Staff and students at Queensbury School presenting a collage for Black History Month
Queensbury engaged students in a meaningful exploration of influential Black figures and their contributions to society by celebrating Black History Month.
Students participated in research projects focused on notable individuals, ranging from civil rights leaders to artists, scientists, and activists.
In classrooms, teachers facilitated discussions about the historical context of these figures, encouraging students to delve into their lives, challenges, and accomplishments. Students worked in groups to present their findings, using creative formats like posters and presentations.
The initiative not only fostered a deeper understanding of Black history but also promoted critical thinking and teamwork.
A closer look at Queensbury School student’s work for Black History Month
Students learned about figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Owen Jesse, George and contemporary leaders, gaining insight into their struggles for equality and justice.
The celebration culminated in a school-wide event where students showcased their research through displays and posters.
This collaborative effort highlighted the importance of Black history, encouraging students to appreciate the cultural contributions while inspiring them to continue advocating for equality and understanding in their own lives.
Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Gary Phelps Communications
On 3 October, students, staff, and hundreds of members of the local community packed into Erdington Academy to enjoy an ambitious Expo event celebrating Black History Month – with music, food, art, and poetry.
More than 300 people flooded into the Kingsbury Road academy for an evening of cultural celebration, performances, events, and to enjoy fresh cuisine spanning a diverse range of African and Caribbean cultures.
The special Expo event created so much enthusiasm from parents, carers, and locals, staff at Erdington Academy, which is part of the Fairfax Multi Academy Trust, had to turn away dozens of people as they had already reached capacity.
Black History Month is a global programme of events and activities to celebrate the African Diaspora and Black culture, as well as to educate and inform people about Black history. It runs throughout October every year and is observed in many countries across the world, from Brazil to Britain.
Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Gary Phelps Communications
Teacher of Food at Erdington Academy, Kerrian Folkes, who helped organise the school’s Black History Month Expo, supported by a committee of staff members, said: “We had a huge turnout – it was amazing to see how enthusiastic people were.
“The community wanted to see what we were doing, and it was great showing them how we embrace culture and foster a sense of belonging here at Erdington Academy.”
Staff on the academy’s Black History Month Event Committee spent September arranging the night of festivities, alongside activities which involved every faculty in the school.
Among the events were poetry writing in the English department, art inspired by Black culture in the Design and Performance faculty, cultural modelling led by Modern Foreign Languages staff, themed productions in Drama, maths competitions, and cultural food preparation in the Food faculty.
Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Gary Phelps Communications
The students then displayed many of their creations and skills learned during lessons and extracurricular activities on the night of the Expo.
Stellar musical performances were delivered by the Year 7 choir, the Erdington Guitar Ensemble, the Year 8 R&B band, and Patrick Ugochukwa and Isabel Cooper – whose piano pieces moved the audience.
Students recited poetry they had written, including Isabella Budiana; and KS3 and KS4 drama students hit the stage with thought-provoking acting performances.
Then, during the interval, attendees were treated to delicious African and Caribbean foods prepared by the students themselves. The mouth-watering menu included jerk chicken, curry goat, vegetable curry, salt fish fritters, jollof rice, and dumplings.
Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Gary Phelps Communications
Ms Folkes added: “Every single member of staff was involved in some way, from the Head to the support staff, hence the success we had.”
The celebration ended with brilliant final appearances by bands from across the West Midlands, which had staff, parents, and students on their feet.
Kioko took to the stage first, followed by fellow reggae band Big Ship Alliance. B’Spoke played many familiar soul and R&B classics, and Soul Town finished the night by playing until every last attendee had left.
Ms Folkes said: “The bands were brilliant. Everyone was out of their seat rocking to African, St Lucian and Jamaican music – the atmosphere was incredible.”
Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Gary Phelps Communications
The Expo and the wider calendar of activities were aligned with the nationwide theme for Black History Month 2024: Black inventors.
Ms Folkes explained that showcasing potential and encouraging ambition was central to the team’s vision.
