On Monday, KS2 enjoyed an energetic and inspiring assembly to celebrate Black History Month led by Big Foot Theatre Company. We were introduced to various significant British Black people who had helped shape our history and perhaps are not as well-known as some of the more famous faces! Did you know that four Roman Emperors were black? Osewe in Year 5 ably took on the role of Lucius Septimius Severus and to our delight Miss Sonenfeld portrayed the figure of the black Tudor musician, John Blanke, supported by Ms Groom as Henry VII. The assembly, and the passion of Adrian Benn, who led it, inspired us all to find out more about these black British historical figures.
After the assembly, Years 5 and 6 took part in workshops. In the drama workshops, we worked in groups, using tableaux to tell the stories of more black British historical figures and significant events. We shared the story of the Bristol Bus Boycott that took place in the 1950s. This was a four-month campaign, which highlighted the fact that black people were not allowed to be employed as bus crews. The boycott was hugely influential in bringing about change – leading to the Race Relations Act in 1965.
