Black History Month with Alex Wheatle and International Slavery Museum

Award-winning author Alex Wheatle talks about his latest book, Cane Warriors, for this special event as part of Black History Month. Alex is joined by Lois South from the International Slavery Museum. Together they discuss the transatlantic slave trade, racism, the heroic people who have resisted and the young people who campaign for equality and social justice.

Content notes and extra resources

This event is aimed at S2–6 (age 12–18) pupils. The video discusses the realities of transatlantic slavery and contains content that some people may find emotional and distressing. International Slavery Museum share artefacts including an iron punishment collar, images of enslaved people, and signs with outdated terms and racist messages to demonstrate enslaved people's resistance to the brutality of their oppressors. Alex also shares a passage from Cane Warriors, which describes punishments such as whipping and killing in the context of a slave revolt.

To help you teach and learn more about the brutal realities of slavery, here are some useful links:

• International Slavery Museum's Virtual museum tour(this link will open in a new window)
• International Slavery Museum's Transatlantic slavery learning resources(this link will open in a new window)

You can also look at these activities and extra resources related to the event and Black History Month:

• Use objects to inspire historical fiction writing
• Top tips for writing historical fiction
• Understanding and challenging racism in school
• Black History Month books for children and young adults
• The Guardian: Ten black history events that should be taught to every pupil(this link will open in a new window)
• Black History Month website(this link will open in a new window)
• The Black Curriculum website(this link will open in a new window)

Scottish Friendly Assurance

Scottish Friendly Assurance has been sponsoring the tour for over 20 years(this link will open in a new window). Through its support, The Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour reaches an average of 6,000 children every year in a vast range of communities, from rural schools with as few as 8 pupils to 2,000 seat theatres.

Scottish Friendly Assurance is a progressive and modern financial services group, which has been around for over 150 years. It provides investors and families with a wide range of financial products.

You can find out more about Scottish Friendly on their website(this link will open in a new window).