As part of IMMA Outdoors, this summer we are opening the grounds of IMMA and the RHK on Thursday and Friday evenings until 8.30pm with an evening event series titled IMMA Nights. This upcoming IMMA Nights event explores black and mixed-race inclusivity within Irish society, specifically within our education system with special guests Black and Irish – Femi Bankole, Co-Founder & CEO, Black and Irish and Briana Fitzsimons, Education Coordinator of Black and Irish. This talk will be followed by music in the Courtyard by TKSAX.

Talk & Discussion/ The People’s Pavilion / 6pm
To open the event Femi Bankole, Co-Founder & CEO, Black and Irish, will give an introduction into the journey of Black and Irish, an organisation aimed at highlighting the struggles and celebrating the success of black and mixed-race people in Ireland through podcasts and social media.

One major focus of the organisation is to introduce a Black inclusive curriculum into the Irish education system. During this talk, Briana Fitzsimons will speak about the work that the team have done so far on this initiative, including a recent campaign with the international cosmetic brand, LUSH. Fitzsimons will also talk about the Anti-Bias Anti-Racism (ABAR) training that Black and Irish have created and are in the process of rolling out to teachers across Ireland.

After the talk, there will be a chance to ask questions and network with like-minded individuals on how we can make Ireland a more inclusive place for all, especially within our education system.

Music in Courtyard/ 7.15pm
Featuring TKSAX – An Irish Nigerian Afrojazz saxophonist, working in the bebop and Afro idioms. TKSAX is helping pioneer the use of jazz and Afrobeat to create a new sound.

This event expands on Black and Irish’s participation with the IMMA SPICE project, that aims to support citizen curation through co-design with a diverse set of museums and communities.