I welcome the debate but I am shocked at the lack of education surrounding the issue of Black history which still remains controversial even within the student body.
Black History is a fundamental part of British History. Britain has relied on immigration both forced and voluntary in order to build its empire, economy and society. At a time of multi-culturalism and globalisation, why are we not given the opportunity to learn more about the diverse history of Britain and the world, through the university and in the curriculum? We as a community need to call for the government to make the curriculum more diverse as a reflection of our varied population. Why are issues such as the Rwandan genocide, which happened in 1994 left out of the curriculum, even though over 1 million people were killed in the space of 100 days? Black history education is neglected at all levels of education, unlike in the USA where they have mandatory subjects in the history of emancipation, slave trade and the civil rights movement. In America Black History month is widely celebrated and is a major campaign for institutions. There is even a Public Holiday called Martin Luther King Day. Now I’m not advocating a call for anything on that level however this clearly highlights the fact that UK is not taking a lead in setting an example to other states or its own people.
The Stephen Lawrence inquiry recommended diversifying the curriculum as a powerful weapon to counter and eradicate racism amongst young people. The government also believes that more black role models are needed in society, but how is this to be achieved now if black people do not event know their roots or how they have benefited society in the past.
To illustrate my point on why we need to have black history taught to all students, I will briefly tell you about the difficulty I faced when running the Black History Month campaign on campus in October 2007. The Black History Month campaign drew criticism from most people which I had not anticipated in a year of great historical importance.
· Many students argued that there is no need for such a campaign because we are all equal.
· Many students have told me that everyone is equal and, the fact that I am running this campaign makes it unfair to white people.
· Some have even suggested that I run a white history month campaign. (For me this would not make sense because British children are taught this from the day 1)
· I had people unknowingly use racist terminology when talking to me. (They obviously had not been told what terms were considered ok and what terms were not).
The fact that these issues were raised highlights the fact people are probably taking more information from the daily mail and express than they are being taught in schools, at home or in university. Black British History spans over 400 years and is a celebration of Black investment to the arts, music, sport etc and is also a way of educating people on its significance in history and our everyday lives. Education is a powerful tool and it is obviously not being harnessed to its potential.
Secondly, as many of you may or may not know, last year we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the UK. I believe that this marked an important time for students to recognise the significance of our history in the wider context of history.
I believe that there is still a strong case for an apology for leading role of the British state in the transatlantic slave trade. This is not an apology for individual guilt or personal regret, but is a political apology acknowledging the collective responsibility of the state, Monarchy and Parliament in this titanic crime against humanity. The city of Liverpool council and the Greater London Assembly have apologised on behalf of their citizens so why cant the government.
The slave trade did not just finish 200 years ago, but has actually continued in the form of colonisation of Asia and Africa. Only in the last half century have we seen institutionalised subordination of other races reduce with the rise of independent states. However it must be noted that slavery has increased in other parts of the world since then with the rise of forced labour in developing countries, human trafficking and sweat shops. Yes Slavery on paper officially ended 200 years ago, however it is evident that it still overtly exists in the world today. We clearly have not learnt enough lessons about the mistakes that were made in the past. An apology is also a way of denouncing slavery in any form.
The affect of the slave trade is still evident in every day life. It took 400 years to remove the physical chains and scars of slavery and it will take 400 years to get remove the invisible chains and scars that many people walk around with on a daily basis. This invisible chain is racism, a notion based on the idea of one race being superior to another, which is illustrated through discrimination, abuse and even death (all the factors that the slave trade relied upon).
We have a duty to the forgotten contributors that lay the foundations for the expansion, industrialisation and modernisation of the United Kingdom. Calling for an apology and teaching Black History is the least we can do in respect of the millions that perished for the sake of the British state.
I will leave you with this African Proverb to ponder over…
‘Until the lion has a historian of his own, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter’
