LGBTQ+ Mental Health Hour returns on Thursday 28th October at the slightly earlier time of 17:00-18:00pm on Zoom. This episode celebrates Black History Month, as Community Support Worker and host Beth Meadows will be joined by Tolu Ajayi from Rainbow Noir and Cheryl Martin from Black Gold Arts.

Tolu Ajayi (he/him) is the Operational Lead at Rainbow Noir, community organiser, and performance artist. Rainbow Noir is a Manchester-based volunteer led community action group, which celebrates and platforms LGBTQIA+ people of colour. One of it’s core aims is ‘to create a space of our own, a place to feel safe, where LGBTQIA+ people of colour can meet, hang out, form friendships and find community.’ https://rainbownoirmcr.com/ tolumusic.com

Cheryl Martin (she/her) is the Co-Artistic Director of Black Gold Arts, writer, jazz singer and poet. Black Gold Arts is also a Manchester-based arts organisation working predominantly with working-class people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. It aims to get often overlooked voices, stories and hidden histories seen and heard, through a range of artistic mediums. http://blackgoldarts.co.uk/ cherylmartin.net

The conversation will cover a range of issues relating to Black Queer mental health, and how creative approaches to it are navigated by our guest speakers through their artistic projects. It will also unpack some merits and pitfalls of using mental health as a foundation for artistic expression, as well as the value of identity-based calendar events such as Black History Month with a consideration of how we can strive to elongate the so-called ‘work’ year-long.

A BSL interpreter will be in the Zoom and subtitles will be included. You can join us live during the event or view it later on Youtube. Please register via the link to attend live, and submit any questions you have for our guests: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/LGBTQMHH2810/