Since 1987, the UK has dedicated one month out of 12 to celebrate and spotlight the achievements of people of African and Caribbean descent. Taking inspiration from the United States and their month focusing on the contributions of Black Americans to the country’s history and society (which takes place in February), Black History Month (BHM) is seen as an opportunity to focus on how Black people have contributed to British life, as well as those in countries such as the USA, where Carter G Woodson started this event in 1926 as Negro History Month.
However, BHM is also a debated, if somewhat controversial, issue – while some people see it as important in representing Black people in the history sphere and a way for us to celebrate it, others believe that Black history should be taught in schools and acknowledged all year round, treating it as a natural aspect of British history. In the US, actors Morgan Freeman and Stacey Dash have called for BHM to be scrapped; the former pointed out that “Black history is American history”, while the latter considered it to be a form of societal division. So, is Black History Month still a necessity in Britain or anywhere else, or should we learn about Black history all year round?
BHM is tokenistic, and as soon as it’s over, people go back to their usual lives…
While many Black people view Black History Month as essential for shining a light on people from African and Caribbean communities, giving representation for Black children and educating them and their non-Black peers, some consider giving a month dedicated to their history tokenistic. That’s just one month out of 12 to reflect on Black people and their contributions to society, and to learn about Black-owned businesses that we can support and then, more often than not, the community gets pushed to the side when BHM ends. Black people are Black 24/7, so learning about Black historical figures and supporting the community should be done 24/7 as well.
Also, the term ‘Black history’, combined with cramming the community’s achievements and work into 31 days, can be interpreted as separatist, with the implication that it exists apart from American history, British history, and so on. For instance, the history of the US is intertwined with that of Black people; one only needs to read about abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, civil rights figures such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, and inventors like Sarah Boone and Garrett Morgan to understand the role of Black people in building and changing the United States. Similarly, the UK has figures such as Olaudah Equiano, an 18th century abolitionist and Harold Moody, a physician and the founder of the League of Coloured Peoples who lived in the early 20th century. They are just two of the many figures who have made contributions to British life and history.
Black History Month celebrates historical figures like Martin Luther King
(Credit: National Park Service)
…But we still need much representation in the history curriculum
The inclusion and coverage of Black people in the history curriculum continues to be an issue in Western nations such as the UK. According to the National Curriculum, figures such as Mary Seacole and Rosa Parks are studied in Key Stage 1 (5-7 years), while Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) children typically learn about the transatlantic slave trade, the abolitionist movement in Britain, and slave rebellions in the Caribbean islands as part of studies around Britain’s empire and early industrial era. We can see that all these topics are linked to struggles against racism. The curriculum also mentions the comparison and contrast of British history with a non-European civilisation in Key Stage 2, with the Benin Empire in West Africa being suggested as an example. However, this is the only example of studying topics related to the Black community that isn’t linked to slavery and the fight for civil rights.
Additionally, mass media and history would have us believe that Black people from Africa and the Caribbean only arrived in Britain in the Windrush era, when in fact, they have been here since the days of the Roman Empire. British historian David Olusoga wrote a book about the unknown presence and role of African/Caribbean people in Britain since Roman times and fronted a companion TV series, visiting places such as Pontypool in Wales, Sierra Leone, and Botswana.
Adequately educating people on Black history is an even more contentious issue in the USA. States such as Arkansas, Florida and Texas have removed Black history from their school curricula. This is problematic as it robs children and young people living in these states of the chance to learn about and appreciate the contributions Black people have made to American life and society. It also means they're not educated on how to fight racism or challenge conscious and unconscious biases. Thankfully, there is resistance; over 300 churches in Florida are delivering Black history lessons, unhappy with the way that Governor Ron DeSantis and the bills he has signed are blocking Floridians from learning the truth about their history and giving children a racially inclusive education.
The takeaway
Learning about the roles that Black African and Caribbean people have played, and continue to play, in Britain’s landscape (and to some extent, the wider world) is important, not just to empower the community and include them in history and education, but also to stamp out racism from society. That being said, there are ways of acknowledging and celebrating them and their history, and empowering them, without dedicating a single month to it.
Schools should teach Black history throughout the year, as they would for any other subject, while businesses should accommodate the needs of Black people through DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies and training. And individuals should educate themselves regularly on their presence throughout Britain since Roman times, the things they’ve done and their history outside slavery and the civil rights movement.
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