WOKINGHAM Borough Council is celebrating Black History Month with a twist this year.
Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, the council will not be holding its usual exhibition at its Shute End offices. Instead, it is hosting the exhibition online – and began doing so last Thursday.
The online presentation showcases a variety of themes, including the contributions Black, minority ethnic (BME) medical staff have made to the NHS, and the five million soldiers from Black and Asian communities who fought for Britain during the world wars.
Cllr Parry Batth, executive member for environment and leisure said: “We started celebrating Wokingham’s Black history in 2004 as part of the borough’s cultural partnership work and then it became Black History Month.
“We’re bitterly disappointed we cannot celebrate it this year in the way we would like.”
The public exhibition also takes an in-depth look at Diwali Festival of Lights celebrating the Hindu New Year, and the UK’s Windrush Generation.
The council has also compiled profiles of a variety of Black authors and has reviewed their works, which can be found on the libraries blog throughout October.
“Public safety must come first,” Cllr Batth continued. “So we’re using this year to take stock and revisit the many achievements of our BME communities, the richness they bring to everyone living in the borough, and their pivotal contributions to our society locally and as a whole.”
Black History Month is marked every year to remember the achievements of Black and minority ethnic people, and to honour their contributions to British society.
It runs until Saturday, October 31.
To explore the exhibition, visit: www.wokingham.gov.uk/council-and-meetings/meetings/black-and-minority-ethnic-forum
