Black History Month

Black History Month takes place in the UK and Europe in October every year.

It represents an opportunity to celebrate black people, Black history and culture, and reflect on what it is and has been to be black.

For more information on Black History Month visit

Black History Month 2021

Black History Every Month

Student Union Events 2021

The Student Union is hosting various events during Black History Month.  You can find a list and details of all the events timetabled here.

Lancaster University Library recognises the importance of Black History Month as a moment in the calendar to mark and celebrate black history and identity.

We will be celebrating Black History Month with a range of activities by:

• Curating this Black History Month guide
• Highlighting interesting resources relating to Black History or the Black Lives Matter movement through
  • Displaying relevant books from our collection on A Floor in the Library
  • Creating a reading list of Library materials relevant to black history, black scholarship and related topics in all academic disciplines
  • Curating your suggestions in our Black History Month - Lancaster University playlist of films, documentaries and interviews on Box of Broadcast (BoB)
• Online author event with Okechukwu Nzelu on 26th October 5 - 6.30pm, where Okechukwu will be reading from his novel Private joys of Nnenna Maloney with Q&A session, and book give-away
• Facilitating Black History Month reading groups
• Exhibition from Special Collections: Personal Stories from the Changing Faces Archive
• Wear Red Day - Show Racism the Red Card - 22nd October
• Helping you to locate material in the Library and other sources relating to Black History
• Highlighting local stories and events in Lancaster  

Lancaster University Students' Union and others in the local area are organising fantastic events during Black History Month including

• Black History Month lecture
• 12 years a slave - Black History Month special screening at Take 2 cinema on Saturday 16th October 2021.  Screenings at 2.15pm and 5.15pm

We are holding a number of reading groups to discuss books during October on the novel by Lancaster alumni Naji Bhakti, 'Between Beirut and the moon'. 

We will also be holding reading groups later in the term following the author event with Lancaster academic Okechukwu Nzelu on his novel The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney.  More details on these events to come.

Okechukwu Nzelu reads and discusses his debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, on Tuesday 26th October from 5-6.30 pm (BST) at an open-to-all free online event as part of the Lancaster University Library's Black History Month celebrations.

The Library have a number of free copies of Okechukwu’s novel to give away to staff and students wanting to attend the author event and/ or participate in a reading group after the event. 

Book your place and request your free copy online.

• We have been supporting the work and research of the Lancaster Black History Group which is a community group locally researching Lancaster's links with the slave trade.
• From the Lancaster Black History Group there will be a community collection which will be launched in November 2021 for the general public relating to Lancaster's link with the Slave Trade.
• In March 2021 Lancaster University Library adopted and started implementing the Lancaster University Race Equality Network Anti-Racist Learning and Teaching Toolkit and from this we have created an Anti-Racist Advocacy group.
• The Anti-Racist Advocacy group has led cross-library discussions on the Panorama documentary "Let's talk about Race", a teaching and sharing practice event focused on race and a reading group.
• Some library staff from across the service followed the Lancaster Slave Trade, Abolition and Fair-Trade trail lead by Professor Alan Rice.
• In May 2021 we ran an online author event with Naji Bakhti, a Lancaster Alumni, reading from "Between Beirut and the Moon".  50 free copies of the book were distributed to staff and students with reading groups taking place in September and October 2021.
• 2020/2021 has had a dedicated budget to purchasing items to help diversify our collections. Suggestions can be made via the Diversify the collection form  and will be promoted on the Diversifying the Collection LibGuide
• Faculty Librarians have presented at staff and student events promoting inclusion of diverse readings. They are seeking students for a pilot project on student-led evaluation of reading lists in a subject area relating to appropriateness of subject headings and classification.
• Library staff organised and attended a mid-day seminar linked with colleagues from Leicester University Library on the subject of "Represent: Building diverse library collections in collaboration with library users".