BARCO takes over the Brighton Centre for a free Black History Month weekend

BARCO, the Brighton-based Black Anti-Racism Community Organisation, is taking over The Wing at the Brighton Centre on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October for Black History, Our History, a free weekend for Black History Month.

BARCO is a Black-led group that works to tackle racism and to celebrate and strengthen Black culture, through community advocacy, cultural organising, education and collective care. It supports Black people who live, work, study or visit Brighton & Hove and the area around it.

The weekend is spread over two floors, with talks and workshops, local organisations and businesses, a creative space, food, music and theatre. BARCO describes it as a weekend for “considering the Black history of the whole city, and celebrating the future of Black excellence.”

On Saturday the workshop programme starts at 11.15am. Angelbooks runs a story time in the café, and We Are the Tree leads a workshop on the resilience and courage of refugees. Brighton Book Festival hosts an author panel at 1.15pm. Later in the afternoon BARCO leads a discussion about the carnival theme, and Queer Heritage South and Radical Rhizomes run an archiving session.

In the café, children can make banners and flags with Artpod People all day, and there is Black history bunting to make with Queer Heritage South and Radical Rhizomes.

From 5.30pm the evening moves to music, with sets from BN1 Arts and Audioactive and then sounds from KTL until 9.30pm.

On Sunday, Black at Sussex gives a talk at 11.15am on Black history at the University of Sussex¹. Blackademia gives a lecture from 12.15pm, and the poet AFLO leads a creative writing session, Our History in the Present, from 3.15pm.

For families, Afrori Books runs big games in the café from midday, followed by a kids’ disco with DJ Bud at 2pm. BARCO closes the weekend with a short talk at 4.45pm.

BARCO also runs the BASH Carnival, its yearly celebration of Black culture in the city. Its co-founder, Bud Johnston, said in June that its goal was “to help create a city where everyone feels represented, connected and able to thrive.”

Tickets are free, but BARCO asks people to register through its Ticket Tailor page.