It's nearing the end of October.
See out Black History Month in style by taking part in our long weekend...

Saturday 28th October, 10pm til late: 'Soul Train' The Black History Month Benefit Party
Venue: SUMO, 9-12 Middle Street, Brighton
Price: £5 - free rum punch to everyone arriving b4 12pm, free BHM T-shirts to 1st 20 people

Sunday 29th October, 2pm - 6pm: Momma Cherri's Gospel Brunch
Venue: Momma Cherri's Big House
Price: £7 / £5 including Brunch Buffet

Monday 30th October, 8pm: Conversations with Jean 'Binta' Breeze
Venue: The Old Market, Hove
Price: £10 / £8

Combined ticket for Momma Cherri's Gospel Brunch and Conversations with Jean 'Binta' Breeze will be on sale on Sunday 29th October for £15.

For more information read the most recent entries on this website or contact us.

Be there!

Special offer! 'Momma Cherri's Gospel Brunch' and Conversations with Jean 'Binta' Breeze' Combined Ticket for £15

'Momma Cherri's Gospel Brunch'

Date and Time: Sunday 29th October from 2pm until 6pm.
Venue: Momma Cherri's Big House, Little East St., Brighton.
Tickets: £7 for adults, £5 for children. Includes Brunch buffet.


After Momma Cherri’s Soul Food Shack was featured on Gordon Ramsay’s TV series last year, Charita Jones (aka Momma Cherri) has become a regular TV chef. So many people wanted to come and sample her home cooked goodness that she has had to move to a bigger place: Momma Cherri’s Big House, 2-3 Little East Street. Come and meet Momma Cherri and experience her warm personality and hospitality at the first Gospel Brunch in Brighton!

There will be an interactive presentation on Slave Cuisine by Peggy Brunache, PhD student from the Center for African and African American Studies, University of Texas at Austin. Following this Momma Cherri will give us her live cookery demonstration and tell us the story of her journey from the United States to Brighton. The afternoon will close with a Gospel sing-a-long accompanied by live music.

Conversations with Jean 'Binta' Breeze

Date and Time: Monday 30th October from 8pm.
Venue: The Old Market, Hove.
Tickets: £10 for adults, £8 concessions.

Jean 'Binta' Breeze is a renowned Jamaican dub poet and storyteller. However as an actress, dancer, choreographer & theatrical director - Jean brings all of her artistic experience to bear on her work as a poet. She has a striking stage presence - generating all the power & excitement of a full-blown theatrical performance.

The Fifth Figure, Jean's fifth book, is a sequence poetry and prose which chronicles the lives of five generations of Caribbean and Black British women of mixed ancestry.

This event is kindly supported by GScene Magazine.

Tickets for both events will be on sale at Momma Cherri's Gospel Brunch on Sunday 29th October for £15.

Printable Programme of Events for Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove

Please click on image below to enlarge.


Forthcoming events in the next few days:

Tues 24 Oct, 6pm: BHM Film Night 'Handsworth Songs' with Q&A with Director John Akomfrah
Venue: Jubilee Library, Brighton
Entrance: Free
Organisers: Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove

Wed 25 Oct, 6pm: Games Night
Venue: Jamaica Inn, Brighton
Entrance: Free
Organisers: Justice for Afrikan History

Thu 26 Oct, 5.30pm: Food Night
Venue: Friends Meeting House, Brighton
Entrance: Free
Organisers: African, Caribbean and Asian Society (ACAS)

Sat 28 Oct, 10pm: Black History Month Benefit Party
Venue: Sumo, Middle Street, Brighton
Entrance: £5
Organisers: Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove

Sun 29 Oct, 2pm: Momma Cherri's Gospel Brunch
Venue: Momma Cherri's Big House, Little East Street, Brighton
Entrance: £7 / £5
Organisers: Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove

Mon 30 Oct, 5.30pm: History of Pan Africanism
Venue: Brighthelm Centre
Entrance: free
Organisers: Justice for Afrikan History

Mon 30 Oct, 8pm: Conversations with Jean 'Binta' Breeze
Venue: The Old Market
Entrance: £10 / £8
Organisers: Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove

Please contact us to request a copy of the Souvenir Programme with full details of events and venues.

BHM 2006 in Brighton & Hove Schools: Today we are 'Coming to England'!

