The Black Book festival and education expo, held at Goldsmiths, University of London last weekend brought together authors, educators, publishers, and readers from all across London.

The festival serves as a vibrant hub for celebrating Black culture, addressing the underrepresentation of Black and Brown voices in publishing, and fostering a sense of community. 

With an expanded program that includes seminars, workshops, and a wide range of literature, the event empowers future generations to engage with and contribute to Black history and storytelling.

Samantha, from Book Love, a multicultural travelling book market, underscored the importance of such a festival. 

She told East London Lines: “First and foremost, it’s great to be here amongst a great community of like-minded booksellers.”

“It’s really important, not just from a selling point of view, but to make sure that these important stories representing underrepresented groups and histories are getting into more and more hands, and schools, and teachers.” 

“When you’re a woman of colour and you’re also a smaller, grassroots, independent outfit… you’re also kind of pushing a message, which is often a bit of a thorn in the side of the publishers,” she explained. “We do need to be friendly with the publishers… However, we are also sometimes at odds with them because we don’t think that they’re doing enough to support small, independent grassroots organisations.”

These struggles were echoed by other participants who viewed the festival as a critical space for raising awareness about the systemic underrepresentation of Black and Brown voices in the publishing industry. 

“Why is there such a small representation of Black and Brown people not only writing books but also working within publishing?” she said, shining a light on the lack of diversity in the industry.

For attendees like Madam Walker, the festival also serves as a space for personal and community growth. 

“I got an invitation through one of the writers called David Simon. At the moment, I’m doing a course with him on the hidden truth,” she said. “[I attended the festival] not only because of the invitation but also to see what’s available for our community.” 

Walker said: “I’m hoping that it gives the younger community… a sense of purpose, a sense of belief in themselves, and the acceptance of how things are and how they can be involved in making the changes necessary for their development.”

Kari, one of the many workers from Simon Education who put on the event, said: “The network is a big thing here… understanding there’s, a Black network who are involved in books and are involved in teaching others, and then, this community as well. I think that’s so amazing about it,” he said. 

He also noted the festival’s expansion since last year, highlighting the growing number of schools and attendees, as well as the increasingly informative seminars. “The seminars are more informative… for people who wanna write and create books as well as the talks.”

With its rising popularity, the festival is likely to outgrow its current venue in the near future. He acknowledged that a new venue may be necessary, but he emphasised the desire to keep the event rooted in south east London, where it has established strong community ties.

Lewisham is an ethnically diverse borough with around 40% of residents from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds. The most common ethnicities outside of White British are White Other, Black African, and Black Caribbean.

Another attendee, Paula, expressed her enthusiasm for the educational materials on display, particularly those focused on students of African or Caribbean descent. 

“It’s certainly going to make people much more aware of the range of literature… and that’s really important, that the general population has an understanding of the contributions and the developments of Black people,” she explained.

As the Black Book Festival and Education Expo continues to grow, its impact reaches far beyond the festival’s walls. By fostering a sense of unity among Black authors, educators, and the wider community, the event is not only amplifying diverse voices in literature but also helping to shape the future of Black education and cultural representation in the UK.

With calls for greater inclusion and equity in the publishing industry, this festival stands as a beacon of empowerment, ensuring that Black stories are told, heard, and celebrated on a much larger scale in years to come.