Be part of our Black History Month and Beyond Portrait celebration

10 Aug 2026

Honouring our communities

We warmly invite colleagues from Black heritage backgrounds to take part in a photo celebration marking Black History Month in October, and the 2026 theme of ‘Honouring Our Communities.’ 

Express your interest here, before Monday 14 September

The portraits will spotlight and celebrate colleagues, students and alumni from Black heritage communities: recognising everyday lives, local voices, grassroots contributions, and global impact. 

Through these portraits, we hope to honour the people, contributions and experiences that continue to shape our university's past, present and future, while inviting our wider community to engage with, learn from and reflect respectfully on the many diverse stories that make up our shared history. This reflects the commitment of our strategy to 2035, 'From Manchester, for the world', for our university to be a place where every voice matters.

We are keen to hear from University of Manchester alumni, academic and professional services colleagues across all grades, and students from Black heritage backgrounds to take part in the portrait project. 

Closer to the time we will share a booking link to attend our launch event at Manchester Museum, on Friday 23 October, alongside more details of other Black History Month activity happening across the university and beyond.