The Bernie Grant Arts Centre has announced its Black History Month and autumn programme, celebrating trailblazers, legacy, and Black creativity. The season spans theatre, family dance, film, and live performance, featuring stories that travel from Brooklyn and Barbados to Liverpool, Zimbabwe, and Tottenham.
Reflecting the values of the late Bernie Grant MP—who championed representation, equality, and social justice—the programme honours figures who refused to be sidelined. Aligning with this year's national Black History Month theme, Honouring Our Communities, the centre continues to serve as a vital gathering space for connection and learning.
Highlights begin with Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed from 9 to 11 October. Ingrid Griffith’s award-winning one-woman show tells the story of the first African American woman to run for US President, with Griffith portraying over a dozen characters.
On 15 and 16 October, family dance theatre production Jade and the Beanstalk reimagine the classic tale through Jade, a neurodivergent girl whose superpower is her imagination. Written by Elizabeth Lahav and directed by ZooNation’s Eli Smith, the hip-hop show blends dance, humour, and animation to explore themes of grief, loss, and hope.
Film and literature take centre stage on 26 October with African Odysseys: Black Liverpool. Academic Professor Stephen Small returns to the UK to launch his book Black Liverpool, featuring rare archive footage, readings, and a live Q&A exploring one of Britain's oldest Black communities.
Music lovers can experience Return of the Rude Boy presents: Vibrations on 27 October, celebrating sound system culture with Mark Professor, Cyndi Handson, and Vanessa Freeman through Jamaican heritage sounds, live vocals, and toasting.
Closing the season on 6 and 7 November, Zimbabwean-born artist Shumba Maasai presents Ancestral Futures presents Daré: A Live Encounter with Sound. Rooted in the Shona concept of communal gathering, this multisensory performance combines spatial audio, scent design, and visuals to explore identity and memory across the African diaspora.
