Is Black History Month Still Relevant? (Monday 5th October)
Posted on 05. Oct, 2009 by admin in Inspiration
KEYSHA DAVIS (Entertainment Editor of Pride Magazine)
“When I was about 11 years old, one Sunday afternoon my Mum started singing an impromptu version of the civil rights anthem ‘We Shall Overcome’. I mean randomly. Hoover in hand, head scarf neatly covering her rollers, she stood there all 5ft 2 of her belting out the chorus with passion and gusto. When she finished, I was curious to find out why she was singing that song.
Mum then began to tell me a story she had never told me before. According to her, she along with my Aunties, Uncles and their friends, took to the streets of New Cross in South East London (year unknown) to join an organised protest against the racial discrimination that they themselves, and many other First Generation West Indian immigrants had been experiencing since arriving on British soil in the hopes of a better life.
“So wow, did you have placards and everything?” I asked excitedly, folding my legs on the sofa as I made myself comfy.
“Yes we did” Mum answered matter of factly. “We were scared though. There were plenty police around, and it’s something that none of us had done before, but we felt it was important.”
Sammy Davis Jr, Booker T Washington, Alice Walker & Madame CJ Walker
This little anecdote may seem a bit abstract given the subject, but I’m using it as an allegory to illustrate exactly why I think Black History STILL and will ALWAYS remain important to Black people living in Blighty. Do you know how differently I saw my mum after she told me that story? Do you know how heroic she now appeared in the eyes of my pre-teen self? I mean I had always admired my Mother, but that little action of defiance, determination and bravery gave me a glimpse of a side of her I had no idea existed. Sitting comfortably in our nice little 4 bedroom house, it had never occurred to me that me that she had to go through such struggles and adversities to provide a life of comfort and security for her family.
Maya Angelou, Jesse Owens, Arthur Wharton & John Archer
And in a nutshell, that’s my point. How many other incidents of this nature have occurred unbeknown to us 2nd and 3rd generationers? How many obstacles will we ourselves overcome and glass ceilings will we obliterate that will go unheard of if we don’t document them? And when I refer to Black History, I talk specifically of Black British History. The lives of Malcolm and Martin are well recognized, but if any of us were asked to name 5 Black historical figures from Britain, how easily would we be able to reel off names?
“A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots” Jamaican Born, Pan Africanist, Marcus Garvey stated in 1917. Now more than ever that quote holds deep relevance. So many of us have played privy to rootless trees moping around the streets of Britain feeling hopeless, disenfranchised, and unworthy. Maybe a snapshot of their ancestral past will serve as a reminder that maybe life ain’t so bad at all”
Make sure you pick up Pride Magazine’s Black History Issue
Site - http://www.pridemagazine.com/
Is Black History Month Still Relevant?: Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4
