Throughout October the world is celebrating Black History Month. Although we believe that the achievements of black people should be celebrated all year round, this is an opportunity to emphasise the achievements and contributions of black people in Leeds and throughout the world.

There are many events occurring in Leeds for Black History Month and we have pulled together a list of our top picks. Take a look below and get along to an event!

5^th October: Leeds Black History Walk 

11:00 - 13:00. Parkinson Steps, University of Leeds.

Join Joe Williams on the Leeds Black History Walk to explore Africa’s immense connections and invaluable contribution to local British history and social development. The walk is free of charge and begins at the Parkinson Steps of the University of Leeds at 11am.

5^th October: Children of the Windrush – Through the Lens of Reggae

12:00 – 14:00. Leeds City Museum.

A reggae event in partnership with the BME Hub. There will be performances by Blacka of Jungle Warriors, Annette Morris & GCF Creative Associate Artist David Hamilton. Visit stalls from local music legends Jumbo Records and Tribe Records and find out more about Peepal Tree Press – a publishing house that aims to bring you the very best of international writing from the Caribbean, its diasporas and the UK.

10^th October: Fish, Chips and Jerk Sauce: The Growth of British Caribbean Carnival

17:00 – 18:30. Broadcasting Place, 303, Leeds Beckett University, City Campus

In 'Fish, Chips and Jerk Sauce' Tola Dabiri will examine how over the past fifty years, Caribbean Carnival has become an established annual event in towns and cities across Britain, even taking place outside of the Caribbean communities where these Carnivals began.

12^th October: Robyn Travis Presents: Freedom From The Streets – The Freedom Tour

Doors open: 18:30. Leeds West Indian Centre

Robyn Travis, the author of Prisoner To The Streets, gives a Q&A session about his new book, Freedom From The Streets, alongside guest performers. Freedom From the Streets is the master key to unlocking the mind-set of a prisoner to the street. This uses an unorthodox combination of academic language and street vernacular to give the reader a fascinating insight into the journey of the man who wrote Prisoner to the Streets, and the reason he wrote it.

17th October: Anansi and Brer Rabbit: The Trans-Atlantic Trickster In Black Histories 

17:00-18:30. Broadcasting Place, 303, Leeds Beckett University, City Campus

The talk, by Dr Emily Zobel Marshall, offers a unique insight into the cultural significance of the Brer Rabbit and Anansi trickster figures, tracing them from their African roots, examining their role on the plantations as resistance figures and exploring their profound influence on contemporary culture. If you saw Nii Kwartey Owoo’s new dance piece about Kweku Anansi at Leeds West Indian Carnival then this is a great chance to find out more about the trickster.

24^th October: An Evening With 10 Spoken Words

14:00 – 17:00. Broadcasting Place, 303, Leeds Beckett University, City Campus

10 Spoken Words are a spoken word improv collective who explore issues surrounding identity, diaspora, and social inequality. In this evenings event they explore the relationship of the impetus to create and the histories of race, racism, migration and the contemporary British experience.

25^th October: Leeds BME Hub Black History Month Celebration Event

17:30 – 20:30. RJC Dance, Mandela Centre, Chapeltown, Leeds.

The BME Hub hosts another fantastic Black History Month event looking at "How Important is a History to a People"? and "How Important is an Individual's Past"? Exclusive interviews with Khadijah Ibrahiim author and poet and Founder of Leeds Young Authors and Joe Williams Researcher and Historian and founder or Heritage Corner. There will also be Caribbean food, market place of stalls and more.

 Banner image: © Tony Bartholomew