Dorset Celebrates Black History Month

Join Stand Up to Racism for a family day celebrating the diversity of Dorset at Shire Hall Museum.

• poetry, art and performance from students at Dorchester Middle School, St. Osmund's Middle School, Wey Valley Academy, the Studio School and Thomas Hardye School
•  Learn about our local history – from our connections to the Tacky Slave Revoltin Jamaica to Dorset anti-slavery MP Thomas Fowell Buxton
• stalls including: Stand Up to Racism Dorset, South West Dorset Multicultural Network, UNISON, NEU and Unite. Find out what's happening locally.

Programme

11.15am: Anne Brown, Learning Manager for Shire Hall, welcomes us.

11.20-12.10pm: Sophie Mollins, Dorset artist, with her performance All the sugar we never had, in a plantation dress made from sugar sachets.

12.20-12.50pm: students from the Studio School, Dorchester, present music to celebrate Black History Month.

1.00-1.30pm: Being Me – a performance by students at Wey Valley Academy, Weymouth.

1.40-2.15pm: talk by Ken Olende, historian and Stand Up to Racism activist – From Toussaint L'Ouverture to William Cuffay (Toussaint L'Ouverture was leader of the greatest slave revolt in history; William Cuffay was a Black leader of the Chartist movement in Britain).

2.15-3.15pm: John Stockley from Weymouth talks about his life – An Afro American son of a GI, recently part of the Channel 4 documentary Britain's Secret War Babies.

This is a free event and everyone is welcome

Shire Hall Café will be available for refreshments throughout the day