Lancaster University events to mark Black History Month

Lancaster University has announced a series of public events to mark Black History Month.

The university library will host events and activities which are open to members of the public including ‘Decolonising Lancaster’ and ‘Why Is My Curriculum White?’ 

Events will include a display documenting Lancaster University Student Union’s participation in the global campaign against Apartheid, when they successfully campaigned to have the library café re-named the Nelson Mandela Coffee Bar.

The event is called ‘Coffee Bar Victory!’ The Library Coffee Bar and the anti-apartheid movement in the 1980’s’ and there will also be a display of books celebrating black lived experience and allyship.  

Events in the library’s new Events and Exhibition Space include talks and panel discussions highlighting how Lancaster’s past connects with histories of people from around the world, and how knowledge of the past is helping to effect change in the present, especially in relation to anti-racism and decolonising the curriculum. 

These include:

Glocal Perspectives: Library Collection and Lancaster History Tour - Monday October 10, noon to 2pm (booking required) 

Decolonising Higher Education.  What’s in it for us? What do we have to lose? - Wednesday October 12, 2pm – 3.30pm

Facing our past, transforming our future: reframing Lancaster’s history panel event – Thursday October 27, 6pm-7.15pm (Join online or in-person)

“Our university library is a library for all our communities - we have recently launched a community card to provide free access to our print book collections and increasingly events and exhibitions are central to our activities,"said Andrew Barker, library director.

"Although we celebrate black history throughout the year, we all look forward to Black History Month, a cornerstone in our events and exhibitions calendar. It gives us an opportunity to formally recognise black history and to work in partnership with our students and staff to celebrate that history and to reflect on the present and the future to ensure a library that provides a welcome to all our community.

"I hope people can join us at an event or make use of our collections as we celebrate Black History Month this October”.

For more information on the events listed, and how to join the library as a community member contact library@lancaster.ac.uk