The need for action not words is the message behind this year’s Black History Month.  

Our Sparks partners Blueprint for All and The Black Curriculum are at the forefront of driving this change. That’s why we wanted to show our support by doubling donations this month. 

Below Sonia Watson, CEO at Blueprint for All and Lavinya Stennett, CEO of The Black Curriculum share what motivates them, the invaluable work they do to drive change and their views on Black History Month.  

Join us in showing your support by selecting either as your chosen Sparks charity in the M&S app or online. 

Sonia Watson OBE, OBE, Hon.FRIBA, Hon.FRIAS, Chief Executive at Blueprint for All 

While we celebrate the achievements of Black-led community groups and young people daily at Blueprint for All, Black History Month serves as an important moment in time to remember the adversity experienced by those that paved the way before us. 

It also prompts important discussions at a national level about what the future will look like for young Black Britons today. 

At Blueprint for All we believe disadvantage starts early. All young people should receive the education, training and support they need to reach their potential.  

As Rhiann, part of the Blueprint for All bursary programme, explains, “From a young age, I’ve always known that I’ve had to try a lot harder than most due to my background. Knowing the background I was from I felt like I needed help and didn’t want to struggle in my first year of university. The bursary programme gave me the chance to do something with my life - I want to be able to say I came from literally nothing and created something.” 

Our blueprint is a future where all talent is respected and nurtured, irrespective of where it comes from, where organisations recognise and realise the benefits of a diverse workforce, and where our communities can come together and thrive.  

My hope is that ‘Black History’ simply becomes ‘history’. 

Lavinya Stennett, Founder and CEO at The Black Curriculum  

One month is not enough – our mission at The Black Curriculum is to campaign for Black British history to be taught 365 days a year.  

Learning history is so important in helping to form our sense of identity, and how we fit into our communities and the wider world.  

One of our students Mariam explains “people need to know why we’re fighting for justice and peace and know how hard society was, and is, for black people.” 

Having that understanding is so important for creating a cohesive society. When I was studying in Aotearoa, I was interested in how Indigenous and colonial history was part of everyday teaching – while at home, Black British History is taught inconsistently and is largely missing from our national curriculum.  

This lack of education and understanding contributes to racist behaviour as well as negatively impacting young black people who are not taught their history within Britain – so something needs to change. 

As a child I always loved learning and so with The Black Curriculum we want to embed Black British History into the everyday curriculum – working with schools, teachers and stakeholders to put Black British History where it belongs. 

This involves running school programmes, teacher training sessions as well as delivering assemblies to drive change and working with companies across the UK. 

Black History is British History and we should all be learning about it – not just for the month of October but all year round as well.