Every year we celebrate Black History Month through a series of pupil-led initiatives to raise awareness and promote dialogue on the importance of Black history. This year’s theme is ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, emphasising the Black community’s role in shaping how their stories are told, how their experiences are acknowledged and how their contributions are celebrated.
How has Bryanston celebrated and acknowledged the initiative?
Inspiring assemblies for senior and prep pupils
At the heart of our celebrations were assemblies designed to engage and educate pupils across the school. Year 11 (B) pupils Bashir G and Tuta H, and Year 13 (A2) pupil Zaynadeen H, led a thought—provoking senior school assembly exploring how reclaiming Black narratives challenges historical erasure. They highlighted the importance of authentic storytelling, to combat harmful stereotypes and misrepresentation and concluded with an overall message – “retelling forgotten black stories allows us to honour and recognise the vital role black people have played throughout history.”
One example they shared was the story of blues music, which they described as the heartbeat of resistance, joy, and expression. They highlighted the impact of Bob Marley who preached unity, peace and rebellion, singing about freedom, justice, and love in a way that crossed borders and oceans. Marley showed the world that music can spark revolutions and change minds, not just fill dance floors. Fast forward to current day, and artists like Stormzy are continuing that legacy of using music as a platform for change. Stormzy didn’t just headline Glastonbury in 2019, he made a statement – a black man from South London, with a bulletproof vest painted by Banksy, taking centre stage at one of the world’s biggest festivals. It was more than a performance; it was reclaiming space. He’s an artist continuing the work that started over a century ago with the blues.
An equally impactful assembly was held at the prep school (pictured above) by Year 10 (C) pupil Georgina N and Year 12 (A3) pupils Elsie W, Teni A and William W. The assembly highlighted influential Black figures and concluded with a moving video of Serena Williams reading Angelou’s iconic poem ‘Still I Rise’.
Recommended reading from Librarian Emma Minter
In conjunction with the assemblies, our Librarian has curated a list of recommended reading, to further encourage the school community to explore Black experiences through the lens of history, culture, and personal narrative. Recommendations include Maya Angelou’s ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, Samuel Selvon’s ‘The Lonely Londoners’, Akala’s ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ and Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’.
Broadening perspectives in the classroom
Black History Month also found its way into our classrooms across different subjects.
In History, Year 9 (D) pupils are studying different interpretations of empire with a focus on the Kingdom of Benin, discussing whether culturally significant artefacts such as the Benin Bronzes should be returned to Nigeria.
In Spanish classes, A Level and IB pupils analysed a song by Black Colombian artist Joe Arroyo, reflecting on the mistreatment of Africans by Spanish colonisers.
EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) Lead Oli Nicholson, commented: “Black History Month gives us the chance to reflect, learn, and most importantly, act.
“Pupil led assemblies are at their most impactful when the speakers authentically relay their passion for the topic. This was undeniably the case in these outstanding presentations. The theme of reclaiming narratives to become more genuinely representative means a lot to our presenters and they inspired their audience too. These were memorable, thought-provoking assemblies that provided crucial historical perspective. As the pupils said on stage: “Black history is everyone’s history.”
