Time for the hunter to apologise?

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 200^th 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’

 

 

 

Pushing Black the barriers

Bonolo Woracker Vice President Welfare

At Coventry University Students’ Union

 

 

 

Why I stood…..

 

Becoming the first ever member of my family to go to University was a privilege even though I knew full well it was a fundamental right. Studying Law and Politics at degree was the catalyst that helped me decide to run for the position. Representation and justice are areas that I was very interested in. I then turned to the students’ union which provided the opportunities for me to take my interests further on my campus. As a Black student I understood clearly the needs of students from widening participation backgrounds as they are the students that are most likely to face financial hardships, discrimination and lack of opportunities in their lives. Having struggled to self finance my studies for three years through various part time jobs, I considered myself to be in a more experienced position than others from similar backgrounds to run for a position on the union executive and so I did and went for the position of Vice President Welfare.

 

 

Now………..

As a Sabbatical Officer at Coventry University Students’ Union it has been my job to oversee the welfare and security provisions on campus for our diverse membership. I was elected Vice-President Welfare in 2007 and have been re-elected for a second term in my post carrying out campaigns, helping run a union and representing students at Coventry University.

 

As a Black Sabbatical Officer it has been very challenging in my role but I believe it has allowed me to positively influence my union and university on issues that affect all students and not just those from ethnic minorities. As a Sabbatical Officer I believe that I have brought more than just my educational, work and political experience to the role. I believe that my race has helped me bring a new dimension and opinion to the union which may have otherwise not existed.

 

Having to face frequent racism on the streets of Coventry was disappointing and shocking but I knew that I was not the only one in this position. Instead of working against the system I chose to push myself straight into the deep end and represent all students on campus facing problems. I have pushed forward policy in the union to make Black History Month an annual event and ran the very first BME Caucus at Coventry University. I have also run our annual One World Week which celebrates diversity and culture within our union. However it is clearly obvious that there is still a long way to go for Black and minority ethnic students here at Coventry.

 

Coventry University has the 11^th largest population of BME students in the country however are poorly represented within the unions’ democratic structures. I was the only Black candidate in my first sabbatical elections out of a total of 15 candidates. I became the only Black student on the sabbatical team and the only Black person working full time in the Students Union. I am glad to say this has improved for the better over the last year. Our sports and societies are poorly represented in terms of BME students and to add to all of this our BME events are few and far between in our union. Hopefully the establishment of a BME officer on union council and greater representation within the union will prove to be a beneficial force in our union over the years to come. I am aware that the number of full time BME sabbatical officers nationwide is very low but I am glad to see this figure increasing albeit at a slow pace.

 

It is clear to see that Black students are continually underachieving, dropping out of courses at alarming rates, attaining lower grades at every level of education and are becoming more and more disengaged in politics. This should not be the case in 21^st century Britain where opportunity should be given to everyone and not the elite few. I believe that the black community should be at the epicentre of the movement to tackle social and educational change for minorities. It is only the Black community that can recognise our failings, strengths and problems so it should be this community that should determine what is best for them. I believe that Black students are best placed to tackle educational and welfare issues that affect them which is why I back the NUS Black Students’ Union Campaign. This national campaign is highlighting injustices and promoting opportunities for BME students. NUS and individual Unions must work together in order to address the needs and concerns of this growing group of students. Engaging BME students is going to be even more difficult as we see the demographics of the student population change.

 

Where next?

 

There is still more to be done and I am proud to be at the forefront of our movement for better representation, campaigns and equality for all students, especially the students from widening participation backgrounds. I have been elected onto the Black Students’ Committee where I hope to take my experience nationwide and help students’ in my community. It is important that as a collective we remain united when confronted with racism, remain politically aware when socially suppressed and remain intellectually positive when educationally deprived.

I want to fight against ignorance and stereotypes by continuing to push representation, retention and participation of minorities onto the agenda at every level of education. Only through political activism and educational achievement, can equality be achieved. As Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.  If we can influence the most powerful weapon (our education) then we, as a community can provide the spark that does indeed change the world.