Black History Month 2023
Vauxhall Primary School celebrated Black History Month, with a focus on 'She-roes' - 'Celebrating our Sisters, Saluting our Sisters, and Honouring Matriarchs of Movements'. It was aimed at honouring all the remarkable Black women who have made and are still making a difference in our society.
We launched the month with an assembly that provided a taster into some of the topics and people we would be learning about . These included Faith Ringgold, Malala Yousafazi and Olive Morris. The work the children produced throughout the term was outstanding! A few children from each class showcased their work in a whole school assembly and it was clear that, as a school, we engaged with this unit of work brilliantly. Here are some of the pieces that were presented:
Year 1 presented their mind maps of women who inspire them.
Year 2 were inspired by Faith Ringgold’s artistic style to create mosaics that represent their own cultures using bright colours and showing an abundance of creativity!
Year 3 wrote a powerful class poem that explored the meaning of justice and injustice - this was inspired by the injustice experienced by Olive Morris in Brixton.
Justice is good and bad, it doesn’t matter how you got it,
Justice will always find you,
Justice is when you are treated fairly, whether it is good or not,
Justice is what is right for the world,
Injustice is racism and treating people unfairly,
Justice is good or bad and what is right,
Justice can affect us all,
Justice is a necessary in a society,
Justice is respecting everyone’s rights,
Justice is people have got what they deserve, either good or bad,
Justice is fighting for others,
Justice is joyful, thoughtful and nice,
Justice is fair. We need it.
Year 4 presented their wonderful fabric mosaic that was inspired by Faith Ringgold’s artistic style of telling stories with her art to express how their own cultures have affected the stories of their lives so far.
Year 5 showcased a thoroughly researched poster about Mae Jamison who never gave up and went on to become the first black female to go into outer space - we are capable of breaking down any barriers!
Year 6 showcased a holistic overview of the topic, creating a wonderful acrostic poem describing what it means to be a 'Sheroe'. Their posters with slogans that inspired them to be proud of where they come from was the perfect way to end our assembly.
At Vauxhall primary School we focus on celebrating the accomplishments and culture of Black people all year round with several events held throughout the year, including our 'Black History Breakfast Club'. During this event we enjoyed fruits from all the Caribbean and countries in Africa (mangoes, avocado, papaya, watermelon and dates). We learnt about the history of the fruits, how they first arrived in Britain, the reception they got and finally ranked them. Pupils discussed the many everyday fruits that are imported into Britain and have become part of our everyday life.