Black History Month
Events
We're hosting a month of events to celebrate Black History and culture this October. Learn more about what's happening in each week!
Week one (1-5 October 2025)
Week two (6-12 October 2025)
Taylormade Studios presents ‘Infectious: Part One: Mad About The Boy’ and Director's Q&A
Saturday 11 October 2025, 7.30pm – 10.00pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
Inspired by the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks and the artistry of Allesandra Seutin, Infectious is a jazz soul poetry film about emotional well being and sensually transmitted dependency in diaspora.
The film is a soulful collection of tone poems featuring amazing artists Lacey Adigwu, Caroline Archer, and Randolph Matthews who bring a Nubian aesthetic to the issue of emotional well being in diaspora, and explore the relationship between art, collectivism and therapy, to make a work of art about the healing power of art.
The film will be followed by a Q&A with the director, cast and crew, exploring perspectives of culture as the immune system of a people and the transformations that happen to people when they share their stories with strangers.
Then a live performances featuring 'After 4 Women – 'Mad About the Girls but Still We Rise'', a sharing from the earlier MULTiTRiBE workshop. A creative exploration inspired by Nina Simone's famous song, 'Four Women' through conversation and art: transforming Black female stereotypes to reframe, reclaim and uplift ourselves, invoking powerful archetypes. Including artists Mellow Baku, Louise Katerega, Linda Bradshaw, Leah Golde and women of diasporic community, embodying the cultural practices of honouring ancestry, reimagining futures and healing traditions.
Week three (13-19 October 2025)
Britain Re-Written: Discuss, Decode, Decolonise
Thursday 16 October 2025, 5.00pm – 9.00pm, Brookfield, University of Leicester
Britain Re-Written brings Robert Beckford and Emma Babiri to Leicester for a powerful exploration of colonial legacies in archives and museums. Opal22 are working alongside Leicester’s cultural and heritage institutions to bring you this thought-provoking event. Through keynote talks and an interactive panel with industry experts, the event asks: whose stories are persevered, whose are silenced, and how can we build inclusive, community-led histories?
Week four (20-26 October 2025)
BAKUYARD Productions Presents: Whoodoo You Come From?
Sunday 19 October 2025, 11.30am - 3.30pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
BAKUYARD presents a transformative journey into ancestral connection, through creative expression, art, music and communal ritual. Every one of us has roots that go back to a people who lived with grounded practice, in harmony with the Earth and with beautiful cultural traditions. These can be (re)connected to in memory, imagination, creative envisioning and conversation.
Facilitated by multi-heritage/Caribbean ancestry artist Mellow Baku, we discover our many roots through ceremony, immersive music, meditative writing and art. This half-day workshop concludes with harmonising soundscape, voice and sound affirmation in a performance-sharing: blending ritual and music, with co-created words, group storytelling, and song from Mellow, with a gentle invitation to contribute your voice to a powerful collective offering.
This multidisciplinary event in Black History Month gives us all opportunity to honour heritage, connect with land and lineage and awaken ancestral memory, no matter Whoodoo you come from. Open to all, suitable for ages 12 and above.
Week five (27-31 October 2025)
In Conversation with Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock DBE
Monday 27 October 2025, 6.00pm - 8.00pm, Sir Bob Burgess, Lecture Theatre 2
The University is proud to welcome Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock DBE for an intimate conversation in collaboration for Black History Month. British Space Scientist, science communicator and University Chancellor Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock will be visiting for a free event open to all students and staff from all backgrounds. The intimate conversation is part of the University’s celebration of Black History Month. The London-born award-winning space scientist will be speaking candidly about her experiences as a Black woman in the UK.
WORD! and Renaissance One Present: A Black History Month Special with John Agard
Thursday 30 October 2025, 7.00pm - 9.00pm, Attenborough Arts Centre
Join us for a very special evening celebrating the poetry and words of international poet John Agard and local poet sensations brought to you through a collaboration between Renaissance One and Word! We'll offer a space for conversation, performance and a Caribbean-style lime.
Black food innovators
As part of Black History Month, across various University catering outlets, Leicester Services Partnership (LSP) are celebrating Black food innovators and their contributions to better agricultural processes and food inspiration globally. The University are proud to offer food which reflects and includes the flavours, ingredients and processes founded by Black food innovators.
Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project - Black History Month Playlist
Throughout October, in the Foyer of the Sir Bob Burgess Building, come and hear sounds clips of oral history interviews related to Black History Month.