Black History Month

Tuesday 1st October marked the beginning of Black History Month at Bourne Academy. Black History Month happens during October every year and its main purpose is to celebrate the achievements of black people from all over the world. In order to help us celebrate this, we looked at a different black figure from history each week in form time and in History lessons.

Week one featured three black women working for NASA in the 1960s; Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan and Katherine Johnson, who were celebrated in the film ‘Hidden Figures’. Week two was the turn of William Cuffay, a former slave turned political activist who campaigned for working men’s right to vote. Josephine Baker, entertainer/French spy in the 1920s, was under the spotlight once again in week three and last, but certainly not least, was John Edmonstone, a former slave turned lecturer who taught taxidermy to Charles Darwin.

Our pupils also had the opportunity to enter a competition to show who they thought was the ‘Greatest Black Briton’. Their task – to investigate forgotten black British figures and create a project that demonstrates one figure who they think should be crowned the ‘Greatest Black Briton’. This was an opportunity for our pupils to celebrate the diversity of history that Britain has to offer and the History Department received some excellent entries. The pupils who entered showed a real passion for History and it was a very tough call on who the winners should be!

1ST PLACE: Zara  
2ND PLACE: Grace 
Honorable mentions:
Alex and Jai 
Sophie