To mark Black History Month, the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is hosting two talks that reflect on this year’s theme of ‘Reclaiming Narratives’.

These talks set about illuminating the misrepresentation of Black narratives, history and lives on the silver screen and also consider how the stories of people of colour are often obscured in narratives about climate change.

Reclaiming Narratives about Blackness on the Silver Screen: Mis-telling Stories of Black Lives through Film and TV

Tamirah Grant

In this short talk, Tamirah will discuss the history of Black roles and Black characters in television and film focusing specifically on the mis-telling of Black stories through the presentation of racial stereotypes. Drawing on the example of blackface minstrelsy, she will ask questions about who is telling and controlling the stories of Black lives and will consider the continued power of these narratives to shape current attitudes about Blackness and obscure the real narratives of Black people. Tamirah will share how such skewed narratives have impacted her own experience as a Black woman.

Tamirah is a former student at the University of Chester. She has revcently graduated with a BSc in Sociology and Psychology.

Reclaiming Narratives about the Earth: Racism and Climate Change

Amanda Williams

Climate change affects us all, but it doesn’t affect us all equally. Climate change exacerbates all forms of social disadvantage, deepening divisions based on socioeconomic status, age, gender and health. This talk will explore some of the inequalities exposed by the relationship between climate change and race and will highlight some of the overlooked narratives of people of colour. It will show that even attempts to combat climate change, strategies and policies intended to mitigate climate change can impact on the most marginalised communities, sometimes ignoring indigenous rights in favour of the ‘greater good’. Conversely, we are only just starting to recognise the potentially important role of indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation. In this exploration of some of the key themes posed by climate change and racism, Amanda will consider how narratives about the earth have been racialised and pose the question, “Is climate change inherently racist?”

Dr Amanda Williams is Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography at the University of Chester.

To book your free place, visit the event booking page.