Barbados Elects its First President

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 22 October 2021 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

On 21 October, the Caribbean nation of Barbados took the first step towards becoming a republic when the joint houses of Parliament chose Dame Sandra Mason as the country’s first president, to replace Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Ms Mason, a trained lawyer and former magistrate, has been the Governor-General of Barbados since … Continue reading “Barbados Elects its First President”

Painting the Town Black

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 22 October 2020 > Celebrate

To celebrate Black History Month 2020, the British Post Office painted some of its iconic red post boxes black and adorned them with the portraits and stories of notable black Britons. The boxes show biographical information about the person featured, and passers by can scan a code to access a Black History Month gallery  of … Continue reading “Painting the Town Black”

Teaching About Windrush

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 19 June 2020 > Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks

The 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Empire Windrush in the UK, and the current scandal about the treatment of the children of the Windrush Generation, give an opportunity to look at the experiences of Commonwealth immigrants to the U.K.  This is a nice simple explanation of the Windrush generation from the BBC children’s … Continue reading “Teaching About Windrush”

The Victorian Era

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 01 June 2020 > Webpicks

Learn more about the Victorian Era that Oscar Wilde lived in with this short slideshow.  

What About Windrush?

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 14 May 2018 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

There were various celebrations and exhibitions planned to mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of West Indian mass immigration to the U.K., with the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in London on 22 June 1948. Instead, a scandal has grown up about the treatment of the “Windrush Generation” that led to the … Continue reading “What About Windrush?”

Shetland Viking Fire Festival

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 19 January 2017 > Celebrate

The Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of the U.K., and belonged to Norway until 1468. So it’s no surprise that the highpoint in the Shetland cultural calendar is a spectacular Viking fire festival in January: Up Helly Aa. On the last Tuesday of January, a thousand costumed men pull a Viking longship through Lerwick … Continue reading “Shetland Viking Fire Festival”