The University of Lincoln Students’ Union (SU) has officially launched its Black History Month- with the union’s president praising a ‘phenomenal’ start to the celebrations.
Events began yesterday with a panel discussion on the perception of black history in the twenty-first century.
The discussion was attended by over 80 people and was hosted by SU President Kudzai Muzangaza, who told The Linc that his work on the celebrations is about ‘doing what he was elected to do’.
He said: “There were celebrations prior to this but they were predominantly spearheaded by the African Caribbean Society.”
“I personally came under a barrage of criticism last year as to why the SU weren’t doing anything for Black History Month, so we wanted to really make sure that we were representing those under-represented groups at the University of Lincoln.”
Black History Month was first celebrated in the United States in 1970, before coming to the United Kingdom 17 years later, and has since become an internationally recognised celebration of significant people and events in black history.
Law student Shade Barker, who served as the Vice-President of the African Caribbean Society last year, said: “We really pushed to have a Black History Month so when I walked in today, I was really impressed. Every year we have a bigger black community in Lincoln and we need to reflect that.”
Throughout October, the SU will be hosting a variety of events with highlights including the screening of eight films exploring black history at the Wildwood Cinema in Lincoln, and a trip to Trafalgar Square to join a national ‘Africa on the Square’ event.
“We’ve been preparing since mid-July, but I think we’ve now got something quite solid for us to start with and give us a good basis to carry on doing things like this,” said Mr Muzangaza.
Controversy has been caused ahead of this year’s celebrations by the decision of some councils and organisations to drop Black History Month in favour of a more general ‘Diversity Month’.
But when asked whether he was proud to be spearheading Black History Month celebrations for the first time at the SU, Mr Muzangaza replied that the event ‘isn’t about me’.
He said: “In essence I am doing what I’ve been elected to do, it’s nothing to do with me, it’s about what the student body wants and that is the most important thing.”
More information on all upcoming events throughout the month can be found on the University of Lincoln Students’ Union’s website.
Additional reporting by Bethany Lee.