Black Stories Southampton is a series of true accounts which aim to increase knowledge of the experiences of Black people in the Southampton region. It is hoped that the book’s exploration of the Black presence of individuals will help to create a better understanding of how Black people have played their part in the history of our city. At this event Don will be speaking about the book, the relevance of Black History Month and how all this is relevant to contemporary Black issues in the here and now.
Don John has been working in the field of Race & Diversity for over 40 years. Having spent 10 years in the Treasury in Whitehall he then moved to Southampton to work as a youth and education officer for the Southampton Council for Race Equality working with Black and Asian youth with specific reference to the criminal justice system and racism in the education services. He then moved to the position of the Director of the SCRE. He later secured a position as the lead Diversity officer for Southampton City Council and was involved in developing the city’s diversity policies.
Don was also the founder of Black History Month in Southampton which has now been established as a core event in the city’s calendar and is seen as one of the most progressive in the UK. He has curated successful exhibitions in the city on Afro-Futurism and Blues Parties & Shebeens. Don is also co-author of the companion book ‘The Black History of Southampton 16th Century to 21st Century’ which is a significant reference book charting the presence of Black people in the city for over 500 years.
Register via Eventbrite for instructions to join ZOOM event, and find out more about this hugely important book. This and all October Books online events have closed captions available.
This is a free entry event, but if you’d like to sling October Books a donation, please do.
If you’d like to order ‘Black Stories Southampton’ and/or ‘The Black History Of Southampton’ to collect from the shop (or if you would like any further reading recommendations!) email us at info@octoberbooks.org
Register your interest by getting your free ticket for this author talk, instructions to join will be emailed shortly afterwards. For your security and ours, you cannot attend this talk without registering in advance first.
Thursday 7th October
livestream – 7pm – free entry
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/livestream-black-stories-southampton-by-don-john-tickets-169139046441