Blog
Black History Month
In the United Kingdom, Black History Month is celebrated throughout the month of October.
It is the time when we mark the history, achievements and contributions of black people in our country. It is also an opportunity for us all to reflect on the challenges that black communities have faced throughout the world and the remarkable achievements of black people in the face of adversity.
Black History Month in the UK was first celebrated in 1987, but has its roots in America’s Black History Month, which was designated as the month of February in 1970. The precursor to this was “Negro History Week”, which was created in 1926 in the second week of February as this coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
This means that it is 52 years since the founding of the first Black History Month in America and 35 since the first in the UK.
Whilst things have changed and improved significantly for those from the black community, even since the 1980s, we are still a long way from living in a fair society. Last year in the UK, black people were over 3 times as likely to be arrested as white people, and black men were 3 times more likely to be arrested than white men. In 2020-21 there were 7.5 stop and searches for every 1000 white people, in comparison to 52.6 for every 1000 black people. Against the backdrop of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter campaign, I find these figures truly alarming. The reality is that white privilege is real; I have never been disadvantaged due to the colour of my skin.
In November 2020 in research by the YMCA, 95% of all Black British children reported that they had witnessed racist language in school and 7 out of 10 said that they had felt pressured to change their hair to conform with school rules. In the same survey 49% said that they believed racism was the biggest barrier to academic achievement.
This year, the theme of Black History Month is “Time for Change: Action Not Words”. To get to a better tomorrow, we can’t just focus on the past. We can learn from it, but to improve the future, we need action. Action from us all. As allies, we need to stand alongside the black community, challenging racism wherever we find it; in sport, in education, in shops, on the street and in the workplace.
Yes. Black History Month is a time to celebrate black history, heritage and culture, and the iconic figures that have contributed so much, but this year, let’s make it about so much more. If you’re serious about allyship, it’s Time for Change: Action Not Words.
