Leeds Trinity will host Together is Better, with University staff, students and members of the local community coming together to share stories, listen to music and sample West African, Afro Caribbean and Eritrean cuisines.

The event, which will be held on campus on Friday 22 October from 5.30 – 7.30pm, is free to attend and will be focused on bringing everyone together in a spirit of harmony.

Together is Better is being delivered in line with current COVID-19 safety measures on campus and will include:

• An introduction to the event from Leeds Trinity’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Charles Egbu
• A screening of short film Re:Tension with Senior Lecturer and filmmaker Ricardo Barker
• Sharing stories, music and West African, Afro Caribbean and Eritrean cuisines with Chijioke Ojukwu

Shames Maskeen, Operational Lead for the Race Equality Charter and Postgraduate Researcher (PhD) at Leeds Trinity University, who has organised the event, said: “We are proud to be collaborating with Chijioke Ojukwu to celebrate Black History Month with a community event where we are inviting refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and various people from our local community onto our campus for an evening of food, music and sharing stories. This collaboration is part of our wider race equality charter work, and we are keen to continue developing institutional knowledge on race relations at both local and national level.”

Chijioke Ojukwu, strategic leader in public policy, community development and advocacy, added: "Together is Better is more than an event – it is a celebration of people, community, culture and the bridge of friendship between the University and the city, in particular the amazing, vulnerable and precious residents who live between the promise of racial justice and the margins of invincibility. Come with an open heart, a friendly smile and not to forget, an appetite for adventure!”

Throughout October, the University and the Students’ Union have been hosting a number of events, featuring staff, students and alumni, to mark Black History Month. Professor Charles Egbu, Vice-Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University, delivered a talk and Q&A session about his perspectives on the importance of Black History Month and his ambitions for the University.

Other events have included:

• ‘African Stories in Yorkshire’ with Joe Williams
• ‘Celebrating Black Professors at Leeds Trinity’ with Dr Sulochini Pather
• ‘Celebrating our alumni and their award-winning research projects’ with Macy Idewiebo and Rebecca Rose
• ‘Talk and Share’ seminar workshop – new perspectives on race in teaching and learning with Syra Shakir

For more information about Together is Better and to sign up for the event, visit Eventbrite.

The full line-up of Black History Month events can be viewed on the Leeds Trinity University website.