4 Black History Month activities to celebrate trailblazing Black women

Originally published 26 October 2023.

In the UK, October brings falling leaves, longer evenings, and the celebration of Black History Month.

At Girlguiding, our commitment to recognising Black history reaches beyond October every year. That’s why we collaborated with the Black Curriculum to create a series of unit meeting activities (UMAs) focused on Black, African and Caribbean culture and representation. With a UMA for each section, these activities provide opportunities to have important conversations with girls all year round – as well as being a lot of fun!

We’ve linked each UMA with trailblazing Black women through history, so you and your unit can take inspiration from their achievements while you complete the activity.

1) Rainbows: Carnival creations

In this activity, Rainbows will learn all about Notting Hill Carnival, and get to design their own carnival headdresses. 

Claudia Jones

As Rainbows step into this massive annual celebration, one of the largest in the world, we have to recognise Claudia Jones, one of the co-founders of Notting Hill Carnival.

Claudia was a Trinidad and Tobago-born journalist and activist. Before carnival, she established Britain’s first major Black newspaper, the West Indian Gazette.

Claudia believed that a people's art was the starting point of their freedom, and this belief was at the heart of founding Notting Hill Carnival. The annual showcase of Caribbean talent began in St Pancras Town Hall in 1959. Over the years, it evolved from an intimate community centre performance to Europe’s largest street festival, with around 2 million people joining the fun every year.

Allyson Williams MBE

Allyson Williams came to the UK from Trinidad to work as a nurse, a role she dedicated herself to for 35 years. Notting Hill Carnival felt like home to her, so in 1975, along with her husband, she founded Genesis – a mas band. Short for ‘masquerade band’, this is a band of people in elaborate, colourful costumes who parade and dance to music at Carnival. Each mas band's costumes are often themed around cultural references and stories.

Allyson helped to create over 400 colourful outfits for the carnival in that first year - all while working full time at the hospital!

Allyson has spoken about Notting Hill being more than a festival. It's a tribute to her ancestors, a celebration of their legacy, and an opportunity to be a part of a bright cultural community. As Rainbows design their carnival headdresses, they could take inspiration from Allyson’s long history of costume making. 

2) Brownies: Windrush champions

In this activity, Brownies will learn about the Windrush generation, people who emigrated from the Caribbean to the UK between 1948 and the early 1970s to help rebuild the economy of Britain after the war. Girls will learn how the Windrush generation helped to shape  our society, and make their own creative tributes to Windrush champions.

Althea McNish MBE

One of those champions is Althea McNish - an artist and textile designer born in Trinidad and Tobago, who brought her Caribbean heritage to her work in the UK. Althea faced discrimination as one of the few Black students at the London School of Printing and Graphic Arts, but her dedication and talent shone through as she created vibrant textiles bursting with bold patterns and lively colours. Her designs were used by major fashion houses, in furniture design, wallpaper, and much more. Throughout her illustrious career, Althea received many awards, including an MBE in 1999 for outstanding contributions to textile design. 

If you’d like to explore her work further, why not try designing some Caribbean-inspired patterns with your unit? You could use potato printing or lino printing to create repeated patterns on paper or fabric, with motifs and colours inspired by Althea’s textiles.

Jacqueline McKenzie

Brownies could also learn about present-day Windrush heroes – like human rights lawyer, Jacqueline McKenzie. Jacqueline has represented hundreds of people affected by the Windrush scandal. This began in 2018, when many Caribbean migrants faced deportation, job losses and other life-changing circumstances due to the Home Office wrongly classing them as illegal immigrants. Her work means she’s been recognised as one of the most influential figures in the Black British community.

3) Guides: Make a meal of it

In this activity, Guides will celebrate African and Caribbean cuisines, explore different menus, and even try a recipe themselves.  

Zoe Adjonyoh

Raised in Essex by a Ghanaian father and an Irish mother, Zoe Adjonyoh is a self-taught chef on a mission to bring West African flavours to British dining tables. Starting out with a popular pop-up peanut stew stall at a local arts festival, Zoe soon launched the famous 'Zoe's Ghana Kitchen.' This pop-up has travelled across London and beyond, sharing the vibrant taste of West African cuisine. Her cookbook, also called Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, has plenty of mouth-watering West African recipes for Guides to have a go.

Andi Oliver

Andi Oliver is known for hosting the Great British Menu. But she’s more than an award-winning TV chef – she's an advocate for representation. She’s passionate about making sure everyone's culinary talent is recognised, and that people of colour have equal opportunities to make a career in the food world.

Her celebration of diverse flavours is best exemplified in her cookbook, 'The Pepperpot Diaries', where she shares stories and recipes from her Caribbean heritage. As Guides create their own menus, Andi’s recipes could be a great source of inspiration. 

4) Rangers: Mirror or windows

In this activity, Rangers will dive into a big topic: representation in the beauty industry. Girls will investigate how well brands are doing at representing a diverse range of people. They’ll also come up with their own ideas about what inclusive representation really means.  

Ade Hassan

While this UMA is focused on the beauty industry, your unit could take it a step further by talking about representation in fashion. 

Nubian Skin began when Ade Hassan couldn’t find hosiery that matched her skin tone – a common problem for many people of colour. Frustrated with the fashion industry’s limited selection, Ade started on a journey to redefine what ‘nude’ means, and create a range of underwear, tights and other products to match darker skin tones. Ade’s vision and commitment to filling this gap in the industry led her business to huge success. Nubian Skin wasn’t just a new hosiery brand, but a symbol of representation.

Tendai Moyo

For Rangers who aren’t into beauty or fashion, looking at haircare is a great way to engage with this UMA. 

Tendai Moyo, co-founder of Ruka Hair, is making waves in the hair industry. Born in Zimbabwe, she co-founded Ruka Hair, a brand that celebrates and caters to curly, coily and wavy hair. Ruka Hair is all about educating women about their beautiful curls and dismantling negative hair stereotypes. The brand celebrates the rich history of Black women's hair, from Bantu knots to box braids, and has been worn by the likes of Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2022. 

More resources for Black History Month

• If you’d like to dive deeper into Black history and culture after you’ve completed these UMAs, the Black Curriculum has exciting learning resources to explore.
• Read more ideas and activities for celebrating Black History Month with your unit.
• For more stories of inspiring Black women, check out our blog 8 Black British women who’ve shaped history.
• Find out more about the designer of our Black History Month badge for 2025, Cherelle Brown, and the inspiration behind her bold and beautiful design.
• You can also buy the 2025 badge from our online shop.