Community: an exhibition for Black History Month 2021
Introduction Serena Cole, President of Trinity College Students’ Union
Black History Month is about reflection, celebration and understanding and we aim with this exhibition to not only look to the past but also the future.
Last year, we had the first exhibition for Black History Month in Trinity College. We called it “Succession”, to illustrate: development, handing over and moving forward. At the end of ecological succession, an area can reach a climax community. In Trinity, we are still on this journey and look forward to the future of a stable and supported community through succession.
Trinity College is a community. Within this larger community, the presence of the black community must be collectively recognised. The celebration of Black History Month 2020 proved pivotal in bringing together the black community for the first time. This experience has heightened a sense of camaraderie when moving through Cambridge.
Each person’s experience is unique. The portrait series celebrates the individual’s relationship to the community and values them as an integral member. We have added the newcomers into the exhibition this year to welcome them to Trinity. This will help, we hope, to reflect a part of a student’s identity back at them and contribute towards a more congenial environment.
At a much larger level, the aim of this exhibition hopes to convey the message that society – and the premier educational institutions within it – must understand, accept and make space for the black community.
Black History Month is about understanding, reflection and celebration. We aim with this exhibition to facilitate all three and to move towards a better future. We hope that you enjoy it and use it to reflect on yourself, celebrate the achievements of the black community and understand some of the black experience.
Serena Cole
Introduction Serena Cole, President of Trinity College Students’ Union