Celebrating community and culture this Black History Month
Music, creativity and community spirit filled Moseley Hall Hospital as colleagues and volunteers came together to celebrate Black History Month.
Inspired by this year's theme, Honouring our Communities, the event recognised the histories, cultures and the contributions of Black communities and all who help make BCHC a great place to work.
The celebration, which was held today across the lecture theatre and seminar room offered a lively and uplifting day which truly honoured the strength, resilience and cultural richness of our Trust's Black community.
The day offered an uplifting mix of entertainment, recognition awards and opportunities to connect, alongside the joyful sound of live steel pans and energetic dance performances to powerful recognition awards, there was plenty to enjoy throughout the day. Marketplace-style stands gave colleagues the chance to explore Caribbean and African traditional clothing, community art and more, while Violet's restaurant added to the celebrations with a special Black History Month menu.
Finance contracting assistant, Taiwo J (TeeJahy) Adeyemi said:
It's been such a good day. I was a little nervous about hosting, but I'm really grateful that it's been such a successful and incredible event, and proud to be the face of the network. I've had so much fun with everyone, and a special thank you goes to Lana, Hammy Sound (co-chair of the culturally diverse network), Will Hopkins (staff equality network coordinator) and everyone in the network.
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Information governance compliance and privacy officer, Lana Warner said
Today's event has shown how our community comes together - not only as colleagues, but with friends and families too. It's been wonderful to share our community with more colleagues and to work alongside TeeJahy, Will and Hammy. It's been an amazing day.
A special thank you goes to our volunteers and artists who generously shared their time, talents and creative art forms throughout the day:
- DJ, Sweet RnB's Asher Ray
- Elizabeth Clothing who showcased traditional Nigerian clothing
- Caribbean Carnival who showcased carnival outfits from the Caribbean and London
- Swahilla Henna Artistry, who provided colleagues with traditional Mehndi designs
- Better Daily Habits drink
- Fiya, community artist who hosted a cyanotype workshop
- Divinely Guided Jewellery
- Ital Roots, plant base meal preparation
- Higherself Botanicals - Natural oil, skin balm and loose leaf
- GenZ Art in the community - Alfiemcii and Kaysja 'Euphoric State' Wright
- Cultural cuisines who provided a display of recipes and profiles of Black cooks
- Culturally Diverse Network
- BCHC's library who showcased books and resources on Black history and culture
- Black Amor from Barbados
- Equality, diversity and inclusion network and BLACHIR
- BCHC colleagues