# data[].attributes.headline
School Games Cultural Dance Fitness Festival

# data[].attributes.subject
School Games Cultural Dance Fitness Festival

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Commonwealth Day | Remembrance Events | Royal British Legion

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To mark Commonwealth Day and International Women's Day, we're celebrating how their roles have changed over the last 100 years.

# data[].attributes.body
The story of the Windrush generation has come into sharp focus following the failings of the UK government to protect and honour the commitments to those from the Caribbean who answered the call of the ‘mother country’ in the 1940s and 1950s to help rebuild.

But what is less well-known is the story of those left behind; the children of the windrush generation who for many years would only know their parents through the “barrel” care packages sent from Britain.

This is their story, told to Nadine White

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Barrel Children: The Families Windrush Left Behind documentary trailer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Growing up in Jamaica, all my cousins, my aunt's children, knew their mother because they grew up with her," says Jennifer Pringle. "I was the only child that didn't really have her mum around and it was an isolating experience. You know, I still haven't overcome it fully."

Pringle's mother left Jamaica for the UK when she was a toddler. She has few recollections of the woman who gave birth to her and, instead, viewed her maternal grandmother as "mum". Then, months before her 15th birthday, Pringle left her grandmother to join her mother in the West Midlands, in Britain.

That journey in 1975, flying into Heathrow airport, was made by tens of thousands of others - children raised by their extended families then "sent for" to join their estranged biological parents in Britain, often finding their new home hostile, grey and cold. They became known as the "barrel children", after the parcels and barrels of goods their parents would send home, from novelty food and gifts to essentials such as clothes and stationery.

But for many, the years of separation took an emotional toll - and some of these "barrel children" are still dealing with the effects decades later. Within two years of moving to Britain, Pringle had moved out of the family home, striking out on her own in a country still strange and new to her.

"I love my mother but I never truly felt wanted," she says. "And I am still working through the trauma."

The term "barrel children" was coined by Jamaican academic Dr Claudette Crawford-Brown in the 1990s, and is defined as those who, while waiting in the Caribbean to follow their parents to America and the UK, received food and clothing "in lieu of direct care".

Of the impact this left on children, the academic said: "You have deep psychological reactions and they revolve around feelings of worthlessness and sadness ... and that pain can last a lifetime."

Neil Kenlock, co-founder of Choice FM, arrived in Britain as a 13-year-old in 1963 to join his mother in London, one of nearly half a million people to make the trip between 1948 and the 1970s who have since been dubbed the Windrush generation. It it estimated that during the peak period of the migration, between 1955 and 1960, adults brought 6,500 children with them but left 90,000 behind in the Caribbean.

"The Windrush migration was an economic decision because, as far as people were concerned, there weren't enough resources, businesses and jobs in Jamaica for them to survive," Kenlock said. "My family had land so they could be farmers but there wasn't money back then; my grandfather would sell bananas but my father didn't want to do that - just like lots of people didn't. They wanted to come to Britain and get a better life as far as they were concerned.

"There are lots of people who weren't brought over; there was a campaign to encourage parents to send for their children but some of them didn't and it's a big schism (or 'problem') in Jamaica to have a situation where your parent is in Britain and they don't even send you socks; where they don't send you anything or support you in any way, shape or form.

"Even in my case, it took my parents a long time to send for me. They should've sent for me far earlier but were busy having children so those children were now taking spaces and spaces - but it didn't make a difference to me because I had two sets of loving grandparents.

"Most of my family has migrated to Britain. Too many of us left Jamaica, that's the problem."

From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, thousands of men, women and children left the Caribbean for Britain, after the 1948 British Nationality Act granted settlement in the UK to all members of the British Empire. Residents of the former colonies were given citizenship to help rebuild the country's economy after the war. In recent years, ministers and the Home Office have come under fire over revelations on how members of the Windrush generation and their children have been wrongly detained and deported; while others have been denied access to healthcare, work, housing benefits and pensions.

For some of the people caught up in the Windrush scandal, they felt that they were being left behind again but this time it wasn't family, it was the state. Describing this scandal as a psychological "double whammy", political activist Patrick Vernon said: "That has an impact on your wellbeing. I think any compensation package needs to recognise this emotional trauma."

Merlyn Rhone and Burchell Davidson, aged 70 and 72, were left behind in Jamaica by their parents as infants and migrated to the UK as part of Windrush at ages seven and nine respectively in 1960. "It was quite a novelty having parents in England back then because you were supposed to be well off," Davidson said. "I have a memory of a penknife and a flashlight which was sent for me," he continued with a glint of nostalgia in his eye. "Presents and food would often come in parcels."

When the pair were told that they'd be leaving the island to be reunited with their parents in England, both experienced mixed feelings ranging from excitement and anticipation to sorrow and angst.

"I didn't realise I was really leaving until that morning when we were getting ready and people started to fuss and cry because we were the last of dad's kids to leave - and then we started to cry," Davidson continued. "We soon realised that something serious was happening."

"I had some preconceived idea that England was heaven," the Derby-resident continued, laughing. "At that age, I saw that everyone that came to England went up into the sky, in an aeroplane, and I never saw them come back. As far as I was concerned, they'd gone to heaven because that's the only place you go and stay. I thought our new home would be wonderful and sunny (...) but it was foggy, damp and cold. I thought something had gone wrong and I'd gone to hell. So, it was frightening at first."

Rhone chimed in, describing how she was "a bit scared" to meet their mother for the first time at the airport. Fear and uncertainty were prevalent themes throughout these childhood experiences. These children had no real idea of what their mother looked like.

