October is drawing to a close, and with it, another Black History Month. For many people it has been a month of celebration, of visibility, of pride. Events, exhibitions, stories shared on timelines and in classrooms.
But for some people, it has also been something else.
Sitting with your heritage, really sitting with it, can surface more than joy. It can bring up grief for stories that were never told, or that were told only in fragments. It can raise questions about identity that do not have easy answers. It can stir something quiet and complicated about belonging, about what was carried across generations and what was lost along the way, and about what it means to hold all of that while also just getting on with your life.
None of that is wrong. It is, in many ways, exactly what this month is for.
What We Carried
This autumn, CB Plus is part of a project we think speaks to exactly this. What We Carried is a creative heritage project celebrating Barnet’s African diaspora communities, taking place as part of Light + Flight, Barnet’s borough-wide cultural programme for 2026.
The project invites people to create a simple paper cape filled with whatever they want to carry into the light: a memory, a symbol, a pattern, a name, a tradition. Something that represents what has been passed down, held onto, or brought across generations. Everything created will come together in a public exhibition this November.
It is not an art class. There is no right way to do it. It is simply a space to reflect, to create something with your hands, and to have your story become part of something larger.
If you need someone to talk to
Sometimes reflection surfaces things that feel bigger than a creative project can hold. If this month has brought up difficult feelings, whether about identity, belonging, loss, or your mental health more broadly, support is available, and it is free.
Barnet Wellbeing Service offers free mental health and emotional wellbeing support for adults in Barnet. Find out more.
Young People Thrive offers free talking therapy for young people aged 17 to 25 in Barnet dealing with anxiety, low mood, or everyday pressures. Find out more.
Brent LYRA offers early mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people aged 5 to 18 across Brent, and up to 25 for those with SEND. Find out more.
