On Saturday, October 26th, Queen’s Park residents came together to culminate a month of Black History celebration, exploration, and storytelling with a spectacular Gala!
This year’s BHM theme was ‘Reclaiming Narratives’, and our film series across September, October, and November gave the Queen’s Park Community a chance to explore essential but often overlooked stories of the Black experience, especially of Black British experience and culture. We laughed along with Anthony Simmons’ story of ‘Black Joy’ and felt the rollercoaster of music, joy, anger and pain in Franco Rossos’ ‘Babylon’.
Jill: “Thank you, QPCC, and everyone involved for a top night out at our lovely Community Centre. We saw the film Babylon when it first came out, and it was brilliant to see it again… We arrived in London in 1980, the year the film came out. It was powerful to be reminded of what London looked like in those days and how the landscape has changed.”
We celebrated the end of October with a beautiful night of food, stories, and music at our annual gala, which celebrated Black culture and history! Our Councillor and other volunteers prepared a fabulous three-course meal. We enjoyed music from the fantastic Amaris Band and stories and poetry from Monnett Alison and Julie Issacs, set against our recreation of a nostalgic Carribean living room. Almost 80 guests danced the night away – a truly great celebration of culture and community in the heart of Queen’s Park!
Roger: This Gala was the most enjoyable BHM event I’ve ever attended – the Queen’s Park Community Council team executed it to perfection! Food & drink was amazing and plentiful. The band was superb. It was an excellent atmosphere for over 50S and those who had to be home by 10 pm! Every reggae tune was a gem. By the last song, we were all on our feet dancing – yes, even me!”
Thank you to everyone who made our events and Gala night possible: The New Black Film Collective, Film Hub London, The BFI, The Roger Diamond Foundation, Westminster City Council’s and the A2 Dominion BHM 365 fund, as well as the volunteers and Councillors, helped everything happen!
Extra special thanks to the QPCC’s Black History Month Steering Group: residents and volunteers Peppe Duncan, Julie Issacs and Sarah Coker and Councillors Samantha Alleyne, Sandra Bynoe and Roger Diamond.
