Black History Month
By Carly Lovedawn
Last year we marked Black History Month by contributing to the theme of ‘Action, Not Words’ with an article for the occasion. We recognised the irony of a word-piece as part of an ‘Action, Not Words’ campaign. Which is why this year we wanted to do more, commit ‘Actions’ to be a more inclusive, equal workplace, and ensure our solidarity with the black community was loudly and proudly visible.
In the year since this article was produced we have made efforts within Tyneside & Northumberland Mind to do better, be better. As part of Black History Month 2023 we are educating our team and celebrating contemporary black womyn’s contributions to British society-the theme of this years awareness campaign. We will be hosting “Lunch and Learn” sessions, sharing the stories of some exceptional women who have made incredible contributions to Britain, celebrating their achievements and linking to further research to develop frontline team members understanding of this important topic. The team are strongly encouraged to take some time to read and discuss these women within the workplace and consider their own understanding of the black experience and their knowledge of structural racism.
We encourage others to do the same, and to help you get started, share with you some of the inspirational black women we are learning about:
Nadifa Mohamed.
Nadifa Mohamed. A Somali-British novelist, born 1981, and was listed in the Granta Magazine’s “Best of Young British Novelists” in 2013 and the Africa39 in 2014 – a list of talented writers under 40 likely to influence trends in African literature. Nadifa Mohamed is featured on our Black History Month list of Black Heroines as a powerful example of Black Womyn Writers who are engaging, informing, and shaping opinion on Black History and the impact of Britain and the West on Africa, African people, and the British African Diaspora.
Pawlet Brookes
Pawlet Brookes is the Founder, CEO, and Artistic Director of the Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage. Known internationally for her contributions and leadership in the arts and cultural heritage, she is a recipient of an MBE for her work.
Since founding the organisation in 2010, Pawlet has steered Serendipity’s mission, to integrate African and African Caribbean Diaspora perspectives into cultural experiences, and make them accessible to all. Serendipity’s programs include the pioneering dance festival, ‘Let’s Dance International Frontiers,’ ‘Black History Month Leicester,’ and the ‘Annual Windrush Day Lecture’. Under Pawlet’s leadership, Serendipity has gained international recognition as a catalyst for promoting African and African Caribbean dance, arts, and cultural heritage, along with producing a host of conferences and publications.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has recently awarded Serendipity a substantial grant to develop the regional ‘Unearthed: Forgotten Histories’ project and a living archive dedicated to documenting and celebrating Black Arts and Culture.
Prior to her role at Serendipity, Pawlet Brookes held positions as CEO of Rich Mix in London and Artistic Director of the Peepul Centre in Leicester. In these roles, she has curated and showcased a diverse array of artists and arts organisations from the UK and abroad, changing the landscape of arts and heritage to reflect the lives, experiences, and accomplishments of Black Britons.
Pawlet Brookes is featured in our Black History Month list of Black Heroines as an example of Black Womyn who are helping to decolonise and retell history through the Black experience. She brings celebration and awareness to the cultural and artistic diversity of African diaspora worldwide.
Why not read more about the Living Archives and browse Serendipity’s online collections?
Beverley Tarka
Beverley Tarka is the first Black president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADSASS). She achieved this position in early 2023, after a thirty-year career as a social worker. Since her appointment Beverley has been keen to talk about how her new job and position as role model is important for young Black social workers and progressing diversity in Social Services.
“If you see black women in leadership, you believe you can achieve that too.” Beverely Tarka
Beverley has dedicated a significant portion of her professional life to assisting adults with learning disabilities. This commitment stemmed from her personal journey, as her career was deeply influenced by her role as a caregiver for her brother. She was working in the agricultural industry in Nigeria, when her mother fell ill. Upon returning home to support her mother, she found herself in the informal caring role for her brother, inspiring her choice to retrain in social care. This personal experience has also influenced her priority as President; increasing support for carers and the social care sector.
“I firmly believe that social care is about fighting for social justice, for equality, saving and improving lives. It is about human kindness. The people who work in social care are courageous, committed, empowering and they give people hope.” Beverley Tarka
With Beverley’s leadership, ADASS plan to take a case to the Government to invest in, reform and support the wider social care system. Not an insignificant task given recent and long-standing challenges of austerity, pandemic, cost of living crisis, and a social care sector in a perpetual state of burnout. Speaking to these challenges, she stated “It’s daunting – but exciting at the same time… social care touches all our lives… and I’m not sure we’re doing enough to articulate [that].” Beverley wants greater investment to ensure the wellbeing and mental health of our caring workforce is well looked after, as they are pivotal in providing the quality care that’s needed to see us out of these crises.
Beverley Tarka is featured in our Black History Month list of Black Heroines as an example of Black Womyn senior leaders who are changing the face of our society through passion and tangible action. She is committed to providing support and security to those most vulnerable in our society.
Charisse Beaumont
Charisse Beaumont, like many young Black women musicians, started out in her career being hit with roadblock after roadblock in getting recognised, despite being hugely musically talented. She realised very quickly that women that look like her are not given a shot and are not afforded the same opportunities as White people, especially White men in the music industry. But instead of giving up, she became determined to make her own opportunities and open the doors to other Black musicians and change the industry from within.
At a young age, Charisse started her own successful record label and management company called Preacher Boy at age 23. From there she has come leaps and bounds, becoming a very influential figure in the music industry with the help of Black women mentors, while mentoring young artists herself. Now, Charisse is the CEO of Black Lives in Music (BliM) a research and consultancy business that seeks to provide data highlighting the challenges that Black musicians face in entering and succeeding in the music industry.
