BLACK
HISTORY IN BRITAIN*
The African British experience
 By Delroy Constantine-Simms
for Black Heritage Today
magazine
While collating information related to BHM
Heritage I was often asked by borough councils ‘Black
History Month? What is that? Yet the event listings
mainly come from an office just upstairs. Heritage
threw out the questions of BHM, its origins, the
idea behind it, who it is for and where it might
be going, and why it is not celebrated mainstream
as other festivals are. We received some interesting
responses. The word ‘Debate’ comes
to mind!
Black History Month (BHM) is held every October in
Britain. The aims are to: Promote knowledge of
Black History and experience, disseminate information
on positive Black contributions to British Society
and heighten the confidence and awareness of Black
people in their cultural history. Ever since the
1970's, African history, art and culture has been
celebrated by African Britons in the Diaspora.
Whether the vehicle was Berry Edwards or Eric and
Jessica Huntley 'Caribbean week' or Alex Pascall's
'Black Londoners' programme on the BBC, our story
was finally being told.
Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, a special projects officer for
the former Greater London Council, after speaking
to black teenagers, discovered that they were reluctant
to have anything to do with or identify with Africa.
Akyaaba felt this was due to the negative representation
of Africans in the media, and the many and distorted
images about Africa.
In 1986 and 1987, Akyaaba with the backing of several
other people organised key events that established
the trend for African History Month. These included
serious debates about the African contribution to
civilisation with leading U.S. historians. In 1987
the race unit was moved to the London Strategic Policy
Unit. Symbolically this year also marked 150 years
of the end of slavery.
Prior to the demise of the GLC, and in a drive to
improve racial harmony in London, councillors passed
a declaration that put Black History Month in October.
As a result the UK's first Black History Month event
took place as part of the African Jubilee Year 1987-88
celebrations organised by the former London Strategic
Policy Unit.
The event was a success. In response, the then Association
of London Authorities later endorsed BHM as an annual
event leading to its official recognition on the
cultural calendars of all London boroughs and several
Metropolitan and City Councils around the country;
providing financial support every year.
The late Len Garrison, one of the founder members
of the Black Cultural Archives (BCA), then historically
went on to say "Remember what we inherit today
has been won with bloodshed and sacrifice by others
yesterday".
Current History books still serve particular imperialist
purposes as elements of world history distorted by
authors’ myopic views centred around global
interaction with Europe and Europeans. African American
historian John Henrik Clarke commented that, 'to
control a people you must first control what they
think about themselves and how they regard their
history and culture. And when your conqueror makes
you ashamed of your culture and your history, he
needs no prison walls and no chains to hold you.'
The majority of Africans in the Diaspora still suffer
a lack of knowledge of self and our past and as a
result suffer from cultural disinheritance. Historically
this has lead to the internalisation and feelings
of an inferiority complex, which are a direct result
of becoming caricatures and an inferior subset of
the human race in the body of Western thought.
BHM seeks to restore an integral element of British
History, which has been ignored and denied in the
creation of racist mythologies. The need to continuously
educate, enrich and challenge the content and construction
of conventional history is essential in the drive
to eradicate inaccurate views of world history.
Nowhere else in the world does Black History include
the celebration of other cultures’ history
that is not of African (and Caribbean) Origin. The
British approach to Black History Month may be seen
as inclusive to many, but to me it effectively challenges
and undermines the reason why Black History Month
was initially conceived. This urbanisation of Black
History Month represents the watering down and marginalisation
of our history and significant contribution to British
society post and pre the Windrush.
In the USA, Black means anybody that is of African
heritage; usually referring to Africans, African-Americans,
Caribbean and African South Americans and those who
identify with the Black experience but may be of
dual heritage. No one else! Blacks in Britain have
to accept footnote politics in that the definition
of Black has to be explained on most public documents
aimed at the so called target group. It's laughable,
but a fact of British politics. It's no wonder African-Americans
don't take us seriously as a community. It's no wonder
they are confused when the come to UK Black History
events only to find that the History being discussed
has nothing to do with the African Diaspora experience.
It's easy to blame the local authorities and national
government, and mainstream for this state of affairs.
But in reality, misguided Black politicians of the
late 1970's with strong socialist tendencies created
a situation where Black political and socio-historical
contributions to the United Kingdom have been marginalised,
recast and re-labelled as an urban contribution to
the delight of organisations and policy makers that
have no interest in
accepting the term Black, let alone the contribution
of Blacks in the United Kingdom before the arrival
of the Windrush and after!
