Charity’s programme includes conversations, conferences and comedy
THE North West Migrants Forum is preparing for its busiest ever Black History Month.
Traditionally the Forum holds a number of small local events in October prior to its flagship Black History Summit showcase at the end of the month.
But this year the Forum has decided to cast its net wider with a programme that will hopefully appeal to everyone with an interest in current affairs, social justice and critical discussion.
Throughout the month the Migrants Forum will be visiting schools across Northern Ireland, delivering workshops on Black history and anti-racism.
The Forum will also continue its highly successful ‘Discussion Circle’ series. Created as part of the Intercultural Cross-border Inclusion Programme funded through PEACEPLUS, Discussion Circles have already been held in community venues across Derry and Belfast. Dates and venues for October’s conversations are expected to be finalised in the next two weeks.
A conference titled ‘From Commitment to Action: Building Fairer and More Inclusive Public Institutions’ is being organised for October 22. While the venue is still under discussion, this promises to be an engaging afternoon of dialogue and debate.
The following day, October 23, sees two events taking place – our annual Black History Summit followed by an ‘Honouring Our Communities’ gala evening in Stormont.
On October 28 things take a distinctly humorous turn when Haitian-born comedian Tanael Joachim steps into the spotlight at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, supported by local boxer-turned-comedian Tommy McCarthy.
Also, throughout October the North West Migrants Forum’s ‘Black Heritage in NI: Hidden History’ exhibition will be on display in Belfast Central Library.
These are just some of the events confirmed so far, with more to be added in the weeks ahead.
Aynaz Zarif is Manager of the Black Heritage in NI: Hidden History project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
She said it was going to be an exciting, if somewhat hectic, four weeks.
“We are delighted to be organising such a variety of events. When we sat down to discuss how we wanted to mark Black History Month 2026, we agreed there needed to be something for everyone.
“And so far we feel we have achieved that through the organisation of school discussions, a conference, a networking event and a comedy show.
“The programme as it stands is already busy but there is much more to be announced, we are just finalising the details on a few things before we go public with them.
“I would urge people to keep an eye on our website and our social media platforms because some of the speakers we are lining up, you won’t want to miss them.”
Updates on Black History Month 2026 will be posted on www.nwmf.org.uk and hiddenhistory.org.uk as well as all major social media sites.