"I had no idea who this person would be," Rhone added. "I remember the three of us walking out of the airport and this big lady came towards us with this big fur coat on and her arms open."

The pair, utterly freaked out by this outlandish display from an apparent stranger, walked past the woman who, it turned out, was their mother. She burst into tears. Davidson said: "Her absence from our lives didn't harm our relationship with her because there was no relationship to harm; so we had to get to know her.

"Panic set in for us, but after a while we approached her and she grabbed hold of us and squeezed."

While the pair found it difficult adjusting to their mother, as many other children in similar situations would have, they grew to understand that she equally struggled. That was evident in the "many tears" she shed. "I think our mum might have found it a bit difficult {adjusting to us} at first, not having us for any length of time," Rhone said.

"I was always talking about grandmother - "Mama" - and would mention her in the context of being my mother, and I think our mother might have found a little bit of resentment there."

Burchell added: "Somebody else had raised her children for six years, somebody else had that relationship with them. So it must have been heartbreaking for her, especially when we couldn't bond with her at that time. Imagine what she would've missed out on."

Dr Elaine Arnold, a psychiatric social worker and teacher, said: "Many mothers thought that when the child came, they'd just start where they left off but that was impossible because the child had moved on to another stage of development.

"Then they hit adolescence, and that was a period in which the relationship could become problematic. Mothers think the adolescent who is showing some independence or preferring their friends, is being ungrateful for all the care they put in when they were small.

"We must remember that this is not confined to the Caribbean population; I have worked across all ethnicities and found that sometimes I'm listening to a problem brought by someone - and if I close my eyes I can't tell which ethnic group the person is from."

Dr Arnold has studied and written about the psychological impact that immigration had on families, in particular with relation to attachment issues, demonstrating that the disruption caused by separation from both family and country often had long-term traumatic consequences.

It isn't possible to discuss the Windrush migration and its impact on black families in any meaningful way without delving into the complex and painful legacy of slavery. Centuries of captivity at the hands of colonialists prevented the formation of close black family relationships while also making stable, secure family life very difficult because enslaved Africans, who were bought, sold and viewed as property, lived with the constant possibility of separation through the sale of one or more of their own.

"In terms of family relationships, we had to start again; the dial was reset from the end of emancipation as a result of what was endured throughout slavery - but we're here and it's important to remember that because there is a narrative, commonly used by some, which suggests that all black families are dysfunctional," Vernon continued.

Be that as it may, many Windrush migrants felt compelled to migrate from the Caribbean to seek better financial prospects in Britain. Why? Because their countries' economies were broken owing to under-investment following emancipation whereupon the majority of surplus profits from slavery went to the UK.

Vernon said: "Every single Caribbean household has a 'left behind' story; we all do; my family does. The expression that's used is 'transnational families'; we export. Looking at Jamaica, there are more of its citizens living overseas than on the island - and that's probably one of the tragedies of globalisation and the impact of being forced through work to start a new life."

"For some of the Windrush victims," he continued, "when they came over here as minors, they were left behind in the Caribbean because their parents were trying to raise money.

"When they (the parents) came over here, they were told the streets were paved with gold and then found out they weren't. They were discriminated against in the workplace, which meant they had less money; they expected to earn more, to fast track their plans to bring the children over...but then realised that this plan would take longer than expected.

"A lot of children had to wait several years until they were reunited with their parents and met new siblings. As a result, it was difficult for them to adjust to new families and the new school system. Nevertheless, many managed to break through all that and work, raise families and contribute to the community in various ways."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Windrush families and the emotional burden of migration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thousands of people left the Caribbean for the UK with the promise of work and a new life. Many were forced to leave their children behind with relatives. Nadine White meets those children and hears their stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
click on the tab below for more information

# data[].attributes.body
We are proud to celebrate Black History Month with our own unique logo created by AK Creative.  Please visit https://nkcn.co.uk/bhm to see how we celebrated Black History Month with our local community in 2023.

# data[].attributes.body
Please CLICK on the tab below to learn more about Windrush 75

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Windrush Day is an important event in our annual calendar. We have hosted Windrush Day events to ensure the strength, resilience and courage of the Windrush Generation is never forgotten and it is an honour to celebrate our members of living history.

For Windrush 75 we joined Dartford Borough Council and Kent Equality Cohesion Council to raise the Windrush Generations flag and hosted events in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council to raise a special Windrush 75 flag designed by Andrea Kitchener. We also exhibited our Windrush Front Room which included a series of photographs by Sam Wainwright and the fabulous "Hope" wire statues created by Wendy Cottam. Special thanks too must go to local band SKAbretta who treated us to a special pre-launch copy of their fantastic track "Windrush to Bawley Bay".

To commemorate this special year, we facilitated Windrush Legacy Workshops as part of Gravesham Fringe Festival and our Front Room exhibit was also part of a Windrush Special day at Medway Culture Club.

We were even able to take items from our exhibit to St Edmund's School in Canterbury as part of a fantastic project lead by Dr Rob Power at Powerful Histories.

An extra treat this year, was the opportunity to see Sir Lenny Henry in his incredible one-man play August in England at the Bush Theatre.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are a voluntary community group that works in partnership with Kent based organisations to celebrate diverse communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In celebration of Black History Month, we spotlight the phenomenal Dr. Samantha Tross, a renowned British consultant surgeon...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When Black History Month was first celebrated in the UK, my son, Stephen, was 13 and dreaming of...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Black History Month collection - guides for KS1, KS2, KS3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A collection of resources for Black History Month for students aged 5-7, 7-11 and 11-14.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
'The black history of Britain is by its nature a global history. Yet too often it is seen as being only the history of migration, settlement and community formation in Britain itself.'
- David Olusoga, Black and British: A Forgotten History

Black histories are a vital part of England's story, reaching back many centuries. There is evidence of African people in Roman Britain as far back as the 3rd century AD, and black communities have been present since at least 1500.

