BLACK HISTORY MONTH

October every year marks the Black History Month celebration in the UK which is an opportunity to learn about, highlight and celebrate the achievements and contribution of the Black community to the UK. Black History Month first originated in the United States of America and is usually celebrated in February every year. The UK’s first celebration of the month started in October 1987 and was organised through the leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who was working as the Special Projects Officer for the Greater London Council. Now entering its 35th year of celebration in the UK, the theme for this year’s celebration is, “Time for Change: Action not words”, aimed at informing and empowering people to be true allies in the anti-racism movement.

For the Leicestershire community, the 2022 Black History Month celebration marked historical milestones as this year welcomed Councilor George Cole as the first Lord Mayor of African Heritage in the

771 years of existence of the role and Gina Samuel-Richards as the first Black President of the Leicestershire Law Society (LLS) in its 162 years of existence. Gina started off her presidential year with the first event held at Chutney Ivy in Leicester, celebrating Black History Month by taking a look at the Black Community’s Contribution to Law.

The event was well attended with a steel band entertaining the guests. LLS dedicated the evening to those who had made significant contributions to law, such as Dr Harold Moody, Baroness Patricia Scotland, Jamal Jeffers, Velma Ferdinand, Mavis Best, Dame Jocelyn Barrow, Gina Miller and Baroness Doreen Lawrence. Banners placed around the venue provided the reader with further insight into the contributions of each of these remarkable role models with the hope of not only celebrating those contributions but also raising awareness and providing others with inspiration.

A major highlight of the evening was listening to Jamal Jeffers - a barrister and