This year, the theme of Black History Month was ‘Celebrating our Changemakers’. Over the month of October, UA92 highlighted and reflected on the rich contributions of Black individuals with a series of events that focused on history, culture, thought leadership and innovation. Now the month has come to close, we wanted to take a look back at some of the amazing activities we had on offer.
360° showcase
A key activity was the immersive Igloo experience – a 360° showcase of stories of nominated change makers, both in Black History and the present. From footballers to entrepreneurs, global superstars to community champions, guests were invited to hear their stories and contributions across all four walls of the Igloo space. Figures such as Alex Scott and Iain Wright were nominated, alongside Ayan Mohamed Ali – Founder and CEO of Digitech Oasis, and member of UA92’s Business Advisory Board.
Kat Cole, Dean at UA92, celebrated community champion Kimoni Bell.
“Kimoni is a Community Outreach Manager, sitting in the community. But I’ve met her when she worked on outreach activities at Manchester College. Her role is critical in closing educational attainment gaps that disproportionately affect disadvantaged students. I think Kimoni is amazing in her work. She focuses on collaborating with higher education institutions, with UA92 as well.”
Film Screenings
To compliment the experience, films screenings were held in the auditorium, giving students and staff the opportunity to watch the documentary Uprising (a story of the New Cross house fire of 1981, and how its aftermath ignited an uprising by the Black British community), and Hidden Figures (which follows the three African-American women who played a pivotal role in launching astronaut John Glenn into orbit). Alongside local carribean cuisine, both screenings gave attendees an honest and detailed insight into the history and evolution of Black culture.
Dream
All these activities led up to the DREAM event, in which we celebrated Black excellence in the Greater Manchester community.
The evening kicked off with a panel discussion with the creators of the Manchester Caribbean Carnival, in which they reflected on the history of the event and future plans. Guests were then invited to attend interactive workshops centered around personal development, dance and music. Many chose to visit the 360° showcase before they tucked into some amazing Caribbean cuisine.
Karim West, Community Engagement Manager at UA92, said: “This year we were celebrating the amazing committee from the Manchester Caribbean Carnival. This is an amazing event which brings together people from all across Manchester and we’re proud to be the main sponsors for 3 years now.”
Panel member Julia Burke, Chair of the Manchester Carnival Together Committee (CIC), said “Carnival is about growth. Carnival is growing. I see it in ten years, still here; bigger, better, with new generations carrying it on. It’s about sharing and passing it down, so it’s here for another fifty years.”