She continues to fight for underrepresented and excluded populations; BLiM is currently working on how Black people with disability or neurodiversity experience navigating the industry, which is a significant gap in understanding but promises to help make necessary changes towards inclusivity.
Charisse Beaumont is featured on our Black History Month list of Black Heroines as an example of Black Womyn Musicians who are still fighting to have their voices heard in an industry largely dominated by white men. She was recently featured in Music Week’s Women in Music Roll of Honour (2022) for her contributions supporting young Black artists.
Why not go to the BLiM website and read what they are doing or find a young Black British woman musician to listen to and support?
Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock became interested in astronomy and space when she was a little, after watching ‘Star Trek’ and being fascinated with their space exploration. That interest only grew as she did, which led her to develop her career as a space scientist, science communicator and educator.
Maggie started her journey by studying physics and then completing a mechanical engineering PhD, focussing on new techniques to image space craft components, which were later applied to telescope design. This led her to work in the aerospace industry, designing instruments for space missions. However, her passion was in inspiring young people to take up a career in STEM, so transitioned to education and communication.
Dr. Aderin-Pocock is now best known for being a documentary presenter and has appeared in “The Sky at Night,” “Stargazing Live” and “Horizon”. She is also an accomplished author, having published several educational books on stars and the solar system for children and adults.
On top of these accomplishments, Maggie is also a staunch advocate of diversity and inclusion, especially in STEM industries, that can be predominantly male and predominantly white. She has spoken out about her own experiences in the field of space science as a Black Woman, and champions young people from diverse backgrounds to take up STEM careers.
“Diversity is not just about ethnicity, it’s also about diversity of thought and experience. When we have a diverse group of people working together, we come up with more creative solutions.” Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock is featured on our Black History Month list of Black Heroines as an example of Black Womyn STEM role model for aspiring young scientists, technologists, mathematicians, and engineers. She continues to fight for diversity and uses her power to shift the needle towards a more inclusive society for Black womyn and girls.
Why not read online about Maggie’s life and accomplishments, which include being awarded an MBE, being named one of the UK’s top 100 most powerful women by the BBC, and being immortalised in Barbie form by Mattel?
Black History Month 2022
Please note: The following piece was written in October 2022.
At Tyneside and Northumberland Mind we are celebrating Black History Month. This year’s theme is ‘Action, Not Words’. As I sit and write this article, the irony of what I’m doing is not lost on me! That said, words are important. The words we use, the way we use them, all have meaning – hidden or otherwise. It is an important fact, to accept, so that as allies we can dismantle the structural racism and Race-based oppression that harms so many people in the UK. Racism infiltrates words but also actions, or inactions. As a mental health charity, we know that racism in all forms is the root cause of racial trauma and a contributing factor to Black People and People of Colour experiencing mental ill-health when minoritised in White-majority (and other) societies.
Race, Racism & Minoritisation
Race is a manufactured (false) social structure of identification in White-majority (and other) societies based on someone’s origin and/or skin-colour. The hierarchy of Race places White People at the top as superior to Black People at the bottom, with People of Colour in the middle. An explicit or implicit belief in this system produces racist words and racist actions, whether intended or not. Black People and People of Colour are the global majority but are racialised (defined by a ‘Race’) and placed in a minority (minoritised) by White-majority (and other) societies.
Words can harm but they can also enlighten and embolden. We want to use our words to educate and empower people to create lasting change. As an anti-prejudice and anti-racist organisation, we recognise that we are part of the problem. We know that racism exists, in our organisation, in our services, in our society, and we vow to do better. Our mission is to facilitate and advocate for the excluded voices of people with lived experiences, by using our privilege and sharing our power.
So, this Black History Month we want to highlight the voices of people who talk openly and honestly about their experiences of racism, racial trauma and mental health. Why? Because to truly enact change we need to understand people’s experiences, to have empathy and feel what it might feel like to be excluded. Or to see that other people feel the same as you – you are not alone. We see you. (Please reach out if you need support.)
And in the words of Catherine Ross, Editor at Black History Month:
“Black people are often given the double burden of experiencing racism and discrimination, and then being expected to fix it. Hopefully, by making the theme…Time for Change: Action Not Words’ we can come together to make a change for the better.” Catherine Ross, Editor at Black History Month
So, if you want to take action today, click on one of the links below to learn more about Black History or individual people’s personal history with Blackness, racialisation and racism. Share this article or the links below with others. Start bold conversations and think about how you dear reader can make changes in yourself, in your family, in your workplace, and beyond. Because if not you then who, and if not now then when?
Contribute to our DE&I and Lived Experience work: dei@tynesidemind.org.uk
As an organisation TN Mind are committed to raising awareness of the multitude of unique and diverse lives of people in the UK. We want to reduce the barriers for individuals and communities to access mental health and wellbeing services, especially for those with minoritised identities, while (hopefully) contributing to the discussion on social justice in our society. Therefore, it is important to write pieces such as this, to educate and familiarise everyone with the various aspects of other people’s lives and to celebrate these differences in positive, productive ways. The author of this piece is White British but spent time in religious institutions and countries that were not White-majority and experienced being racialised and minoritised. However, this is not at all comparable to the experiences of Black People and People of Colour in the UK. Therefore, although we wanted to highlight the experiences of Black People with this article, we have not had any direct contribution from anyone who is racialised as Black. Going forward, we want to provide opportunities for people to share their stories, write pieces that are important to them, and raise awareness of issues that may not get much attention. If you want to take part – by writing an article, making a suggestion, posting a comment in the next newsletter, or contributing in another way – please email dei@tynesidemind.org.uk.