She said: “Because we’re such a multicultural school, we wanted to show all the things our students could have aspiration towards. Sometimes you would hear students doubt what they could accomplish because of their background – we wanted to show them they could achieve anything.
“The students were surprised to hear that so many everyday things we take for granted were invented by Black people – traffic lights, electric doors, dryers and electric rollercoasters seemed to particularly shock them!”
Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Gary Phelps Communications
The Event Committee, consisting of staff members Ms Folkes, Gabbi Benain, Alan Daniel, Emma Deeney, Amy Love, Ian Haughton, Marcua Wheatley, Mat Broughton, Danny Francis, Natalie Charley, Carissa Bulman and Kymeish Dixon-Bookal, were thrilled with the success of the Expo.
Ms Folkes said: “As a diverse school, we wanted to show the importance of appreciating other cultures, so we made the Expo a celebratory event.
“Sometimes Black History Month can focus on the negative a little too much, teaching about slavery and racism for example. While those aspects of Black history are obviously important to remember, we didn’t want them to be our sole focus. We wanted to engage with the community and embrace our beautiful range of cultures.
“The calibre of talent on display from our staff and students really reflect our academy’s pride.”
Principal Simon Mallett added: “A huge amount of work went into our Black History [Month] Expo, which really paid off on a memorable night when we welcomed the community into the school to share the richness of our diversity.
“I would like to thank everyone who work so hard to put it together and the wider school community for embracing an event which I think inspired our students.”
PICTURE GALLERY: Black History Month Expo at Erdington Academy / Pics by Gary Phelps Communications
“I’m pleased someone from Erdington can be part of this fantastic play, but the important thing about She’s Royal is the hidden history that many people did not know about.”
Erdington poet and spoken word artist Paulette Francis Green (Empress P) is set to stage manage the world première of She’s Royal, launching at the Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio on Tuesday 18 October.
Written by Tonia Daley-Campbell and directed by Lorna Laidlaw, who plays series character Aggie Bailey in Coronation Street, She’s Royal explores the stories of two women of colour who were prominent members of the royal household under Queen Victoria – Sarah Forbes Bonetta and Sophia Duleep Singh, both goddaughters to the monarch.
A child slave in the court of King Ghezo of Dahomey (today southern western Nigeria), Sarah Forbes Bonetta was gifted to Queen Victoria via Captain Forbes – with the monarch impressed by her intellect and encouraging her to enter Victorian high society.
Sophia Duleep Singh was the British born third daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh, who became a key part of the rising Suffragette movement and getting royal consent for the Equal Franchise Act in 1928, enabling women over age 21 to vote on a par with men. Singh would go on to establish the Suffragette Fellowship in 1930.
Paulette Francis Green, who has worked with Birmingham Opera Company and Erdington Arts Forum, told Erdington Local: “I think the story is important because we are made aware that there were people of colour in the household of the monarchy, in this example Queen Victoria.
“Because of what happened in India (colonial rule) she decided that she would have Sophia Duleep Singh as her goddaughter, along with Sarah Forbes Bonette. To me it’s’ a hidden story that needs to be told.
“Also, Queen Victoria’s relationship with Abdul Karim – who was initially one of her servants but became her cook, and we mention that in the play. So, you can see in the household of Queen Victoria she did have people of colour around her and in positions that were close to her.
“There are diaries by Queen Victoria… there is a part in the play that mentions her saying ‘regardless of people’s race, yes I will promote someone who is of colour.’
“So, it’s a good lesson – but it’s also saying stop being naive, stop thinking there weren’t people of colour around the monarchy.”
Throughout the rise and fall of the British Empire, which at its height counted over 412 million people as it’s subjects – 23% of the world’s population at the time, people from countries and dominions across the globe made England their home.
But the impact and presence of people of colour in the UK spans back throughout history, even to the times of the Roman Empire.
“I’m tired and also pleased we’re still having the conversation,” added Paulette. “But what people have to realise is that we (people of colour) didn’t just come to the UK in 1948 on the SS Windrush – we have been here since the Roman times, with Lucias Septimius Severus (Rome’s first African Emperor) who conquered Caledonia.
