Born in the late 1970s in the US thanks to the Civil Rights movement, Black History Month is an occasion to understand and celebrate Black histories, and an important reminder to take stock of where systemic racism persists in institutions and society. Today, while BHM is widely celebrated in countries such as the US, UK and Canada, its significance is also gradually increasing in continental Europe.
Through a collective effort across services and departments, the celebration of Black History Month at the EUI is an opportunity to contribute to the conversation and stimulate a reflection on the notion of race, addressing the structural imbalances that continue to shape the experience of Black people in Europe.
Throughout the entire month of February, the EUI Library will carry out a BHM campaign, including an exhibition of Black thinkers on the ground floor of the Library, a reading list that highlights relevant resources and publications, and a social media campaign on the Library accounts.
Moreover, the EUIdeas blog will host a series of posts by PhD Researchers working on the history of European colonialism in Africa, colonial memory and legacy, African migration(s) and people of African descent in Europe.
Researchers, experts and Library staff will also get involved with the EUI researcher-led web radio, Radio Cavolo, by creating ad-hoc content that will provide various perspectives on Black culture, experiences, and histories.
Finally, members of the EUI community have organised relevant events in the context of Black History Month Florence (BHMF), such as the lecture For A Decolonial Feminism, which seeks to rethink Whiteness, Eurocentrism, and Gender, and the roundtable Exploring the (in)visibilities of Blackness in Europe: an interdisciplinary and transnational discussion, featuring a conversation with scholars working in different countries that will stimulate an interdisciplinary debate on Blackness in Europe.