month 2021
Our programme of events and activities celebrating and championing Black voices across October.
We are Proud To Be sharing a range of events, activities and content for Black History Month 2021.
Visit the Leeds11 programme to see more Black History Month activities taking place across the University.
Exploring the experience of Blackness in Britain: a reading list
Throughout October, you will be able to view our curated Black History Month reading list. Full of content celebrating Black voices, you can explore the historical and contemporary experiences of being Black in Britain through art, poetry and prose held in our collections.
Black History primary sources
A showcase of our diverse, educational, creative and cultural resources that highlight Black lives throughout history.
This blog collects our recent accessions and existing resources, providing links to primary sources which document the lives and experiences of people of colour.
Read this at the Library Blog from Wednesday 6 October.
Proud to be diverse in HE, research and libraries
Members of our Research Support and Research Data Teams consider systemic inequalities in society and in academia in this blog. Why are Black and ethnic minorities underrepresented in Higher Education and in Libraries and what can be done about it?
We'll consider the issue of racism and lack of diversity in scholarly publishing, and highlight research from Leeds and beyond that engages with these issues and with black history.
This blog is available to read at the Library Blog from Friday 15 October.
Increase the presence of Black voices on Wikipedia on Friday 22 October, 1pm – 5pm
Although Wikipedia strives to represent the full, rich diversity of all humanity, it is still far from reaching this goal. Because Wikipedia is powered by humans, it is also vulnerable to human biases. Major gaps persist in the percentage of Wikipedia content written by and about Black people.
The good news is that a growing number of people and initiatives have been working to close these gaps on Wikipedia — and you can join them!
This event for Black History Month is jointly organised and run by the Leeds University Centre for African Studies (LUCAS) and Leeds University Library with the support of Wikimedia UK. It will focus on increasing the representation of African scholars and sources across the site. A suite of resources will be provided.
We invite you to get involved, spread the word, and continue contributing even after Black History Month ends.
Sign up to our Wikipedia Editathon now
Increasing connections and access to key Black archives in Special Collections
Throughout October, our Archivists will work to improve and increase authority records for creators in our catalogues associated with Phoenix Dance Theatre, RJC Dance and African Theatre manuscripts.
These collections contain materials from local multicultural dance companies and from Black playwrights from 1944 to 2013.
Archivists will also create links between catalogue records enabling researchers to find related material.
This archival work will culminate in a blog that will detail the activity and highlight key items from these collections.
Read the post at the Library Blog from Wednesday 27 October.