“There’s been a black presence in the UK going back centuries, just look at John Blanke – one of the key trumpeters Henry VIII’s court. And what is frustrating is that it is history, it is our history, and it should be told – it should be told in schools.
“There are so many things people of colour have contributed to British history, but why don’t people want to talk about it, why don’t people want to accept it. It happened, it happened, it happened…”
She’s Royal opens with its world première at Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio on Tuesday 18 October, with a performance at 7:30pm. There will also be performances of She’s Royal on Wednesday 19 October at both 1pm and 7:30pm.
Tickets start from £15 by calling the box office on 0844 338 5000 or online via: www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/shes-royal/
She’s Royal will also be performed at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Tuesday 1 November at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
She’s Royal – official trailer
She’s Royal is an original production from Blackstory Partnership. For more on Blackstory Partnership visit www.blackstorypartnership.com
Artist Oliver Hassell took Erdington by storm with his striking, colourful, and darkly-inspired pieces displayed for Black History Month. Erdington Local catches up with him to find out what makes him tick.
Born in Erdington and living here his whole life, Oliver started to enjoy art “as a toddler.”
“I’d draw what I’d see on TV – things like Harry Potter,” although he admitted, with a smile, that at this age they were “stickmen, and I’d just label them ‘Harry Potter’.” He sees these early years of drawing “cartoons and action figures” as an important sign he had a calling for visual art.
Oliver says that he “didn’t get into making proper art until I was about 16.” He studied illustration at Birmingham City University (BCU), saying that “Uni was fun, I had a good time” – spending that time developing new skills, professing that he learned a lot “by himself” as opposed to part of the university course.
Oliver creates colourful, eye-catching pieces with dark figures, foreboding smiles, and references to social media, religion, sex, death, and his latest piece regarding coronavirus (with the virus literally coming out of a Corona bottle of beer).
Oliver explains his general working method when creating his artwork. Commencing with a sketch, then “mainly drawing in pens,” adding small details in with paints for “mouths and eyes.”
To give the art an extra layer of otherworldliness, Oliver then scans his piece onto the computer and edits slightly to “step it up from a drawing to something to look at.”
Oliver has various inspirations, saying the “past year or so I’ve been concentrating on the concept of the shadow self.”
He goes onto say that “Everyone’s got their dark-side that they don’t really want to look at – It’s up to you to figure out and understand that [dark] side of yourself so you can become a complete person.” He explored these themes in his debut exhibition in January 2020 at The Gap Arts in Balsall Heath.
Oliver worked in a collective setting as part of Gallery 37 which is a ‘creative residency programme where young people can rediscover themselves as artists’. The joint exhibition of 5 artists was called ‘Karma-Utopia’ hosted at Centrala in Digbeth.
Oliver created an art piece which was a colourful, illustrated “stack of blocks, with different values on it like love – creativity.” The words were written backwards, placed next to a mirror.
Viewers could participate with the piece, ordering the blocks in the order of values which they found most important to them. “It puts you with what you think is important,” and the fact it is next to a mirror represents that the values are a “reflection of yourself.”
He feels like “We’ve come so far with it now,” thinking that 2020 BHM should be the “start of something that goes on forever.”
Oliver sees the murder of George Floyd in May as a great “injustice” and that it’s important to “support the fight.”
He says he personally “hasn’t felt oppressed by the government,”but was aware of racist language when he was growing up. “It’s a joke when we were kids, but that’s still a problem,” Oliver says.
Oliver was featured as part of October’s Evening of Creativity at Oikos Café and is happy that “stuff like this is happening now in Erdington,” bemoaning that there isn’t much for visual arts in the area.
He transformed lockdown into a chance to concentrate on his own business, ‘Death in Colour’, which is his own clothing line featuring his art work: “Upcycled, vintage clothing with my art work – all customized.”
Starting the business in March, Oliver says he’s been “doing quite well during COVID” with some of his stock now sold out.
