Black History Month in St James

October is Black History Month, and St James is the home of the Northamptonshire Black History Association.

Black History Month has been celebrated nationwide for more than 30 years and was founded to recognise the contributions African and Caribbean people have made to the UK, however Black History Month has now expanded to include the history of all black people.

In Northamptonshire black history goes back over 800 years with settler communities from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean growing strongly in Northamptonshire during the second half of the twentieth century.

The Northamptonshire Black History Association was legally registered as a company in October 2005, with the goal ‘to promote education in relation to Black History.’ The project was the first major attempt outside of big cities to put Black British History on the map.

In 2006 they launched a new project called ‘The Future Education Project’ which aimed to educate school children and the general public about Northamptonshire Black History. They have also partnered with the University of Northampton where they helped to develop four Black History evening courses for students.

The association developed from a volunteer-led community project, and it is their aim to ensure the organisation works with and for the local community. You can find out more at northamptonshireblackhistory.org