English Heritage is committed to telling the story of England in full. Black history, from antiquity to the 21st century, helps us to reflect on the connections between the past and present, and the importance of history to our understanding of what's happening today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Black histories are a vital part of England's story, reaching back many centuries. There is evidence of African people in Roman Britain as far back as the 3rd century AD, and black communities have been present since at least 1500.

# data[].attributes.headline
Black people have lived in Britain since at least the Roman era.

# data[].attributes.subject
Black people have lived in Britain since at least the Roman era.

# data[].attributes.body
Until recently, many of the histories of Black people in Britain have been hidden or overlooked. Yet it is hard to tell Britain's history without including those stories.

Recently historians have begun to uncover new information about Black people’s experiences and achievements. This means we can now find out more about how they were part of our history.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Top 10 facts

1. A group of African soldiers called the Aurelian Moors defended Hadrian's Wall during Roman times.

2. Tudor king Henry VIII employed a Black trumpeter called John Blanke.

3. Black people in Britain, including Olaudah Equiano, were some of the leading campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade.

4. Queen Sophie Charlotte, who was married to King George III, had African ancestry and reigned for 57 years from 1761-1818.

5. In 1833 the government paid 20 million pounds to 46,000 British slave owners to "compensate" the owners for their "loss of property", but not a penny was given to the former slaves.

6. Although slavery was abolished in the UK in 1833, the Industrial Revolution relied on cotton produced by enslaved people.

7. In 1914 many West Indian men bought tickets to sail to the UK to join the British forces. The British West Indies Regiment was created but some Black servicemen joined regiments alongside white men.

8. At the end of World War I, 20,000 Black people lived in the UK. By 1944 this had increased to 150,000 due to African American soldiers joining the forces to fight in World War II.

9. In 1948 the British Nationality Act was passed, giving people from the British Empire the formal right to live Britain. By 1958 125,000 West Indian people were living in the UK.

10. In 1976 the Race Relations Act, which banned discrimination in public places based on a person's colour, became law.

UK Black history timeline

Did you know?

The earliest known English image of Black person can be found in a 1241 version of the Doomsday Book.

Liverpool and Cardiff have some of Britain's oldest Black communities.

In 1913 John Archer became the first Black mayor in London.

Jack London was the first Black athlete to win a medal for Britain in the Olympic Games held in Amsterdam in 1928.

Lillian Bader was the first Black woman to join the British Air Force in 1941, rising to the rank of Colonel.

Henry 'Box' Brown sent himself by mail from Virginia in the USA, where slavery was still legal, to Philadelphia where it was illegal. He was in the box for 27 hours. Brown came to the UK in 1850 and wrote a book about his experience.

UK Black history gallery:

A reconstruction of the face of the Ivory Bangle Lady © Yorkshire Museum / Aaron Watson, The University of Reading

Tudor trumpeter John Blanke, College of Arms MS Westminster Tournament Roll, 1511. Reproduced by permission of the Kings, Heralds and Pursuivants of Arms.

Olaudah Equino

One of the earliest known images of a black man from a copy of the Domesday Book, probably created around 1241

Children waiting to greet Queen Mary, wife of King George V, in Brixton in south London at the opening of Lambeth Town Hall in 1938 (© Photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Mary Seacole

Diane Abbott MP

Gallery

About

Until recently the history of Black people in Britain was missing. From the earliest of times to modern day, British history taught in schools only told the stories of white people and it was generally thought that Black history wasn't relevant to Britain.

Things are starting to change. Society is now more aware of the experiences of Black people who lived in Britain and the links between Britain, Africa and the Caribbean.

Some might think the first black people in Britain arrived from Africa and the Caribbean due to the slave trade. However, we know that there have been Black people in Britain since Roman times.

The Ivory Bangle Lady is the name given to remains discovered in York in 1901 which are now on display in the York Museum. Archaeological analysis reveals that although she was born in Roman Britain, she's likely to be of North African descent. The remains have been dated to the second half of the 4th Century AD. The Ivory Bangle Lady was found with jet and elephant ivory bracelets, earrings, pendants, beads, a blue glass jug and a glass mirror. All these things would have only been owned by a wealthy person.

During the Tudor period there were hundreds of Black people living in England. John Blanke, an African trumpeter, was just one of them. He is shown as one of the musicians at the Westminster Tournament attended by King Henry VIII to celebrate the birth of his son (see him below in the College of Arms MS Westminster Tournament Roll, 1511, reproduced by permission of the Kings, Heralds and Pursuivants of Arms). A letter has been found in which John Blanke asked Henry VIII for a pay rise, which Henry agreed to!

However, it was also during the Tudor period that British people began trading in enslaved people from Africa. Between the 16th and 19th century, hundreds of thousands of people were taken to the Caribbean and America and forced to work. Many enslaved people died from overwork, violence and disease. At the time, some people said that Black people didn't mind being enslaved, but the number of rebellions shows this was definitely not the case.

