ResLife
Black History: A British Story
Hooray.
Hurayyy. Woop da woop.
It’s October and
we, Black Birtish people, are finally permitted to celebrate the beauty and
breadth of our history.
I say, our,
rather figuratively though.
Black History
month has been long dominated by the US Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks,
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X here and there. And not to throw shade at
these OGs. But
what about the British Story. The British version of events. What is the
British Black History story all about?
That story. The
British one, exists. And in many formats and with hundreds of thousands of
stories too. From how black men and women put their own lives on the line during WWI and WWII, then the Black people in the 1940s/1950s who
quite literally rebuilt this country in post-war Britain. Then
there’s the Black British people who refused to sit down and stood up for what
they believed in, refusing to be treated as second class citizens in the
country they called home, see Bristol bus Boycotts and Mangrove Nine.
These are just a
few stories of the incredible Black British pioneers, but I encourage you to
search for your own and find those that resonate the most with you. E.g. if you
like to dance, check out the Ballets
Nègres and Irie! If you like football, maybe research John Barnes and his impact on the game.
Like I’ve
mentioned, Black British History is beautiful and vast. To contain this to a
mere 31 days, is not only inadequate, but insulting. For me, every day is a
celebration of Black History, and not just only the history, but the future.
The future of black history to me, looks like a society with black leaders at
the helm of industry. Black British actors, artists and other creatives not
just playing the ‘typical black role’ (Sex Education on Netflix smashed this). Not having to give Black Boys, the talk about
how to act if stopped by the police or other forms of authority, “DON’T BE
HOSTILE OR AGGRESSIVE - SUBMIT”. And, a world where we all realise how
beautiful it is to be black. To all non-black people, it’s okay to call me
black. I am. It’s not a slur. I love my blackness and so should you.
So I’m not
asking for much right?
Anyways, I hope
you enjoy this Black History Month, open your eyes, learn something new and
most of all, don’t try and contain this beauty to a mere 31 days.
Other resources:
Black British History on Record - National Archives
Black History you may not know about - BBC News
Instagram:
@nevertaughtinschool
@tellafriendpod
By Lewis Goode
2nd October 2020
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