Sam Sharpe was an enslaved Jamaican who was executed in 1832 for leading a revolt against slavery. His actions had a strong influence on the later abolition of slavery, and he is honoured as a national hero in Jamaica. The Sam Sharpe lectures aim to advance his legacy by exploring subjects related to race, class and injustice.

This year’s lecture, entitled ‘Bringing Down the House’ is being hosted by the University and will be given by Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University. Kehinde Andrews’ latest book is ‘The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism still Rule the World’ (published in 2021). He also wrote ‘Black to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st century’ and ‘Resisting Racism: Race, Inequality and the Black Supplementary School Movement’ and is editor of the ‘Blackness in Britain’ book series with Bloomsbury.