Black History Month is celebrated in October every year. This year’s event was “Reclaiming Narratives,” which aimed to illuminate the lost, marginalised, or misunderstood stories of black communities. Likewise held a Black History Celebration event to recognise and celebrate Black History Month.

Becky Samuels, Recovery Navigator and EDI Champion explained that the event aimed to “highlight the rich, vibrant, and varied culture of our black community and the lives and experiences of the global majority. So much of non-POC knowledge of the black experience is through the lens of trauma. We wanted to celebrate the things that make us proud of our heritage and culture – and invite discussion and curiosity.”

The Celebration Event was a brilliant day of learning, sharing stories and coming together for both staff and clients. Highlights included spoken poetry from Becky Samuels and poet Zara Makinta, Afro Beats dancing which got everyone on their feet and folk tales from Project 6’s Michael Onwukwe. The host for the day was Group Worker, Naomi Azeez, who led a discussion on identity and heritage.

Staff also took part in various events alongside Black History Month, Becky Samuels gave an incredibly informative and powerful presentation on the Contribution of the Windrush Generation for staff across Waythrough, as part of the Learning Lunch series. The presentation explored how migration has shaped her family history and looked at migration and racism today. Staff also took part in a cultural food day, where a few members of staff bought food for staff to try.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in Likewise Recovery Hub – our clients for getting involved, our special guests who contributed to our Black History Month Celebration, and lastly our Black History Month event organisers, who worked incredibly over many months to deliver this event.