He did have intentions for a pop up shop-come-exhibition space, although this was not possible due to the pandemic. “A couple things have been scrapped, but it hasn’t stopped the train,” says Oliver, positively.
Oliver is now learning more about animation, 3D, and digital art forms. He’s interested in “Wallace and Gromit-style,” plasticine 3D animation.
“I’m just trying to evolve – build up my skills as much as possible. Good stuff will happen.”
Set to be another exciting evening of poetry, music, and visual art, the long running event has been given the coronavirus all clear to allow a limited, ticketed physical audience in to enjoy the show.
Anyone who cannot join the live event at Oikos Café will be able to watch online via the Erdington Arts Forum Facebook page, with behind the scenes interviews also being broadcast. Donations to help support the event and local Arts Forum can also be made online.
A specially programmed showcase in support of Black History Month (BHM), Friday’s guest producer, Samiir Saunders, who also lives in Erdington, talks more about the importance of the event: “For the past 3 and a half years, the Evenings of Creativity have been an important staple of Erdington’s performance arts scene.”
He goes onto to say that, “as an artist and poet who is very early on in my career, I have personally gained a lot from being given the platform to share my work with my local community, as well as the opportunity to meet other artists like me.”
On producing the special BHM event, Samiir is “incredibly excited this month to be part of the team creating that same platform for others!”
There will also be a special celebrity guest live performance from 2018 BBC Young Musician of the year Xhosa Cole and his trio.
The Evening of Creativity’s ‘online gallery’ this month features another Erdington resident, Oliver Hassell, who says: “I’m proud to be exhibiting my work in my hometown, and helping the growth of the local art community.”
Talking about what BHM means to him, Oliver continues: “I believe that Black history should be told every month of the year. It’s just as important as the rest of history and I don’t think that it should only be focused on for just one month. Black history is British history, American history, and world history.”
With Birmingham now in the Tier 2 list of new lockdown restrictions, as announced on Wednesday, it is fortunate that the Evening of Creativity live event at Oikos Café can continue – the event has taken place every month for nearly four years without missing a show.
Oikos Café have been required to make only a few changes to the venue, including only allowing ‘household bubbles’ to sit at a table together.
Ensuring Oikos Café operates COVID-19 safe, venue manager Ben Jeffery has an official statement for Erdington Local:
“In light of the Government restrictions to combat the growing risk of COVID-19, Oikos Café continues to operate cleanliness, social distancing and crowd limitations in accordance with government guidelines.
“We are proud to welcome people and continue operating legally as a business in this difficult time, and look forward to welcoming patrons and local people for our monthly extravaganza with the Arts Forum”.
To watch the Evening of Creativity live stream, including exclusive backstage interviews and other videos, visit the Erdington Arts Forum Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ErdingtonArts
For more on Oikos Café, including contact details and information on the venue’s COVID-19 safe regulations, visit www.oikoscafe.co.uk
Erdington Local is proud to support Black History Month (BHM). The newspaper will be releasing a LOCAL PROFILE each week of BHM on black members of the community, amplifying these voices and celebrating the richness of multi-cultural Erdington.
Paulette Francis-Green (creative alias: Empress P) is a “proud Erdingtonian of Jamaican heritage.”
Born in Saltley, she moved to Erdington aged 6 – attending Fentham Secondary School for Girls in the 1970s. Through her company, PFG Consultancy, Paulette has been key in gathering information for Birmingham’s official Black History Month brochure since 2012. The purpose of the City Council funded brochure is “giving out information about events across the city” as well as celebrating various milestones of black history.
Paulette’s first job was for Birmingham City Council, working as a clerical assistant from 1978, and she has been a passionate supporter of the city ever since. But another of her lifelong passions is netball: “I used to eat, drink, sleep netball.”
Paulette proudly tells how she was “chair of the Birmingham netball league for 13 years. I had aspirations of becoming an international netball umpire.” She fondly remembers 1995 Netball World Championship held at the NIA in Birmingham, working on a stall: “Having that here in Birmingham was ‘wow!’. And being part of netball was ‘wow!'”
