27 October 2023

It’s Black History Month from the 1st-31st; it should be every month, but hey-ho!

Anyway, it’s not about being negative, it’s a time to celebrate all that is wonderful about black history and the vibrant colourful people, it’s about the people who strived for equality back in the day – such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman just to name a few.:

There are other influential black people that will be known in more recent times either for their work or their influences on society:

Barack Obama
The first African American President.

Frederick Douglass
He taught himself to read and write and became an author, public speaker and also supported and advocated for women’s rights.

Oprah Winfrey
Known for her role in the film The Colour Purple, she went on to become a famous television producer, host and personality, plus she has contributed to many non-profit organisations that support, educate, and empower women and children.

Muhammad Ali
Was one of the greatest, if not the greatest boxer of his time, he used his position to advocate for civil rights and religious freedom.

Bob Marley
The Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. He was a real pioneer of reggae, ska and rocksteady. His most played song on the radio, parties and nightclubs is … Could You Be Loved.

Just a few bits of information to tantalise you all!

If you’d like to read more the Black History Month website has lots of resources, including experiences and stories from lots of people, from young black people today to the records of black voices throughout history. Disney+ also has recommendations of programmes and films to watch, so if you are a subscriber why not take a look. Plus, your local library is likely to have a display and information about books by black writers and poets to mark the month as well.

Thank you for reading 😊
Yvonne

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is often misunderstood as a condition which makes people swear or say socially inappropriate things. Although it is true that ‘coprolalia’ – the clinical term for involuntary swearing – is a symptom of TS, it only affects a minority of people. 90 per cent of people with TS do not have coprolalia.

Tourettes Action have created an informative e-learning course on Understanding Tourette Syndrome. The module aims to help you learn what Tourette Syndrome is, co-occurring features and differences that accompany it, how it affects a person and how we can help and understand.

To access the eLearning module CLICK HERE.

The eLearning module is also available via the NHS (it’s the same one as above, but requires a work email) CLICK HERE.

I hope you all find these resources useful 🤗

Ben Causer, Support Worker, Chesterfield Safe Haven & Crisis House