October is celebrated as Black History Month in Britain. Before I returned to T&T recently, I prepared a paper that was delivered at one of London’s academies. I am one of those who firmly believe all communities can benefit from this important celebration.
Jendella Benson, British Nigerian writer and editor, rightly said some years ago: “Black history is British history. Black History Month is not just a charitable act of diversity and inclusion, but it’s a chance to publicly acknowledge the fact that the destiny of the two million British people of African and Caribbean descent is tied up in the destiny of Britain itself.
From the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, through to Colonialism, the World Wars, the Civil Rights Era and present day, people of African descent have played a part —willingly and unwillingly—in the fortunes of this small nation. And that’s not even to mention the black people who were present on these shores as far back as the 1500s. If British history was taught properly and exhaustively, then Black History Month is a concept that may not need to exist.”
Everybody’s history matters. However, although black people have lived in Britain for “close on” 500 years, it is only when, for example, one reads books such as Peter Fryer’s Staying power, the history of Black people in Britain (1984), that one realises generations of men, women and children have not been taught the full truth of Britain’s history, and indeed, world history.
Fryer’s Preface begins with the sentence: “Black people—by whom I mean Africans and Asians and their descendants – have been living in Britain for close on 500 years.”
While it is important to reflect on the adverse effects of racism and how it can hide the truth about black people’s history, it is also important to celebrate the lives of the countless people who have contributed and continue to contribute to the development of Britain.
Read about the achievements/contributions of people such as Ignatius Sancho, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Seacole, Claudia Jones, Sir Learie Constantine, Ulric Cross, Dame Joycelyn Barrow, Lord Herman Ouseley, Baroness Floella Benjamin; Sir Trevor McDonald, Stuart Hall, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Winifred Atwell, who recently had a blue plaque erected in Mayfair, in her honour, and Baroness Rosalind Howells, who died last week at the age of 94. And there are countless individuals who have contributed/continue to contribute to the development of Britain in various fields of endeavour.
Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican-born civil rights activist, wrote: “A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
Read about the Sankofa Bird:
“A mythical bird depicted looking backwards while holding an egg in its beak, symbolising the act of reaching back to reclaim something valuable—knowledge, heritage, or lessons.
The bird’s posture illustrates the balance between looking back and moving forward...The symbol originates from the Akan people of Ghana. Its name comes from the Twi expression, “San kf’a!” whose literal meaning is “Go back and get it!” a command to pay due regard to the lessons and practices of the past and to draw on them to inform the present and the future ... Sankofa embodies humility, reflection, and respect for ancestry, teaching us that progress comes through understanding and honouring history.” https://www.adinkrasymbols.org/symbols/sankofa
Black history is important. Maya Angelou, poet, writer, and civil rights activist said: “Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.”
I see myself as the hope of my ancestors from India, Africa, Barbados and Venezuela. Each of us has a duty to build the common good; to create inclusive conditions that allow every person to realise his/her potential.
Equity and equality, justice, and peace can only become a reality if we denounce racism in all its forms eg:
a. Individual/personal racism—our attitudes and behaviour towards others based on stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination;
b. Institutional/structural/systemic— policies and practices that discriminate against persons because of their colour/ethnicity’.
As the UN states: “Racism harms not just the lives of those who endure it, but also society as a whole.”
Racism can lead to genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. We have much work to do to promote mutual respect, peace and harmony among the diverse ethnic communities that populate the world. Humanity is one. The time is now to promote unity and solidarity.