In 1761 a princess from Germany married King George III. She was known as Queen Charlotte and many historians believe she had African ancestry. Queen Charlotte lived in the times when Britain was becoming very wealthy from its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

Cities such as London, Bristol, Liverpool, Cardiff and Glasgow were very involved in the trade. People across Britain used the sugar that enslaved people grew and used profits made from slavery to build impressive buildings. Some enslaved people were able to buy their freedom from their owners. British abolitionist, writer and composer Ignatius Sancho was able to do this and was able to vote in elections as he owned his own home and shop in London.

Traditionally, history of the abolition of slavery movement mostly focused on men such as William Wilberforce. Yet many Black people joined groups to protest against slavery and wrote about their experiences. The Black author and explorer Olaudah Equiano was very influential in slavery becoming against the law in Britain in 1833.

During the First World War, many men from the Caribbean came to Britain to fight. After the war there was a shortage of jobs and many white people thought that they deserved the jobs more than Black people did. Britain did not have laws that created segregation like those that existed in the United States of America. However, many Black servicemen and workers found themselves without jobs after a "colour bar" was introduced in many industries because white workers refused to work alongside Black people. There were violent clashes in cities such as Cardiff and Liverpool, known as the 1919 Race Riots. Many people were injured and three people died.

The "colour bar" continued in Britain, in work and housing, but during the Second World War many Black men fought in the British army. This time when the war ended Britain had a shortage of people to fill the many jobs that were created to rebuild the country. Many of those jobs were filled by people who travelled to Britain from across the Empire and worked as builders, NHS nurses and bus drivers. Known as the 'Windrush' generation, they arrived in the UK between 1948 and 1973, from Caribbean countries, on ships like the 'HMT Empire Windrush'. However in Bristol the Omnibus Company, run by the council, refused to employ black and Asian drivers, which eventually led to a boycott of buses across the whole city in 1963. At the time it was not illegal to discriminate based on race but the first Race Relations Act was passed in 1965.

The election of four Black MPs, including Diane Abbott, in 1987 was a significant moment in Black British history (Lord Constantine, a cricketer, barrister, politician and campaigner against racial injustice, became the first black member of the House of Lords in 1969). However, the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence five years later showed that progress still needed to be made in Britain.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

With the CBBC Horrible Histories Wonderful Windrush Boxset game you can time travel through history and discover what it was like to live in a different time.

See for yourself

The Black Plaque Project commemorates notable men and women who have shaped Black British history with plaques throughout London. Why not plan a walk to see them?

Exhibitions at the Migration Museum in London explore Black History

See the skeleton of the the Ivory Bangle Lady and the items she was buried with on display in the Yorkshire Museum's exhibition Roman York: Meet the People of the Empire

Black History Walks offer 12 different walking tours and educational talks in London. There are bus tours and river cruises too!

Check out the British Film Institute which has a wide range of films as part of their Black Lives archive

Visit the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool

Kenwood House in London was the home of Dido Belle

Best books about Black British history for children

Find out more

Download the illustrated book Influential Black Britons from the UK Parliament Learning website

Explore the stories of Black Londoners with London's Black History resources from the Museum of London

Read more about John Blanke, the royal trumpeter in the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII, on the Historic Royal Palaces website

Check out a range of resources classroom resources looking at Black history, culture, heritage and achievements from BBC Teach

Read about Olaudah Equiano and his involvement in the British movement for the abolition of the slave trade on Kiddle

Download The Royal Mint's Diversity Built Britain - Celebrating Black British History information pack for KS2

Read about notable Black people in the UK and around the world on Tuntimo, a Black history platform for children aged 5-11 years old

The Black Cultural Archives subject guides offer an introduction to key themes in their collections, such as Black Georgians and War to Windrush

Find out about the Black people who helped shape Scotland's history in a BBC Learning About Black Scottish History video

Find KS2 activities linked to key moments of Black history in Britain on The Black Curriculum's website

Mary Seacole is featured in CBBC's Our Black History Heroes, a children's series celebrating inspirational and history-making figures from the past 200 years

Read the Story of Windrush on the English Heritage website

Black British history on record is the National Archives' collection of documents relating to Black British history

Read about the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR), which served in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, on the Imperial War Museums website

TheSchoolRun's guide to Mary Seacole, voted number one in a poll of Great Black Britons in 2004

Download National Maritime Museum cards sharing the achievements and contributions to British history of Black people in the Georgian period

Download the free Empire Windrush Education Resource for KS2, published by Windrush Foundation

Learn about the history of Black people in Britain with educational resources from English Heritage, including the stories of St Hadrian of Canterbury, an African abbott, and Dido Belle, an aristocrat

Watch BBC Teach animated films exploring the lives of London's West Indian community during the 1960s, 70s and 80s (most suitable for children in KS3 and older)

Also see

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Black people have lived in Britain since at least the Roman era. Until recently, many of the histories of Black people in Britain have been hidden or overlooked. Yet it is hard to tell Britain's history without including those stories. Recently historians have begun to uncover new information about Black people's experiences and achievements.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ten Black History Events that should be taught to every pupil

# data[].attributes.subject
Ten Black History Events that should be taught to every pupil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ten black history events that should be taught to every pupil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Black History Month is a chance to introduce forgotten historical episodes into the curriculum, from the British black panthers to the Bristol bus boycott

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are a voluntary community group that works in partnership with Kent based organisations to celebrate diverse communities

# data[].attributes.body
ACTIVITY IDEAS AND RESOURCES FOR SCHOOLS created by H Campbell (Snowfield Academy) and A Kitchener (AK Creative)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A set of resources for schools for Black History Month, focusing on mental health themes.

Black History Month takes place every year in October across the world.