Another passion for Paulette is poetry. She cites inspirations such as Shakespeare, as well as Birmingham born, nationally renowned poet, Benjamin Zephaniah: “reading his autobiography was powerful. His mum used to rhyme when she was talking to them” and that Benjamin was “Dyslexic”, although did not let this “disability” quell his ambition to write.
Paulette is an integral part of the Midlands dub poetry roots scene, performing and writing with creatives such as Panya the Poet, Sue Brown, and Miss Culture Jam. She has released an anthology called I’ve Landed as well as an accompanying album.
Paulette is also a breast cancer survivor. Diagnosed in 2012, she recalls her experience vividly: “I was scared – I didn’t want to die. My granddaughter wasn’t born yet, and I wanted to be able to live to see my grand-child.”
Her big dream was to “get to Ghana and to connect with Africa. Being in the motherland, feeling the African soil.” Making a full recovery, and now having visited Africa several times, she teaches that “what helped me dealing with the cancer was being positive. Being positive within yourself kicks out the negativity.” Paulette launched back into her work in the creative industry “straight after recovery.”
Paulette presented Erdington Local with a small, ongoing memoir of 25 “achievements” she had made since the year 2000. These included job titles such as Equality Diversity Champion, Black History Month Coordinator at The Drum (now known as Legacy Centre of Excellence), and Promotions Coordinator for the Simmerdown Festival.
One such job she had was at the Birmingham Museums Collection Centre, which is ‘a 1.5 hectare site that holds 80 per cent of Birmingham Museums’ stored collections under one roof.’ Paulette describes the Museums Collection Centre as “Indiana Jones meets Ikea”, referring to the warehouse scene at the end of the first film of the Spielberg series.
Her favourite objects include an unrealised civic plan of Birmingham city centre surrounding Baskerville House, a Giant Crab and a fold-up BSA bicycle from World War II: “Soldiers would parachute out the planes with these bikes strapped to their backs – so when they land, they can jump on their bike, and cycle to where they’re supposed to be!”
Paulette speaks about her role compiling the official brochure of Birmingham Black History Month: “One of the important things was how we wanted to spread the word about the black community, black history and letting people know about it.”
She showed Erdington Local a brochure from 2015 celebrating two important 50 years milestones: Malcolm X’s visit to Birmingham in 1965, and the 1965 UK Race Relations Act – which was the first piece of legislation in the UK to address the prohibition of racial discrimination.
The launch of Birmingham Black History Month at Birmingham Town Hall in 2018 “was powerful. It’s important for the black community that we’re in prominent places.” Paulette recalls with glee meeting American singer Dionne Warwick, who was giving a private concert for the organisers of the launch event. In her capacity of host, Paulette fondly remembers announcing, with a smile, “and now I hand over to Dionne Warwick.”
Paulette’s ebullient personality makes her a natural host. She is a co-presenter on the ‘Roots Rock and Reggae’ show on Newstyle Radio. “We do edutainment” explains Paulette, “we play music but we give out information as well – Caribbean news, black history, stuff about COVID.”
“I’ve done a lot over 60 years.” Paulette exclaims. However, some of her favourite hosting moments were in Erdington. She hosted the Christmas Lights Switch On and the Erdington Community Festival in Rookery Park, both events facilitated by the Erdington Arts Forum.
Paulette is also a staple part of the Arts Forum’s monthly Evening of Creativity, saying she loves “introducing the locals – giving them a round of applause.”
I’ve Landed, by Empress P, is out now – available to purchase from Waterstones or Amazon. The album will soon be available on Spotify.
Paulette/Empress P will be hosting the Evening of Creativity: Black History Month special in Erdington at Oikos Café on the 16th October. Tickets will be available through Eventbrite – for updates and information, visit www.facebook.com/ErdingtonArts
You can listen to Newstyle Radio’s ‘Roots, Rock and Reggae show’ with Tony Roots featuring Empress P on Wednesdays 8-10pm on 98.7FM – for more on Newstyle Radio, visit www.newstyleradio.co.uk
