Engaging the Black Radical Imagination

In February and March 2025, Dr Annabel Wilson and Deanna Rodger facilitated workshops with a group of Black Bristolians who attended primary school in Easton, Bristol. Over the course of four workshops, they shared their experiences of schooling and structural injustices in education, explored visions for the future, and used their memories and hopes to co-construct a poem. This was then adapted into a film by Mike Jenkins from 8th Sense Media, which was screened for the participants, their families, and the public at the Easton Community Centre in July 2025.

Rooted in Black Radical thought and inspired by R. D. G. Kelly’s book Freedom Dreaming (2002), this project was built from the idea that in order to achieve social justice through education, we must challenge ourselves to reimagine its future. Following the workshops, we wrote a creative guide to support people to reimagine education indivudally or with others, which we hope will result in more poems being generated. If you write one, please do share it with us!