Between June and July 2021 Preston Black History Group and the Institute for Black Atlantic Research, sponsored by the Centre for Migration, Diaspora and Exile (MIDEX) and the Leverhulme Trust hosted a webinar series on Arts and Activism in the Age of Black Lives Matter. Featuring a host of brilliant Black and Brown creatives who contribute vitally to cultures of theatrical performance, dance, costume design, hair styling and visual art, the events showcased the work they do and invited discussion with the wider community. You can view recordings of select events below.

Tuesday 8 June, 16:30-17:30 | Tayo Aluko

Tayo Aluko is a Liverpool-based Nigerian playwright, stage and TV actor, and singer. He has toured the world with his two monodramas: Call Mr Robeson and Just an Ordinary Lawyer. His two newest projects are Exploring “Greatness” and Paul Robeson’s Love Song, an audio play now streaming online.

Tuesday 15 June, 16:30-17:30 | The Othello Project

The Othello Projected was founded by a group of Black and Brown creatives working together at the RSC in 2020. Using art to challenge racism and champion the lives and work of Black and Brown people erased from history, they have developed an original series of monologues based on these hidden figures.

Tuesday 22 June, 16:30-17:30 | Nadine Knight

Jamaican-born Nadine Knight has a long history in fashion and designs and makes costumes for Spectrum carnival band. She also runs her own hair salon, Eufro, specialising in culturally sensitive hair care. Based in Preston, her clients travel from as far as London and Glasgow to consult her expertise.

Tuesday 29 June, 16:30-17:30 | Jade Montserrat

Jade Montserrat’s work skirts social activism by interrogating a range of materials through performance, film, installation, sculpture, print and text. She has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally and won numerous accolades. In 2020 she completed her PhD at the University of Central Lancashire’s Institute for Black Atlantic Research.

Tuesday 6 July, 16:30-17:30 | Phil Kaila

Born in Zambia, Phil Kaila is a multifaceted dancer, community ambassador and charity worker. Passionate about salsa, he was crowned World Salsa Federation Champion in 2006. An instructor with a huge following, he runs Salsa Northwest which sponsors 15 children to attend school at the Jack and Jill School in Zambia.