Where did black history month go?

9/10/2021

With all that has been going on this year regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and the deaths of numerous people of colour, you would think that this year's Black History month would be more important than ever. Yet, it seems to have been overlooked and forgotten. Marginalised, even. Instead, people are more excited for Halloween.

So, why has this happened?

Halloween is a very commercialised holiday, with adverts starring for it from the middle of September. But, how many adverts do you see for Black History Month? Personally, I've hardly seen any. The only UK channel that does seem to be doing anything is Channel 4, with their series of programmes called ‘Black and Proud’. But, is Channel 4 doing it for the right reason of making black voices heard, or is it just tokenism?

Tokenism is the symbolic effort to be inclusive towards members of a minority. A key example of this is having one black actor in a predominantly white cast. That is just the beginning of it though. As the UK is predominately run by straight white males in all industries.

This is shown in our schools, through the curriculum. As in English class we mainly read stories written by dead white men. In History we only really learn about Black History through during the slave trade. So, my experience of Black History Month has always been very minimal due to how the UK is.

Yet, people say that the UK is not racist.

To get involved more in Black History Month and the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole, please educate yourself. Here at TWE we have numerous articles on the topic, plus there are many more out there on the internet. There are also many videos and podcasts. One that I recommend is "So You Want to Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo, which comes in book form, audiobook form, blog and podcast. So, whether you’re a reader or a listener, there are always opportunities to educate yourself.

There needs to be some serious systematic change in order for us all to live in a more equal and accepting society. The UK is a diverse place and this needs to be represented, everywhere from the media we consume daily to the school curriculum we all studied as children. As teenagers, we are the next generation - we will be the ones in power soon. So, we must fight for change and pave the way for a better society.

Josh

2 Comments

Agamemnon

19/10/2021 22:25:03

The problem is that as a rule people tend not to like to be talked down to and preached to, especially during a time of the year that people prefer to have fun. You can complain all you like about people not caring so much about Black History Month but really, A) it is seen as pretty American. Yes, we should be teaching (within reason*) about important events in history that did involve black British people - Post-Captain John ''Jack Punch'' Perkins, the Napoleonic hero is an example. He is like a real life Hornblower - but having a specific month isn't the answer; B) October shouldn't have been chosen as ''Black History Month'' as people tend to like to extend Halloween to a whole season now (I know I do). And this isn't coming from a place of privilege, I am poor and my father was called the N-word to my face on many occassions; though I will say that the UK isn't a racist country in itself. You say that white males run the country, but white people do make up the majority and males tend to enter certain industries more than women (though in politics they are certainly not uncommon). What do you suggest? Giving power to minorities even though they may not excel in it. If you think that the UK is racist - despite the fact that studies and polls show this country to be among the least if not the least - you should see all the countries in Africa (with exceptions such as South Africa; good on you, SA!), Southeast Asia, South Asia and most other parts of the world where there is a bigger problem with racism that here and the USA. The fact is that young leftists just like to pretend that the country they live in is automatically the worst when it comes to racism, homelessness etc. even when it isn't; when you get older you tend to see things a bit more clearly and I don't mean that in an ageist way. Is there room for improvement in this country? Certainly! But the fact remains that the United Kingdom - and I say this as a libertarian leftist - has been a leader in human rights and democracy and though ideological extremists of the far-right and the far-left want to erode these virtues, we still are leaders thankfully. What we need to do is find a right method and way of championing minorities without being patronising and tokenist, which is what mostly is happening with the ''social justice'' movement.

Kindest regards,
A.

* Black Peo

9/11/2021 18:26:07

Hi A,

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, it is great to have more than one opinion. And, I found your comment very insightful and informative.

You are definitely right about October not being the best month, in America it's in February. What do you think is that a better time? But of course we should be talking about it all year round!

You're right we are very fortunate that we live in such a progressive country, but of course there is always room for improvement. Whether there will be any systematic change is a good question. But we've got to fight for what we believe in!!

Thank you for the discussion!!

Kind regards,
Josh

Where did black history month go?

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