Black History in Britain

Before coming to London for our temporary move, I often thought about what the Black culture would be like here. I wanted to know how Europeans celebrated Black history, culture, and how African-Americans are recognized in this country. I quickly discovered that here in London, Black History month is in October. It was first celebrated in October 1987 as part of African Jubilee Year. The decision to make this an annual event each October was endorsed by the Association of London Authorities. It has since grown to recognize and embrace the contributions and traditions of other black communities. There are many websites listing the activities and events scheduled for the month, but overall the celebration is not as vast or commercial as it is in the U.S.

Aside from celebrating the contributions of Africans to this country, it is also very important to recognize Britain’s role in slavery. Three hundred years of trading African slaves allowed Britain to become a world economic power and financed the Industrial Revolution. A great deal of British heritage and culture was actually built on the back of slave labor. This untold story will be taught to all children in the UK for the first time as part of planned education reforms. Education Secretary Alan Johnson wants every pupil aged between 11 and 16 to study slavery because, “Slavery is abhorrent in today’s Britain- but we need to recognize it is at the heart of our history in the last 300 years. It is crucial to confront and understand why slavery happened and the long-term social and historical impact it has had in Europe, Africa and the Americas.”

In 2001, Reverend Jessie Jackson requested an apology from the UK for its role in the slave trade. In response, the government did “not believe it is appropriate or sensible for governments today to accept responsibility for the actions of governments centuries ago.” I suppose they would rather just act like it never happened.

As for the rest of Europe, there is no celebration and sharing of knowledge about the history of Africans and other people of color. But change is in the horizon, and I am proud of the progression I found on a blog written by man living in Germany who plans to celebrate Black History Month and African American History this February.

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Sunday’s answer: about 1 million.

Where was the first “sit-in” at a segregated lunch counter?