These children are lining up in Brixton, south London, to see Queen Mary open Lambeth Town Hall in 1938
From the black Britons in Roman times, to Henry VIII’s trumpeter and our very own bus boycott.
The Ivory Bangle Lady
Image copyrightUNIVERSITY OF READING“We have existed in Britain and been pioneers, inventors, icons. And then colonialism happened, and that has shaped the experiences of black people – but that is not all we are.”
These are the words of Lavinya Stennett, founder of The Black Curriculum, an organisation which teaches black British history in schools – and is campaigning for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to make it compulsory.
The death of George Floyd in America has inspired thousands of people in Britain to demand justice, marching through the streets of our biggest cities.
Black Lives Matter protesters here insist that the UK “is not innocent”. But some commentators have questioned whether racism exists in Britain, and to what extent.
George The Poet, who was questioned about this on Newsnight, believes a lack of education about black British history – and the British Empire – plays a part in racism in the UK and our discussions about it.
George The Poet✔@GeorgeThePoet
My appearance on @BBCnewsnight yesterday reminded me that racism convos are weakened by gaps in our information. Ideally, we would all leave school with a basic awareness of Britain’s leading role in the oppression of black and brown people. But we’re a long way from this 1/7
The transatlantic slave trade and the US civil rights movement are largely the only black history taught in UK schools, normally in October when we celebrate Black History Month.
“lf you’re omitting different histories and narratives, you’re saying that these people aren’t part of this country, this nation, this heritage – or they’re not important enough to be taught as common knowledge,” says Melody Triumph, policy specialist at The Black Curriculum.[…]
Continue reading: The black British history you may not know about
msamba 