Despite the image of a multi-cultural Britain, most
non-African or African ethnic groups continue to
show antipathy to Blacks in Britain when their political
interests are not part of the agenda. In fact the
label Black is losing its political currency and
is gradually regaining its pariah status, describing
people of African descent who have been defrocked,
disempowered and cast aside. It is frowned upon when
not used to describe other people who are not traditionally
considered Black. The term Black has been exchanged
for Urban, and no longer can Blacks in Britain call
themselves Black in a positive context, or even talk
about Black music - Urban music is preferred. Blacks
in Britain can just about call themselves Black.
But make no mistake if we mess up we are gladly reminded
we are Black by the very communities that call themselves
Black, but are essentially from other ethnic and
cultural origins that are very removed from the African
Diasporic experience.
Just like the Notting Hill Carnival, the unconscious,
the ill informed and the misguided and other ethnic
minority groups have hijacked Black History Month.
This suits the powers that be because rather than
accepting that each minority group has a different
experience they would rather adopt a blanket approach
to celebrating Black History Month as opposed
to issues that uniquely affect the African and African-Caribbean
communities in Britain.
The consequences are clear, the concept and reasoning
behind Black history has shifted so that Black in
Britain means any one that experiences oppression,
including the Irish, Greeks, Turks, Kurds, Arabs.
That's all very well, but in reality it is Africans
and African Caribbean that are at the bottom of the
social and economical pile as other communities and
local and National government agencies are quick
to remind us.
In essence, perhaps Black History Month should be
called African History Month and be seen as a daily
experience as opposed to some state handout that
Blacks in Britain should be grateful to accept.
Sadly, It has taken no less that 18 years for the
application of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s concept
in Britain to move from African History, to Black
History Month, it's only a matter of time before
it becomes Multicultural History Month before being
called Urban History Month, to no celebrations at
all.
In 1926, nearly eighty years after the inception
and celebration of Black History celebrations in
North America and the Caribbean, the original target
group Africans in the Diaspora as defined by Dr.
Carter G. Woodson is clear and hasn't changed. Neither
is there any confusion about who is Black and why
these celebrations exist.
In Britain however, the political and social resistance
to a strictly African Diasporia by other ethnic minority
groups and the wider community has meant that it
has taken less than twenty years for other ethnic
minority groups to encroach, reshape and redefine
the event. African related history as part of the
Black History Month celebration is becoming increasingly
marginalised by these groups, eager to assert their
historical agenda. However, they must not be allowed
to assert their socio-political history agenda under
the Black history banner.
Black history should remain Black; anything else
is nonsense. The question we need to ask is this:
Would Asians, Jews, Hindus or other minority groups
allow Africans to intrude on their cultural celebrations?
No way! When Blacks in Britain try and celebrate
anything that is specific to the Black community,
they have the nerve to call it reverse racism. Yet
if Blacks wanted to get involved in a Diwali, Mela,
Hanukah or St. Patrick's Day event there is often
serious opposition from these so called non-African
communities’ religious and political leaders.
Social groups that are far removed from the Black
experience have hijacked the British version of Black
History Month. That hasn't happened in the USA where
there is no confusion about race or cultural identity.
The USA really does allow you to celebrate who you
are in a very undiluted manner. It's a situation
that is clearly understood and respected. Besides
African Americans would never allow anyone who is
not Black to call themselves Black. People of colour
may be! Black! I really don't think so.
There is no way that would ever happen in the USA,
the boundaries are too clearly defined. No one
has a monopoly on history. Other groups can celebrate
Black History Month, but they should not be allowed
to slip their cultural nuances into the equation,
to the point that the only
thing Black about Black History Month is the title!
We must regain ideological control of African History.
Blacks in Britain must prevail in Black History
Month celebrations. If Blacks in Britain are not
careful they will have nothing left to celebrate!
I put it to the readers in no uncertain terms that
if the current state of affairs continues, that
is; allowing other groups to determine how Black
history is celebrated,
Blacks in Britain will have a greater affinity
with Kebabs, Somosas and Saris than Reggae, Rice
and Peas and Steel Bands!
Over to YOU!
Delroy Constantine-Simms
Lecturer Exeter University
Courtesy of the print copy of acclaimed Black History
Month magazine Black
Heritage Today.
*This article doesn't necessarily
reflect the views of Black History Month website
or its owners.
Comments
From Toby Seriki, Form 5F, Year 5, St Dunstans
School, Catford, London
"The Future of Black History Month
In the future Black History Month should be made
into Cultural Diversity Month, when we celebrate
all the different cultures that live together in
Britain.
The reason why I believe this should happen is because
Black History Month is dividing World History into
separate bits. The history of black people who live
in America is part of American history and the history
of black people in Britain is part of British history
and all the countries in Africa have their own histories
and all together this makes up the history of the
world. Black History should be part of World History
and taught in history lessons, instead of having
a separate month. This will make world history complete,
at the moment it has bits missing. So next year at St Dunstans College I suggest that
black history is moved into world history and we
spend October learning about all the different cultures
that exist in the school."
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