The month presents an opportunity for children and young people to learn more about Black history and to celebrate the contributions Black people have made to society. This year, Black History Month is dedicated to honouring the achievements of Black women, with the theme of 'saluting our sisters'.

You may have already planned some curriculum content around Black History Month, looking at cultural or historical Black figures.

The resources shared here focus on mental health themes, helping schools to explore ideas around diversity, self-belief, identity and the impact of racism on those who experience it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Black History Month resources : Mentally Healthy Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A set of resources for schools for Black History Month, focusing on mental health themes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Black History Month takes place every October in the UK. In the United States, it is celebrated in February.
Black History Month resources
You can use this collection of teaching resources to explore black history, heritage, culture and achievements with your class.
Below you'll find content suitable for use with both primary and secondary school pupils. Each resource is accompanied by teacher notes to aid classroom use.

For teacher CPD, you can read this article by Josiah Isles , an assistant headteacher who has written about his experiences within the education system as a black teacher in the UK.

And we have a series of short films to help support teachers to be an ally to students from black, South Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds.

You can also catch up on our panel discussion programme, Beyond Black History Month , in partnership with TES. This programme was originally broadcast live on 21 October 2020 and features ideas and best practice around teaching black and diverse histories and experiences.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore Black History Month 2023 content suitable for use with both primary and secondary school pupils. Each resource is accompanied by teacher notes to aid classroom use.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Celebrate Black History Month in October with these lessons, assemblies, recommended movies and more...

Browse this list of recommended Black History Month activities to find the perfect way to cover this important event in your classroom this year...

When is Black History Month?

Black History Month takes place in October in the UK.

What is Black History Month?

In the UK, Black History Month is a national celebration that aims to promote and celebrate the contributions black people have made to society. It's also an opportunity to promote an understanding of black history more widely.

Black History Month theme 2023

This year the focus of Black History Month activities is on celebrating the exceptional achievements of black women. This is encapsulated by the theme 'Saluting our sisters'.

Black History Month activities and resources

Black History Month activities - poetry competition

This poetry competition is open to all students from primary age onwards, with separate categories for different age groups.

Pupils need to submit a poem about a pioneering black woman who has made an impact in their chosen field - whether famous or not. The deadline is 15th November 2023.

Winners will be announced on World Poetry Day and the top 32 poems will be printed in a special publication.

Black History Month art lesson plan

Use this KS2 art lesson to look at the life and work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, arguably the most influential Black artist of all time. Basquiat gained recognition as part of the New York graffito duo SAMO and went on to receive critical acclaim.

Children will enjoy accessing his art because it feels familiar - his drawing style is very childlike, and his work has a sense of freedom.

Black British History lesson plan

It's not always easy to find Black History Month activities that help children learn about black British history.

Patrice Lawrence's novel Diver's Daughter offers a valuable opportunity to help pupils discover more about the diversity of the people who lived in England during the Tudor times.

By exploring the experiences of characters whose stories are not always told, and contrasting them with their own rights and freedoms, this Black History Month KS2 lesson plan for schools enables children to develop empathy alongside their historical knowledge and understanding.

Inspirational people comprehension and writing activities packs

Teach LKS2 students about influential footballer, Marcus Rashford. This Black History Month activities pack from Plazoom covers introduces Marcus and explains how he's using his influence to campaign for political change.

It contains text and comprehension questions, a PowerPoint, discussion cards and a writing task sheet. There are similar packs for KS1 ( Rosa Parks) and UKS2 ( Barack Obama).

Inspirational posters art activity

This KS2 art idea involves children working together to produce inspirational portraits of significant people. The posters make an inspiring display when placed together.

Empire Windrush lesson plan

During this KS2 Black history lesson, children will become aware of the discrimination that black people faced as they arrived in Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948.

It also provides opportunities for pupils to explore important historical events, demonstrate empathy and discuss issues relating to current affairs involving discrimination.

Once you've explored what the Empire Windrush was and the reaction passengers received when they arrived, complete the lesson by writing a diary entry.

The lesson plan and all accompanying resources are included in this download.

Books for topics - Look Up!

Join science-mad chatterbox Rocket and learn about Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, with this KS1/2 Black history book topic.

Every child has a dream - they want to be ballet dancers, football players, vets, pop stars. Rocket, star of Look Up! by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola, wants to be an astronaut more than anything in the world (and the solar system).

This story follows the aspirations of a very passionate and tenacious little girl who is desperate to follow in the footsteps of Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

This title won Waterstones Children's Book Of The Year and will entertain and enthuse young readers with its thoughtful, bold, bright illustrations and charming protagonist.

Floella Benjamin drama lesson

When planning your Black History Month activities, there are many people whose struggles, achievements and inspirational stories could be shared with our children.

Floella Benjamin is certainly inspirational, but has the added advantage of having recorded her experiences in a beautifully written and accessible book, Coming to England.

This KS2 Black history drama lesson plan uses drama to explore some of Floella's experiences, while giving the children the opportunity to discuss and express their views on discrimination, inequality and injustice.

Schools resource pack

This Black History Month schools resource pack 2023 costs £54.50 and contains:

Black History Month posters

Assembly notes

Lesson plans

Supporter logos, artwork and more

The importance of Black History Month assembly

This Black History assembly from TrueTube is designed to celebrate (and discuss) the event. You can download the assembly plan which includes links to include related videos.

Black History Month magazine

The 2023 edition of Black History Month Magazine will features a wide range of writers, from sportspeople and entertainers to educators and businesspeople, all talking about how to elevate black people and be an ally.

