Morley College London Celebrates Black History Month   

Black History Month honours the invaluable contributions and innovations black people have made in the UK and globally.    At Morley College London we proudly celebrate Black History Month through a programme of art, performance, talks and events.  Here are some highlights at Morley this October not to be missed!    

Morley Gallery ‘Generations Future and Visions’ 

A showpiece exhibition at Morley Gallery runs from 3rd October – 24th October- an intergenerational exhibition of six west London artists of the African Caribbean diaspora, connecting artists, artworks, and life journeys. The youngest in their mid-twenties, the eldest almost 80, they present paintings, prints, photography, video, collage and digital works.  At the midpoint, the artists will inhabit two spaces at once, inviting their local community for a talk at the brand new sister gallery in North Kensington. Featuring Armet Francis, Colin Nichols, Junior Tomlin, Ron Best, Sion Sylvester and Tobias Laurent Belson. 

Penny Lecture: One face, two face, red face, blue face? Mixed heritage and becoming an author, with Joseph Diwakar 

Last year’s Morley Prizewinner for Unpublished Authors of Colour, Joseph Diwakar,  discusses what it means to create and seek a voice in the British book industry as a young person of mixed ethnic heritage in his Penny Lecture on October 10th . 

Black History Month interview with Travis Jay

Morley College is proud to celebrate alumnus Travis Jay, who has taken a major step in his acting career by landing a part in Netflix’s hit show ‘Supacell’ set in South London.  Travis Jay, who attended Morley in 2019,  features in the new hit TV series “Supacell”.  Supacell’s Shocking Ending and the Buildup to an Epic Battle – Netflix Tudum.  In October we’ll release our exclusive interview with Travis, actor and comedian, about appearing in Supacell and his acting career.  

Morley Radio podcasts

To celebrate Black History Month, Morley Radio has curated a rich mix of Morley podcasts and shows from the past years. Tune in this month for a new Morley Prize Podcast and live shows. 

Dance student Esme Henry tells her fascinating story to the Morley Radio Student Stories Podcast.   Esme enrolled at Morley thirty years ago on a cookery course and loved the classes. Her passion for learning was recognised with a Morley Student of the Year Award and she was later hired by Morley to support the course. For the past decade she has attended the Dance Stretch class. Esme says “I’ve always enjoyed coming to Morley.  We do all different types of dance….The class can be hard at first,  but you get used to the steps as the class goes on. The whole point in coming is to learn! I enjoy everything about the class – and I’ll carry on doing it for as long as I am able to! ”      

Commenting on Morley’s Black History Month programme,   Alison McNamara,  Chief People Officer said:   “As co-chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion steering group, I’m delighted that Morley is celebrating Black History Month once again. One of the joys of working at Morley is the diversity of our staff and students, and the richness of the experience they help us create for all. I look forward to attending this year’s range of Black History Month events.” 

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