Dr Julius Garvey, renowned surgeon and son of civil rights legend, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, will visit the University this week to speak about the legacy of his father as part of the University’s Black History Month programme.
Dr Garvey will visit Birmingham, and Britain, for the first time as part of his five-day UK tour to pay tribute to his father, who is Jamaica’s First National hero and was a 20th Century civil rights legend who died in 1940. The lecture entitled ‘Youth, Education and Garveyism’ will take place at the Edgbaston campus on Wednesday 2 October as part of his tour of lectures, school visits and community events focussing on education and culture and young people.
Now in its third year, Black History Month at the University commemorates the national celebration of the ways in which the contributions of black people have shaped Britain’s history. The programme of events has been created in cooperation with national centre for Black British arts and culture, The Drum, Birmingham Ethnic Minorities Association and the Guild of Students to present a diverse schedule of events, exhibitions and, new addition for 2013, the Scholarship of Blackness blog.
The programme will also see an unusual handover ceremony of Maori remains held by the University to New Zealand Te Papa visitors and dedicated seminars on the project.
Professor Ian Grosvenor, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Cultural Engagement said: ‘Black History Month is an important time for us as a campus to reflect on the ways in which the history, art, culture and science of the African Diaspora have shaped the fabric of British society. Moreover, BHM presents a focused opportunity in which to engage Birmingham’s diverse communities with the University’s resources.
‘Catherine Hall, in [her book] Civilising Subjects, uses Birmingham as a case study to demonstrate the interconnected histories of England and the Caribbean. To not celebrate Black History Month would be to ignore an important part of the City’s history’
To launch Black History Month, the University will host a panel debate on the theme ‘What is the Future for Black History Month?’ bringing together experts from Birmingham’s black community to consider how Black History Month has been celebrated in the UK and explore its past, present and future. Panellists include Izzy Mohammed, Cultural Sector Practitioner, Library of Birmingham and Rita McLean, museums and heritage consultant. The session will be chaired by Dr Paul Warmington, Deputy Director for Centre for Research into Race and Education, University of Birmingham.
The full programme of events can be found on the Black History Month events page
For media enquiries, please contact Samantha Williams, University of Birmingham Press Office, +44 (0)121 414 6029