News Black History Month Assembly: Honouring Our Communities 01.10.2026

On Thursday, Upper Sixth students Isabel and Khandro, who lead the Diversity Committee, presented an engaging assembly to mark the beginning of Black History Month.

This year’s theme is Honouring Our Communities, with an emphasis on celebrating figures who have worked to bring communities together. Isabel and Khandro spoke about the history and significance of several black figures who were closely linked to Hammersmith.

The students highlighted Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) -the “grand master of calypso” – whose arrival in England in 1948 marked one of the earliest recorded moments of the Windrush Generation. Continuing a focus on musical contributions, they discussed Island Records, based in Hammersmith, where Bob Marley recorded some of his best-known works. Isabel and Khandro then detailed the contributions of Claudia Jones, a journalist and activist who edited the West Indian Gazette. In response to the Notting Hill race riots, she founded the joyful Caribbean Carnival in 1959. Finally, they spoke about Ellen and William Craft, a married couple who had escaped the slave trade and travelled to England, where they settled in Hammersmith and campaigned for the abolition of slavery.

Isabel and Khandro encouraged our pupils to look out for the blue plaques commemorating some of these figures around Hammersmith, and to notice the people whose stories may go unheard. They noted that the Diversity Committee holds a session every two weeks where students can learn about a new culture or historical figure.

Thank you to Isabel and Khandro, who delivered such a thought-provoking and educational assembly.