“Celebrating our Sisters, Saluting our Sisters, and Honouring Matriarchs of Movements”.
October is Black History Month and in keeping with the 2023 theme of “Celebrating our Sisters, Saluting our Sisters, and Honouring Matriarchs of Movements”, we are sharing the work of black poet and adoptee, Jackie Kay.
Kay was Scotland’s first black National Poet and held the post between 2011 and 2016.
Much of Kay’s work is based on her own experience of adoption into a white Scottish family. According to the Poetry Archive, “when Kay began writing ‘there wasn’t anybody else saying the things I wanted to say…I started out of that sense of wanting to create some image of myself.'”
You can listen to recordings of Jackie Kay reciting her poetry at The Poetry Archive here.
If you are inspired or an aspiring poet, you can enter Black History Month’s national poetry competition here. Open to all ages. Poems should fit within the announced theme of the competition; “Celebrating Black Women”. Closing date 15th November 2023 (additional competition rules can be found at https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/poetry-competition-entry/)
If you’d like to know more about how to help an adopted child understand and develop their identity, please get in touch with your dedicated social worker or get in touch with our team by calling 0800 5877 791 or emailing contactus@adoptersforadoption.com.
