Cohesion Plus and North Kent Caribbean Network, working in partnership with Dartford Borough Council launched the ‘Our Shared History’ exhibition in the Dartford Library on Wednesday 19th October. The exhibition was created to celebrate Black History Month Kent and the many positive contributions of Black communities in the borough past and present.

The launch was attended by members from the NKCN, local residents and civic guests including Mayor of Dartford Cllr Paul Cutler, Leader of Dartford Borough Council Cllr Jeremy Kite MBE and Cabinet Member Cllr Avtar Sandhu MBE who also spoke at the event. They welcomed those in attendance and spoke about the importance of celebrating Black History Month, taking the opportunity to celebrate local and national heroes and community figures. The exhibition will run till Friday 28th October.

Michelle Bramble, Chair of the NKCN commented, “We all look forward to a time where we won’t need a designated month to appreciate and value the contributions and impact of Black British history and Black British communities. Where as a society, we acknowledge that we have a shared history, shared experiences and common values. Till that time we are thankful to partners like Dartford Borough Council for their support and partnership and for their commitment to marking future Black History Month celebrations.”

Gurvinder Sandher MBE, Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented, “This is the first time we have worked together with Dartford Borough Council to mark Black History Month in a substantial way and I believe this event has laid solid foundations to deliver future celebrations. I believe it is vital that we continue to highlight Black and Brown communities, key figures and organisations who are doing wonderful work promoting shared common values and unity.”