The Watford community marked Black History Month with an afternoon of food, music, dance, poetry and presentations.
The event, which was organised by Hertfordshire Constabulary hate crime officer PC Dani Howlett-Bolton, took place at Wellspring Church on October 20.
Representatives from the police, Watford Borough Council, Herts Services for Young People and Watford Museum joined students from Laurance Haines School and West Herts College, as well as members of the Watford Kenyan Women’s Association, to celebrate the great achievements and contributions of the town’s Black community.
Guests enjoyed a lunch provided by Roots Caribbean restaurant, including spicy jerk chicken, curry goat, and mac and cheese.
The event’s itinerary began with Laurance Haines School pupils Runako Mutsipa and Adama Bah performing emotional readings, sharing their own experiences of growing up as Black children in Watford and their hopes for the future.
It was followed by a dance from the Watford Kenyan Women’s Association, which was of particular significance on what is Mashujaa Day in Kenya.
Students from West Herts College also showcased their talents, with Sammy777 (Sammy777 on YouTube and @Sammy7.7.7 on Instagram) performing a self-penned rap and his classmate Nicole Blakk (@nonelikebee on Instagram) sang her own poignant tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Watford chief inspector Ian Grout and safer neighbourhood inspector Pete Edwards also spoke at the event, sharing plans for a new community cohesion group which is to be set up later this year.
It will be made up of representatives from Watford’s diverse communities and will provide an opportunity for everyone to discuss the issues that affect them. Police and partners will be able to use this feedback to address problems and in turn make the community a safer place to live, work and visit.
To conclude, PCSO Sarah Thomas from the Watford outer safer neighbourhood team read a poem called ‘Don’t Judge The Colour Of My Skin’, written by American poet Naomi Johnson, before Watford Museum hosted an informative presentation about the black history of Watford, organised and delivered by museum curator Sarah Priestley.
PC Howlett-Bolton, the hate crime officer for Watford and Three Rivers, said: "I want to publicly thank everyone who was involved in this year’s event. I think we all agree that we must all do more to promote black culture and learn about black heritage all year round – not just for one month of the year – and I know our new community cohesion group will help us on our way to achieving this."
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