Find out how you can get this year's edition and read older editions.

Empire Windrush education resources

These two massive Empire Windrush education resources, published by Windrush Foundation, include more than 200 pages of information, activities, photographs and data for students, teachers, parents, guardians and anyone keen to know some of the interesting post-war stories of Caribbean people in the UK.

Into Film recommended movies

As per usual, Into Film has you covered with topic-related films and accompanying teaching resources.

This list ranges from films like The Princess and the Frog for young students to the seminal To Kill a Mockingbird and the harrowing 12 Years a Slave.

Many come with film guides for teachers or related resources to help teach children in your classroom.

Influential Black Britons illustrated book

This resource from UK Parliament contains stories of influential black Britons who have impacted UK laws and equal rights. Use it to embed stories of important black Britons across your KS1 and KS2 curriculum.

Black history timeline of resources

At Black History 4 Schools you'll find a whole list of links to useful resources all separated into historic sections:

Black presence in Tudor times

Transatlantic Slave Trade and Abolition of slavery

Black presence in the 18th, 19th and 20th century

Black British history lessons with Professor David Olusoga

With only 8% of people reporting ever learning about the colonisation of Africa in schools, resource website iChild has partnered with Professor David Olusoga and his sister Dr Yinka Olusoga to create resources focuses on black history as an integral part of British history, not an add-on.

It's part of the Captivating Classrooms collection, which features more than 250 digital resource units. The resources include editable PowerPoints, teacher notes, worksheets, keyword flashcards, posters and certificates. Find out more about subscribing.

Read more about David Olusoga's schooldays and the racism he endured.

Black history in the army

Askaris moving a field gun into position, c1914

The National Army Museum has created source packs and teacher notes with suggested activities) to highlight black history and support an inclusive curriculum. Students will learn about:

The origins of African and Caribbean soldiers in the Army

Conflict and resistance within the British Empire in Africa

The contributions of black men and women to Britain's efforts in the First and Second World Wars

Whose history should we teach?

Events over the last few years have highlighted the need for school history lessons to adopt a much wider, more global perspective, says history teacher Gemma Hargraves...
As monuments fell across the world in 2020, some of us felt compelled to ask - are our young people seeing themselves and their cultures reflected in the history curriculum? And does it matter?

The answer to the first question remains unclear. Many schools have made great strides in recent years to make their history curricula more diverse and representative. As for the second question, the answer is an emphatic 'yes'. It matters.

Not just symbolically, but because the inclusion of world history, and the histories of groups previously overlooked in the curriculum, will make our subject richer, and enable us to tell a fuller story, in bright technicolour.

This discussion isn't about tokenism, but rather how to make a rigorous and just curriculum fit for purpose in our globalised world.

I don't intend to suggest any distinct routes to curriculum reform here - but I do believe that it's worth exploring further the issues around whose history is being taught and how.

Regimes and racism

From the killing of George Floyd to the storming of the Capitol building, international events over the last few years have prompted us to think again about the content of the lessons we teach.

One can't ignore the work of the National Trust's fantastic Colonial Countryside project, the beginnings of Joe Biden's presidency and the wonderful poem from Amanda Gorman that she read at the inauguration: "Somehow we've weathered and witnessed a nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished."

As Sarah Maza argues in Thinking About History, history changes all the time because it's driven by the concerns of the present. She observes that history can be described as "What the present needs to know about the past". And in this particular present, we've seen efforts at toppling monuments worldwide.

Statues topped

Protestors damaged statues of Christopher Columbus in Boston, Minnesota and Virginia. A statue of Andrew Jackson located near the White House survived an attempt by protestors to pull it down in June 2020.

Jackson served as the seventh US president from 1829 to 1837, owned slaves and enacted policies that forced Native Americans from their land, resulting in 15,000 deaths.

Closer to home, authorities removed statues of Leopold II of Belgium from locations near Brussels and a public square in Antwerp.

Almost 85,000 people signed a petition calling for the removal of all statues of Leopold from Belgium, as the country continues to grapple with its colonial past.

Leopold's forces seized Congo in the late 19th century and ran an exploitative regime that led to the deaths of as many as 10 million Africans.

For decades, teachers have barely taught colonial history in Belgium. You can still find the famous (and racist) cartoon book Tintin in the Congo in many Belgian classrooms.

In June 2020, however, Belgium's education minister announced that the country's secondary schools would teach colonial history from 2021.

Colonial past

Britain was forced to confront its own colonial past when protesters forcibly removed a statue of the slave trader Edward Colston and threw it into Bristol Harbour. Colston transported at least 80,000 people from West Africa to the Caribbean, almost 20,000 of whom died on the voyages.

The statue was eventually retrieved, though not restored to its former location. Since then, debate has continued to rage around those schools and streets that bear his name.

Two days after Colston's literal downfall, local authorities removed a statue of Robert Milligan outside of the Museum of London Docklands. He too was a slave trader. By the time of his death in 1809, he owned two sugar plantations and 526 slaves in Jamaica.

In January 2021 we saw the government's response to these protests. Communities minister Robert Jenrick announced plans to change the law in to protect historic monuments and ensure "We don't repeat the errors of previous generations."

Representative history

Are we, as Chris Husbands argues in What is History Teaching?, as concerned with concepts of humanity and inhumanity as we are with evidence and change? For that may fundamentally alter the nature and purpose of history in schools, regardless of whose it is.

An understanding of the current discussion around statues may appeal to those drawn more to the humanity and inhumanity part of that equation. Or it might appeal to those drawn more to evidence and change. However, the concept of the former doesn't fit as neatly into exam board specifications as the latter.

