Reflections on Black History Month, the importance of community, and why belonging must be something we experience, not simply something we are told we have.
Yesterday, we held one of our many planned Black History Month events at The SU Bath, in collaboration with our African Caribbean Society (ACS).
The event, Speed Friending, had a simple purpose: to bring people together, create friendships, and build a sense of belonging within our diverse student community.
This was particularly important as many of our students are still settling into university life, navigating a new environment and trying to find their place within it.
And the conversations were everything!
Some were deep, some were light-hearted, and others were about the most random but surprisingly important things.
For example, why is plantain more expensive in Bath than in London? And why, for some inexplicable reason, is it even more expensive in Cardiff?
I am still waiting for someone to explain this to me!
These might seem like trivial conversations, but I think they matter. Because sometimes, community begins with the simplest things. A shared joke, a familiar experience, a conversation about home, or the discovery that someone else understands your reality.
And that was the idea. To create a space where our students could connect, feel seen, and know that they belong.
Finding community through shared experiences
One of my favourite parts of organising events like this is hearing from students afterwards. Sometimes, what we hope an event will achieve and what students actually take away from it can be quite different. But reading through the feedback from Speed Friending reminded me of why creating these spaces matters.
One student shared:
"I met more beautiful people, and I found someone who is from the same area."
Another said:
"Enjoyed meeting people outside of my course, but also from my ethnicity."
For others, it was an opportunity to have conversations they might not ordinarily have:
"I am grateful for the questions I got to answer regarding my culture. I thought they were very cool."
And another student reflected:
"I found talking to different people interesting since I learnt about history that I had not known about, new foods, and different perspectives on life."
What stood out to me in these reflections was how students valued both familiarity and difference.
Some found people who shared their backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Others discovered new perspectives, learnt about histories they had not previously encountered, or simply enjoyed having conversations beyond their usual friendship groups.
One student captured this particularly well:
"Loved meeting new people and finding folks I have things in common! Also, interesting hearing about people's lived experience."
I think there is something important here. Belonging does not necessarily mean being surrounded only by people who are like us. It can also mean being in spaces where we are comfortable enough to share who we are, curious enough to learn about others, and open enough to recognise the things that connect us.
And sometimes, all it takes is a conversation.
Why Black History Month matters to me
Beyond yesterday's event, I have also been reflecting on why Black History Month matters.
We are all human beings, yes. But our humanity does not erase our histories, our identities, or the different realities we navigate because of them.
There are people who proudly say they do not see colour or race. While I understand that this may come from a desire to see everyone as equal, the reality is that race and colour continue to shape how our societies are structured, how people are perceived, and, sometimes, the opportunities available to them.
I am Mercy. But I am also Black, just as I am Nigerian.
These identities are not separate from who I am. They are part of my story, my ancestry, and the histories that have shaped the world I inhabit today.
To acknowledge my Blackness is not to reduce myself to a racial category. It is to recognise the histories, struggles, resistance, contributions, and possibilities that have shaped the lives of those who came before me and continue to shape our experiences today.
And that, for me, is part of why Black History Month is important.
It is about remembering, celebrating, questioning, and recognising that history is not simply something that happened in the past. Its legacies continue to shape our present.
It is also an opportunity to reflect on the communities we belong to, the spaces we occupy, and what it means to feel seen, heard, and valued within them.
Navigating higher education as a Black person
This year's Black History Month theme is "Honouring Our Communities", and at The SU Bath, we have chosen to explore this through our own focus: "Navigating Higher Education as a Black Person."
I think this is an important conversation to have.
Because while access to higher education matters, so does the experience of being there.
It is not enough to simply enter these spaces. We must also be able to exist, participate, thrive, and belong within them.
For Black students, the experience of navigating higher education can involve finding community, negotiating identity, encountering different cultures, and, at times, confronting assumptions or structures that shape how we experience university life.
Of course, there is no single Black experience. Our identities, backgrounds, cultures, and journeys are different, and these differences matter too.
But I believe there is value in creating spaces where we can share those experiences, celebrate what connects us, learn from our differences, and reflect on what universities can do to become places where everyone genuinely feels they belong.
And this is what we hope to achieve through the different events we have planned throughout Black History Month.
Continuing the conversations and building community
Our Speed Friending event was just one of the ways we are celebrating Black History Month at The SU Bath.
Alongside ACS and our other collaborators, we will continue creating opportunities for students to connect, celebrate their identities, share their experiences, and build community.
On 27 October, we will be collaborating with No Plates Like Home to provide 50 free African meals at Limetree.
I am particularly excited about this event because food is more than just something we eat. It carries memories, cultures, histories, and connections to home.
Sometimes, something as simple as sharing a familiar meal can make a place feel a little more like home. And for those who may be encountering these foods for the first time, it is also an opportunity to experience and appreciate cultures beyond their own.
We will then bring our Black History Month celebrations to a close on 29 October with a Poetry and Spoken Word event, in collaboration with ACS.
This will be an opportunity for students to share their own original pieces or recite works by Black authors that resonate with them.
I am looking forward to this because poetry and spoken word have long been powerful ways of expressing identity, preserving memory, challenging injustice, and imagining different possibilities.
I hope it will be a space where we can listen, reflect, celebrate, and learn from one another.
Want to join us?
You can find details of our upcoming events and information on how to sign up through The SU Whats on Page. We also have a dedicated Black History Month page within What's On, where you can explore the full programme of activities and find out how to get involved. Whether you want to meet new people, share your experiences, enjoy familiar food, explore different cultures, or simply listen and learn, there is something for you.
Because belonging should be experienced
For me, these events are connected by something much bigger than the activities themselves.
They are about recognising that community can be built in different ways. Through conversations, through food, through storytelling, through art, and, perhaps most importantly, through the simple act of showing up for one another.
And while Black History Month gives us an opportunity to celebrate and reflect intentionally, I also believe the conversations about identity, representation, and belonging must continue beyond October.
Because building an inclusive university community is not something we achieve through a month of activities alone. It is something we must continue to work towards in our everyday interactions, practices, and the spaces we create.
Yesterday, we created one of those spaces.
A space for conversations, laughter, connection, and community.
And we will continue to create them.
Because belonging should not simply be something we tell students they have. It should be something they experience.
Happy Black History Month!