Black History Month is held every year in October. It promotes the history and contributions that Black people with origins in Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America and other Black communities around the world have made to Cambridge and the UK.

Events around the country include history and heritage, arts and culture, news and ideas from a range of communities. It is an opportunity to share activities and experiences.

Black History Month 2025

The theme for Black History Month 2025 is Standing Firm in Power and Pride, to honour a powerful tribute to the resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to progress that defines the Black community across the globe.

There are several events taking place in Cambridge to celebrate Black History Month, including:

• Made in Ancient Egypt: the first exhibition to consider ancient Egypt through the lens of its craftspeople. The exhibition will be at the Fitzwilliam Museum from 3 October until 12 April.
• Searching for My Slave Roots: Malik Al Nasir, a Liverpool author and academic known for his work on Liverpool’s links with slavery, discusses his new book ‘Searching for My Slave Roots (2025 William Collins)’. The event will be hosted by Dr Amilcar Pereira and will take place on Thursday 9 October at St Catharine’s College, McGrath Centre.
• Game On: Sport, Mental Health, and the Future of Black Excellence: an international panel explores how sport can enhance mental health, community empowerment and Black excellence. Panellists include US Attorney Joe Briggs, Delroy Corinaldi from the Black Footballers Partnership and the Rev Calvin Taylor Skinner. The event will take place on Friday 10 October at St Edmund’s College.
• Welcome Walking Tour: A guided walking tour of Cambridge from Black student perspectives, led by the Black Advisory Hub’s FYI Team. The tour will take place from 2pm until 4pm on Sunday 12 October.
• Black@Cambridge - What lies ahead? A half-day event exploring the workplace experiences of Black staff at the University of Cambridge, featuring guest speakers and interactive mini-workshops. This event will take place on Wednesday 15 October at St Catharine’s College.
• Black History Month Formal Hall: join Lord Simon Woolley and household names from politics, business, and fashion for Homerton College’s Black History Month Formal, celebrating Black achievement and culture. The event will take place on Thursday 16 October at Homerton College.
• Reframing Blackness: Alayo Akinkugbe, art historian, curator and founder of the Instagram platform @ABlackHistoryofArt, leads a discussion on Black artists and thinkers. The event will take place on Monday 27 October at Murray Edwards College.
• Remembering the Bristol Bus Boycott: A panel of politicians, academics, CEOs, and authors explores the legacy of the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in UK civil rights history. The event will take place on Tuesday 28 October at Homerton College.
• From Vittoria Tesi to Beyoncé, a lecture-recital on Black Divas: hosted at Hughes Hall, the event interweaves Tesi’s remarkable story with those of other Black divas across the centuries. The event will take place on Monday 27 October.
• Rap Culture: join Dr Richard Bramwell and Dr Alex de Lacey for the launch of the 'Cambridge Companion to Global Rap', a book that examines the influence of rap music around the world. The event will take place on Tuesday 28 October at Wolfson College.
• REACH Black History Month Event: Lesson’s from Leadership: Michael Fuller, the first Black Chief Constable in the United Kingdom discusses his trailblazing career, and profound impact on policing and prosecution services. This event will take place at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge on Thursday 30 October.

These events are not managed or organised by the council. Visit the Black History Month website to find out more about the celebration and about national events.

Windrush generation in Cambridge

The Windrush generation are people who moved to the UK from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971. They were encouraged to do so to help with post-war labour shortages and to rebuild the UK’s economy.

In 2023, Oblique Arts collated stories from people in Cambridge who are part of the Windrush generation. They captured the stories of their lives before they came here, their journeys, and their experiences of living here.

You can download a free booklet of the stories from Oblique Arts.

The African Caribbean Research Group conducted the interviews for Oblique Arts. We supported the project with a Community Grant.

On Windrush Day in June 2024, we supported a tea party at the Guildhall. Local people of different ethnicities came together to honour the memory and hard work of the Windrush Generation and their contributions to Cambridge.