More recently, monuments erected to Churchill and Nelson have come in for especially heavy criticism. But there's one thing I'd take from both men before their statues are potentially destroyed, moved, contextualised or forgotten.

220 years ago, Nelson stated that "The boldest measures are the safest," with Churchill later using the same phrase himself. Perhaps sound and timely advice with respect to our history curriculum planning. If the question we're asking is ' Whose history? ', well - we must be bold.

We must acknowledge, for instance, that Black British history is all our history. Our present day UK is one shaped by immigration, even prior to the Empire Windrush. More than one in five British people have a disability. We have evidence of homosexuality as far back as Roman times.

"If the question we're asking is ' Whose history? ', well - we must be bold"

We need to realise that diverse history is representative history. We must be global, not parochial; ambitious, not conservative. Curious, not close-minded.

Warts and all

Our globalised experiences show just how interconnected the people of the world now are. Though our historical knowledge should remind us that this isn't new.

Global histories may now have the potential to edge out national narratives. With limited teaching time available in schools, we must make choices.

One can't claim to teach the history of every possible group in school; to attempt to do so would be superficial, misleading and lead to an incoherent history curriculum.

"One can't claim to teach the history of every possible group in school"

Still, as Husbands argues, pupils' ideas of the past are linked to ideas they already have regarding human motivation. This works alongside various ideas and experiences that they're exposed to beyond the school gates. Local history has its place too.

We can perhaps take inspiration from books like The House by the Lake (Thomas Harding) or House of Glass (Hadley Freeman), and broaden our timeframes to more of a breadth study, albeit while shining a spotlight on certain individuals, stories and evidence.

Or we could add some of Miranda Kaufmann's Black Tudors to the established Tudors unit - a 'slot-in', as some schools are currently doing to rapidly diversify their existing units. But we must then build to do more, and do better.

Complex past

One may well agree with Jenrick when he said "It is our privilege in this country to have inherited a deep, rich, fascinating and, yes, often complex past. We are mature enough as a society to understand that, and to seek to pass it on - warts and all. To do otherwise would leave our history and future diminished."

Indeed, it's the duty of history teachers to teach that history, warts and all. To borrow a further line from Amanda Gorman - which could relate to the UK as much as the USA - "It's the past we step into and how we repair it."

"It's the duty of history teachers to teach that history, warts and all"

All that's left is to continue carefully pondering whose history it is that we're teaching, and after Brexit and COVID-19, whether that history can help us heal.

Further reading

Audit tool

Download this audit tool to identify gaps and areas for development in your own history curriculum.
Gemma Hargraves is a history teacher, A Level examiner and secondary committee member of The Historical Association.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Black History Month activities - Best 2023 resources for KS2/3 - Teachwire

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plan Black History Month activities for your school to take part in this October with these lessons, assemblies, resources and more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Whether your child can recite from memory the names and philosophies of leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois and Angela Davis, or they need an introduction to the pivotal Black figures who have helped shape our nation, Black History Month offers a valuable opportunity for children to learn and grow.

Of course, awareness and appreciation of Black history and culture, along with racial justice, are relevant all year long when raising children in a multicultural society. But, with lessons about race and systemic racism being threatened in schools across many states - often in association with national conversation surrounding Critical Race Theory - Black history can often be carelessly (or intentionally) overlooked.

You can bridge these gaps in education and bolster your children's learning with digital resources. The ones below represent a variety of tools from national museums and educational nonprofits, created to educate and engage children in Black history and culture through interactive events, entertaining videos, and content that profile Black visionaries and leaders. Whether you're a parent or a teacher, head on over to these websites to spark children's curiosity or continue their education.

1. Common Sense Media

Common Sense, a nonprofit that helps parents and teachers choose appropriate kids' media and technology, has its own Celebrate Black Voices page for educational media and activities for all ages. The website acts as a guide for finding content online, which means it includes both free and paid resources. Common Sense says its goal this month is to "highlight the diverse culture, achievements, and experiences of Black people and the powerful voices that have shaped history."

Common Sense points families to its "Black History on the Screen" lists, which compile Common Sense-approved media highlighting famous Black icons or cultural moments. The media covers a variety of subjects, including ; Business & Culture; Dance, Games & Sports; and Activism, Civics & Social Justice. Families can look through Common Sense's list of Black TV classics, as well. There are accompanying videos with each list, which include age ranges for the selections.

Common Sense also suggests parents look at its book lists on Black history, which include ones for preschoolers and little kids, "" and tweens, and . The books span fiction and nonfiction, and include classics alongside contemporary novels.

Finally, the organization has published its own teaching resources for families and educators, including a guide to reflecting on Black history as a family, free learning activities for Black History Month, and educational, kid-friendly videos and podcasts about Black history and culture.

2. The National Museum of African American History and Culture

The only national museum dedicated exclusively to the documentation of "African American life, history, and culture," points parents of young children to its annual Black History Month programming, including the weekly Friday series, NMAAHC Kids Learning Together. This month includes Black character celebrations, which combine discussion of positive representations in movies and TV with real-life arts, culture, and science, as well as guest speakers. They are held virtually every Friday throughout February at 11 a.m. ET.

For 2022's celebration, and to honor the previous year's theme of Black health and wellness, the museum put together a searchable online exhibit about Black communities and public health, including explanations of the "Tuskegee Experiment" and Henrietta Lacks. The exhibit remains available online.

