Post by INMYOPINION on Oct 25, 2004 15:04:31 GMT -5
TAKE BACK OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH (Pt.1 of 2)
By Delroy Constantine-Simms
Black Britain must not accept the current substandard offerings of Black History Month! 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 Sahris than Reggae, Rice and Peas Steel Bands!
BLACK HISTORY ORIGINS IN THE USA
African-Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." What you might not know is that black history had barely begun to be studied—or even documented—when the tradition originated. Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until the 20th century that they gained a respectable presence in the history books
Blacks Absent from History Books
We owe the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Born to parents who were former slaves, he spent his childhood working in the Kentucky coal mines and enrolled in high school at age twenty. He graduated within two years and later went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. The scholar was disturbed to find in his studies that history books largely ignored the black American population—and when blacks did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at the time.
Established Journal of Negro History
Woodson, always one to act on his ambitions, decided to take on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation's history. He established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915, and a year later founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History. In 1926, he launched Negro History Week as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history.
Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. However, February has much more than Douglass and Lincoln to show for its significance in black American history. For example:
• February 23, 1868: W. E. B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, was born.
• February 3, 1870:The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.
• February 25, 1870: The first black U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels (1822-1901), took his oath of office.
• February 12, 1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City.
• February 1, 1960: In what would become a civil-rights movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.
• February 21, 1965 Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was shot
BLACK HISTORY IN BRITAIN
The African British experience
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
• 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 being told.
After talking to African British teenagers Akyaaba Addai-Sebo a special projects officer for Greater London Council’s discovered that they had a great reluctance to have anything to do or identity with Africa. Akyaaba felt this was due to the negative representation of Africans in the media, and the many racist, and distorted images about Africa's past and present.
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 Akyaaba was a part of moved to the London Strategic Policy Unit. Symbolically the year 1987 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 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 ‘Black’ history month as an annual event leading to it’s official recognition on the cultural calendars of all London boroughs and several Metropolitan and City Councils around the country. London councils became committed to financially supporting the Month every year and Local councils around the country followed suit.
The late Len Garrison, who was one of the founder members and chairman 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 are 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.’<br>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.
Black History Month 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. However, the legacy of racism not only from Europeans but other ethnic minorities continues to affect the way Black History Month is celebrated in Britain.
To me Black History Month in Britain is in dire straits. Nowhere else in the world does Black History include the celebration of other cultures history that is not of African Origin? The British approach to Black History Month may be see as inclusive to many but to me it effectively challenges and undermines the reason why Black History Month was initially conceived. This urbanization of Black History Month represents the watering down and marginalization of our history and eventually or significant contribution to British society post and pre the Windrush.
In the USA Black means any body that is African heritage, in the use this usually means African-Americans, No one else! While Britain accepts the whole notion of non -Africans calling themselves Black, it laughable, disgraceful, but a fact of British politics. It’s no wonder African-Americans don’t take us seriously as a community. In fact, it’s no surprise that we are in the current political state that the Black community finds itself.
It’s easy to blame the local authorities and national government, and the white mainstream for this state of affairs. 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 organizations 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!
Part 2 continues
By Delroy Constantine-Simms
Black Britain must not accept the current substandard offerings of Black History Month! 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 Sahris than Reggae, Rice and Peas Steel Bands!
BLACK HISTORY ORIGINS IN THE USA
African-Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." What you might not know is that black history had barely begun to be studied—or even documented—when the tradition originated. Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until the 20th century that they gained a respectable presence in the history books
Blacks Absent from History Books
We owe the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Born to parents who were former slaves, he spent his childhood working in the Kentucky coal mines and enrolled in high school at age twenty. He graduated within two years and later went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. The scholar was disturbed to find in his studies that history books largely ignored the black American population—and when blacks did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at the time.
Established Journal of Negro History
Woodson, always one to act on his ambitions, decided to take on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation's history. He established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915, and a year later founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History. In 1926, he launched Negro History Week as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history.
Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. However, February has much more than Douglass and Lincoln to show for its significance in black American history. For example:
• February 23, 1868: W. E. B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, was born.
• February 3, 1870:The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.
• February 25, 1870: The first black U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels (1822-1901), took his oath of office.
• February 12, 1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City.
• February 1, 1960: In what would become a civil-rights movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.
• February 21, 1965 Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was shot
BLACK HISTORY IN BRITAIN
The African British experience
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
• 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 being told.
After talking to African British teenagers Akyaaba Addai-Sebo a special projects officer for Greater London Council’s discovered that they had a great reluctance to have anything to do or identity with Africa. Akyaaba felt this was due to the negative representation of Africans in the media, and the many racist, and distorted images about Africa's past and present.
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 Akyaaba was a part of moved to the London Strategic Policy Unit. Symbolically the year 1987 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 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 ‘Black’ history month as an annual event leading to it’s official recognition on the cultural calendars of all London boroughs and several Metropolitan and City Councils around the country. London councils became committed to financially supporting the Month every year and Local councils around the country followed suit.
The late Len Garrison, who was one of the founder members and chairman 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 are 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.’<br>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.
Black History Month 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. However, the legacy of racism not only from Europeans but other ethnic minorities continues to affect the way Black History Month is celebrated in Britain.
To me Black History Month in Britain is in dire straits. Nowhere else in the world does Black History include the celebration of other cultures history that is not of African Origin? The British approach to Black History Month may be see as inclusive to many but to me it effectively challenges and undermines the reason why Black History Month was initially conceived. This urbanization of Black History Month represents the watering down and marginalization of our history and eventually or significant contribution to British society post and pre the Windrush.
In the USA Black means any body that is African heritage, in the use this usually means African-Americans, No one else! While Britain accepts the whole notion of non -Africans calling themselves Black, it laughable, disgraceful, but a fact of British politics. It’s no wonder African-Americans don’t take us seriously as a community. In fact, it’s no surprise that we are in the current political state that the Black community finds itself.
It’s easy to blame the local authorities and national government, and the white mainstream for this state of affairs. 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 organizations 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!
Part 2 continues