News Black History Month: Chine McDonald 07.10.2025

At the beginning of October we were delighted to welcome Chine McDonald – University of Cambridge graduate, director of the think tank Theos, journalist, author, and regular contributor to BBC Religion and Ethics programmes – to speak at our Lower School Assembly and to talk to Lower Sixth students as part of our series of events to mark and celebrate Black History Month.

At the assembly Chine talked about growing up and feeling like the odd one out and challenged our Years 7-9 pupils to think about ‘what role can you play in making a future in which you all belong?’. Chine gave the specific example of the American civil rights activist Ruby Bridges who, at the age of six, was the first African American child to attend a former whites-only school after the laws on integration had been passed. It was a thought-provoking assembly and Chine impressed on our girls ‘the power of young people, like you, to make the difference’.

The talk to Lower Sixth students was on the theme: The future is intersectional. Race, gender and justice. Chine asked students to consider three key words to describe who they are and to consider the intersection of the three strands, and particularly how the intersection of gender, race and class can translate into injustice and oppression. Chine gave a number of examples including the General Motors intersectionality case in the 1970s, and the more recent experiences of black and brown women working on the front-line during Covid-19 who had a higher death rate. Chine also gave the example of Vanessa Nakate who was cropped out of an image of white climate activist women because she didn’t fit the narrative. Chine urged our students to champion ‘a future where no-one falls through the cracks’ and to challenge populist movements and individuals that promote polarisation and injustice.

We are extremely grateful to Chine McDonald for her fascinating talks that have sparked a great deal of thought, engagement and debate on this year’s Black History Month theme: standing firm in power and pride.