This morning, Floella Benjamin is in Brighton talking to local school children about her experiences of 'Coming to England'

Floella Benjamin is a major figure in Britain's television history. Presenter of such TV classics as Playschool and Playaway, she has been a household name since the 1970s. ‘Coming to England’ is a film adaptation of her autobiography, charting her journey from Trinidad to Britain in the 1960s. It is an inspiring story of how she adjusted to her new life and surroundings with the spirit and good humour for which she is known.

Floella Benjamin will be present at the screening and will lead a discussion of the film immediately afterwards.

The book Coming to England is National Literacy Strategy recommended reading for year 6, and this screening provides a fantastic opportunity to consolidate or begin work around the book. The National Film Theatre (NFT) has produced a pack containing classroom activities designed to explore geography, PSHE and citizenship, as well as history and English. The NFT has agreed to provide this pack for schools attending this event.

• Key Stage: Key Stage 2
• Subject: Literacy

Children and teachers from Middle Street Primary School, Carlton Hill Primary School, Elm Grove Primary School and St. Paul’s Church of England Primary School will be in attendance.

Photos from the Opening Event: Sunday 1st October 2006









Photos courtesy of Bert Williams (thank you!)

Did you know?
On this day in 1862 Abraham Lincoln declared the freedom of all slaves? This is how The Guardian reported the news.

Over twenty people attended the screening of 'Pressure' and participated in the post film discussion on Wednesday night. There was lively debate and plenty of interest shown in the planned screening of 'Burning an Illusion' which will be next Wednesday evening (from 6pm) in the Millwood Centre (between Kingswood and Milner Flats on Kingswood Street). This event will also include an opportunity for discussion with the director Menelik Shabazz. More about that on this site soon.
Tomorrow morning will the the first of two Black Brighton tours on Bert's Bus. This one on Saturday will be for BME Elders, in honour of their contribution to our community. The tour will start at 11am from Goa, Spice of Life (4-5 Richmond Parade, Brighton - near St. Peter's Church). Anyone wishing to attend needs to reserve a place at the Black History office (01273 234835) and then be at Goa by 10.30am. Following the tour, refreshments will be provided at Goa and participants will be able to view Bert's exhibition inside the restaurant. See y'all there!

Over 50 people attended the launch of Zindika Black Books Group last night. Everyone present enjoyed the fascinating talk given by Joshua Kwesi Aikins - 'Keepin' it Real' Black Cultural Symbols in Music and Literature.
The food, provided by Jolloff Bites, was delicious. The whole event was over all too soon. The next time Zindika meets they will be discussing 'The Fire Next Time' by James Baldwin. If you would like to know more about Zindika contact us.

This evening will be the first in a series of film screenings for Black History Month. 'Pressure', released in 1975, is about a British-born teenage, whose attempts to fit in backfire as he is forced to see and react to the effects of racism. This is showing in the Jubilee Library, Jubilee Street, Brighton from 6pm. The screening is free and all are welcome.

The BME Business Cocktail Party last night was a big success. Many thanks again to our local Black historian, Bert Williams, for taking some fantastic pictures. If you attended the party and would like to see photographs please contact us to have them sent to you by email. The contacts list is being complied as you read and will be emailed to everyone who provided their email address. Many thanks again to Sussex Enterprise for their sponsorship of the event.

Tonight will be the launch of the Zindika Black Books Group. This is taking place in Jubilee Library from 6pm. Refreshments will be provided by Bisi of Jolloff Bites, the very same who provided the catering for the launch event on Sunday. Joshua Kwesi Aikins will provide the keynote talk on Black cultural symbols in literature and music.

All are welcome!

Finally it's October again! As in previous years, in Brighton & Hove we will be highlighting, celebrating and commemorating the achievements of Black individuals and communities throughout the month. This year's programme of events aims to explore the historical emigration of African, African-Caribbean and other Minority Ethnic people, as well as the impact that these journeys have had on the Britain we live in today.

We hope everyone who attend events during the month will not only enjoy themselves but take away something new and be inspired to continue learning about achievements of Britain's Black communities throughout the rest of the year, always bearing in mind that:

Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, 1926

Kind Regards,
Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove

Today is the day! The Opening Event of Black History Month 2006 in Brighton & Hove:
Sunday 1st October 2006, 2pm - 7pm
Jubilee Library, Jubilee Street, Brighton

Scroll right down to the bottom of the page to see the calendar for the whole month.

Please click on image below to see the official invitation