Chesterfield primary school children inspired by local councillors and PCSO team while visiting a Black History Month Exhibition

Students from both Hady and Abercrombie primary schools attended the exhibition in Chesterfield library.

The children were given the chance to look around the exhibition, with information boards charting the history of African and Caribbean communities from pre-colonial days to today. This included information about members of Chesterfield’s African Caribbean Community Association (ACCA), which organised the exhibition.

The children were then ushered into the library's lecture hall, where the Mayoress, Councillor Suzie Perkins, welcomed them to the exhibition.

In her speech, Mayoress Perkins encouraged the young audience to reflect upon the history and struggles of black communities.

Chairman of the ACCA, Councillor Ludwig Ramsay, followed this with an inspiring presentation which included quotations from Martin Luther King and videos of the Montgomery and Bristol bus boycotts.

Members of Chesterfield’s Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) team spoke about the police’s tougher stance on racism and anti-social behaviour.

PCSO sergeant, Lee Holt, and PCSO supervisor, Matt Adcock, gave a talk, before asking the students questions, encouraging them to consider the impacts that anti-social behaviour has on both the victims and the perpetrators, and a reminder to show kindness and consideration to others.

A heartwarming moment came after the speeches with two students from Abercrombie being highlighted as upstanding members of their classroom for standing up to anti-social behaviour. Mayoress Perkins shook their hands with certificates set to be given to the children at a later date.

Speaking about the event, ACCA chairman, Councillor Ramsay, said: “It went really well today. I took over as chair of the African and Caribbean community association in 2017 and this was a priority, to do black history month, go to schools and put this on the education curriculum.

“No disrespect to the teachers. They have all the books and everything else, but you need people that have actually lived it, to put it over in a way that the children can understand. Since I’ve been doing it, I’ve really seen that improvement.”

Councillor Ramsay is also keen for more people to come and see the exhibition, saying that its content can be a lesson for both young and old. The exhibition will be displayed in the library until the 31st