Community leaders to “re-imagine black Britain” at Birmingham conference
A new conference will discuss what it means to be black in Britain today, and how black people can build stronger communities as turbulent political and social changes continue to unfold.
Set up by a collective of organisations for black people, the Re-imagining Black Britain conference will bring together a wide range of speakers, facilitators and performers at Centrala Space, Birmingham, on Saturday, January 27.
The conference will explore what these challenging times mean for the country, black communities in Britain and, in particular, young black women.
Through this event, the organisers – No Fly on the Wall, Sassy Tees, Cultured Lens and We Are Superwoman – aim to challenge oppression and marginalisation “in all its variety and heterogeneity”, and provide attendees with the resources to shape and “re-imagine” the future that they want to see for themselves, and for their community.
This will include:
- Discussion panels exploring identity and Afro-futurism, arts and culture, business and enterprise, and networking and collaboration.
- Workshops to inspire attendees to move “from idea to action”.
Founder of No Fly on the Wall, writer and poet, Siana Bangura, said: “We want to ask the important questions: ‘How can we liberate ourselves through education and decolonised histories? How can we empower each other through starting and supporting black-owned businesses? How can we build as a community, whilst still dissecting our differences and the way those may impact our lived experiences in Britain? What role can the arts play in our liberation? How can we build a meaningful and inclusive movement?’
“We hope to explore and make some headway towards answering these questions and more throughout the day, aiming to be solution-focused at every turn.
“We’d also like to highlight that we have made a conscious decision to hold the conference in Birmingham, rather than London, in the spirit of ‘Re-imagining’. We hope that decentring the capital and bringing our collective energy to a vibrant and upcoming city like Birmingham, which also has a significant population of people of Afro-Caribbean descent, will send a strong message about community building, intersectionality, and new approaches.”
The Re-imagining Black Britain Conference will take place at Centrala Space, Birmingham, from 9:30am on Saturday, January 27. The event will be followed by evening entertainment of music and poetry. Tickets range from £6 to £20.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Re-imagining Black Britain event page.
You can follow the conference team on Twitter at @ImagineBlkBrit.
Image: courtesy of Re-imagining Black Britain