Black History Month

Black Futures: Innovation and Generation* at Trinity

In our quest to understand our place in the world and how to best use our talents, we have found ourselves repeatedly and radically inspired by the potential the African Diaspora has in shaping our world’s advancement. Black people have a long and robust history of using creativity and experimentation as a means of resistance, which inspires progress in science & technology, music, philosophy, community building, and many other areas.

This year’s theme , “Black Futures: Innovation and Generation at Trinity”, strives to celebrate the presence and potential of Black members of Trinity College and of Black people generally at the University and beyond. We draw from the concepts of ‘sankofa’ and ‘ubuntu’ to ground our understanding of the histories of Blackness and Black communities in Trinity College, the University of Cambridge, and the broader world. We invoke the concepts of ‘Afrofuturism’, ‘AfricanFuturism,’ and ‘Caribbean Futurism’ – particularly influenced by Octavia Butler, Nnedi Okorafor, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Fela Kuti – to push forward the importance of innovation, creativity, and resistance.

Our theme, therefore, prompts us to ask: ‘What is the hope for the future of Black students at Trinity?’ and ‘How can we ensure their success in order to maximise their brilliance and potential to shape the future?’

If you identify as a member of the African diaspora, please also use the form below to indicate so and consider being featured In our Black History Month exhibition which profiles Black Trinity students, and will soon profile alumni, fellows, and staff. This information will be collected securely by the Alumni Relations office consistent with its Data Protection Statement  and will be shared with the student committee organising Black History Month this year and in future years.

Myesha and Adaiah
Members of the Trinity student committee organising Black History Month

*Generation with dual meanings of ‘creation’ and ‘descendancy/legacy’