King's Ely celebrates Black History Month UK

We had a fantastic time celebrating Black History Month UK as a school community throughout October! 

Members of our 'King's Unity' group and Mrs Eleanor Herring, who is our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead, organised a whole host of events to enable students and staff to share, commemorate, and learn more about the importance of black heritage and culture.

In our Years 9-13 assemblies, King's Unity Group, led by Year 13 student, Chiemerie, inspired students about the often overlooked contributions that so many black people and communities have made across the globe.

Girls in Hill House organised a Black History Month themed movie night. They invited students to join them to watch the critically-acclaimed film, Hidden Figures. The 2016 film is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly about three female African-American mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race.

In our Cultural Crafts Club, the theme was 'An Introduction to Polyblock Printing African Masks’. Students learnt about the history and different uses of various African masks, and were able to design their own flamboyant reduction prints. 

As ever, our Porta Library team were keen to support the campaign too. They created a Black History Month reading list and book display to inspire students and staff.

As reported at the time, we also welcomed Warrant Officer (WO2) Emmanuel Ottih, from The Royal Logistic Corps, into school. WO2 Ottih not only visited us as part of our Black History Month celebrations, but to also mark International Stammering Awareness Day, which is also held in October. 

One of the themes of Black History Month this year was 'Heroes of Service: Honouring Black Contributions in the Armed Forces - Recognising and celebrating the service and sacrifices of black individuals in the Armed Forces throughout history.' During his visit, WO2 Ottih, who is from Nigeria, gave a fascinating talk to Senior students and staff during morning assembly in Ely Cathedral. He spoke about some of his many different experiences in the Armed Forces, including his stammer and his tireless work in setting up the Defence Stammering Network. WO2 Ottih, who was awarded an MBE in 2017, also visited King's Ely Prep and had our Year 8 pupils captivated in the Morbey Hall. He encouraged students to be patient and empathetic towards others facing their own individual difficulties.

Speaking about our Black History Month celebrations, Mrs Herring said: "Black History Month is a time when we honour, respect, and cherish those past and present who have and continue to inspire us. It was a fantastic month, during which we educated ourselves on a wealth of topics close to so many members of our school community."