The museum also suggests parents and educators take advantage of the museum's Talking about Race online portal to help children understand key topics like how to be anti-racist and why the idea of race is such a dominant force in our world. There are even more resources for early childhood education on the museum's website, as well.

3. New York Public Library

The New York Public Library runs a Little Learners video series, which offers music, art, and culture programming including videos on Black history and culture by music and social justice artist Fyütch, as well as content exploring other cultures from around the world. The library also encourages parents and their children to check out its Early Literacy hub, which offers free programs, books, and other resources for young learners and families.

You can find more Black History Month programming on the library's online calendar.

4. PBS

PBS has a variety of online resources, categorized by age, to teach kids about Black History and anti-racism. For example, parents of kids ages 2 to 5 can use PBS' drawing activity to help their children understand the power of advocacy and reflect on the times they stood up for someone. They can also think about and write down the characteristics of great heroes with a printable work page. Afterward, take a look at PBS' Questions to Ask Your Child to engage your kid in a discussion about Black heroes. You can ask them questions like, "What Black role models helped to make the world a better place?"

Children 6 through 8 can watch animated videos about Black people whose accomplishments secured them a place in the history books. For example, check out scientist and inventor George Washington Carver, who invented more than 300 products from peanuts, and writer Zora Neale Hurston, whose work explored Black people's stories in the South. After watching the videos, explore PBS' supplemental activities, like colorf ully illustrated PDFs you can download that inspire children to share their own stories like Hurston did.

As part of PBS' anti-racism resources, educators can use PBS' "Creating a Caring Classroom Community" hub to learn how to nurture a caring classroom, teach students to celebrate diversity, and talk about why racism hurts. You can kick off a class with this video from the show Arthur that teaches kids about racism.

5. Smithsonian Institute Learning Lab

In addition to partnering with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Smithsonian Institute hosts its interactive Learning Lab, an online resource for students, teachers, parents, and the casually curious. The website includes Learning Lab collections - digital versions of museum exhibits created by professionals.

Parents and children also can use the Smithsonian Learning Lab's online lesson discussing Black History Month through the histories of important Black figures and Black art, featuring works from the National Portrait Gallery. The guided presentation takes children through the basics of art, shows famous portraits with accompanying biographies, and includes questions and activities at the end. The activity is suitable for all ages.

Other collections include lessons and photo galleries created using items and exhibits from the museum's archives, like Music and Sound, featuring famous Black musicians, and Hair Joy, a collection of images showcasing Black hairstyles and history.

6. Scholastic Magazines+

Scholastic Magazines+, which offers both paid and free teaching resources in association with Scholastic books, published a free, nonfiction story collection for young readers to learn more about Black history and culture. The stories are suitable for grades 1-12.

The nonfiction resources are "dedicated to brave men, women and children who have made a big impact on the world," according to the website, and share the stories of Black leaders like ballerina Misty Copeland and pilot Bessie Coleman.

Each history lesson is paired with teaching resources like narrated videos for young children, close-reading questions, and vocabulary lessons. Along with the stories, Scholastic also has an accompanying video series interviewing young Black entrepreneurs who have founded nonprofits, clothing companies, and a coding academy.

Be sure to also check out Scholastic Magazine's StoryWorks series celebrating Black voices, complete with teaching resources to accompany each story, and the Black History Month Reading List - take the time to head to your local library for free copies.

7. National Education Association

The National Education Association, a network of educators and professionals working in public education, has its own Black History Month hub full of free, online activities created by members and other organizations, like Scholastic books, PBS, and Learning for Justice. Activities include history lessons, quizzes, and printable exercises like crosswords, as well as lesson plans for educators.

The activities are easily divided by grade level, from kindergarten to 12th grade. Each grade level is provided with various lessons across an array of subjects, including science, art, and even sports. It's a great, curated list to start looking for more ways to engage your children.

8. The New York Times Learning Network

The New York Times Learning Network is a teaching resource for educators (as well as students or interested parents) that incorporates current news and history. The website includes lesson plans, activities, and articles curated for educators using the New York Times content.

The publication has a two-part series on Black History Month called Black History, Continued, in which the Times dives deep into understudied moments and highlights of Black history and culture. The second part of the series includes a lesson plan that expands on the history contained in the Continued series, providing discussion questions and opportunities to "reflect on the importance of celebrating overlooked or under-appreciated aspects of the American experience," according to the Learning Network.

The website also has activities for teens and older students, like the student opinion activity How Much Have You Learned About Black History? The article and accompanying questions ask young people to reflect on how Black history is taught in their own schools, what topics they'd like to cover that are currently left out, and how current curricula should change.

9. Black History Month Official Website

The official landing page for the federal recognition of Black History Month has published a long list of learning resources for teachers, parents, and those seeking a broad look at Black history in the United States. The list utilizes archives and digital education sites put together by government organizations like the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, and even the National Parks Service.

These resources include photo galleries (like this collection celebrating icons of the Harlem Renaissance), and learning activities, and even .

This list is a non-exhaustive example of the plethora of free resources available online, year round. Whichever digital resource you use to explore and celebrate Black history and culture with your kids or students - in February and beyond - it can help build a foundation for a more knowledgeable and anti-racist future.

UPDATE: Feb. 8, 2022, 7:00 p.m. EST This story was originally published in February 2021 and was updated with new information and to include more resources in February 2022.

UPDATE: Feb. 3, 2023, 11:57 a.m. EST This story was updated with new information in honor of Black History Month 2023.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free online resources for kids that celebrate Black history and culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are plenty of free digital resources to teach kids about Black history and anti-racism. Get started with these.