ABOUT
Southampton formally recognised Black History Month in 2005 through the work of Don John and Jayanti Shah MBE, the founding members, and is now established as one of the city’s most recognised cultural events.
Although there was some consciousness of Black History Month in the city, it was not until 2005 that Southampton formally recognised Black History Month. The first task was to plant the idea into the psyche of the city; and a very basic acknowledgement was contrived.
The celebration took the form of a ceremony at Southampton City Council with the Mayor present, and a performance by steel band from Weston Park and an audience from other local schools. A number of other special guests were also invited and the seed was planted.
Special thanks to Ranjeev Kumar Pathak who assisted us in the early years.
Information about past launches, from the very first in 2005 up until 2013 can be found in our 2014 magazine.