Why we need Black History Month more than ever

Secondary School Teacher Leslee Wills notes the value of teaching black history in schools, seeing it as a positive reminder that ‘Black History Is World History’ and a cultural sign post of the real world that we now live in.

A British - born friend of Sierra Leonian parentage, whose entire family went through our educational system, responded to recent attempts to play down this important month with the response: ‘’Because they have the rest of the year!”

Inspite of stacks of evidence, in the form of facts, data published in books, on websites, in the media and everywhere around us, students and teachers still need to routinely ‘download upgrades ‘on Black historical achievement. Preparation for BHM acts as a reminder for this as when we note lessons from lived experiences and update our personal reference points then, and only then, will we produce a relevant and interesting contemporary curriculum.

For all pupils and pupils of African and Caribbean origins in particular, Black History Month continues to re-ignite Issues of ownership and authorship. Detractors may ask why is there still the need for highlighting black achievement now that we have an American black president , in the same year that we have an African American female Wimbledon tennis champion on the world stage. And even more exciting, a Jamaican sprinter breaking world records.Why encourage black pupils to feel any more confident than they seem to be? But who knows whether this hollow confidence lies at the root of some of the current ‘black on black’ violence. Some claim that, black youth violence is due wholly or partly, to their ‘crisis of identity’. The truth is whilst some students of African ancestry do well in our state and private schools, many others of indeterminate backgrounds are encouraged to forget their origins and to grope around in a hotch-potch hand-me-down cultural mix with no clear framework for winning in any area. In short, without this celebration some trade in any sense of ancestry, and turn their backs on available survival templates!

On the other hand, if we feel in some way shunted to the periphery by a black focus we are wrong. As most of our urban western value system is heavily injected by non-westernised cultural mannerisms – the mood has already been set for knowledge about other cultures denied them until recently. Many British kids are bored by the pallid curriculum that their parents and older brothers and sisters endured. Bringing the contribution of the past and present black men and women to the centrestage is a reminder of the real world that they now live in. This asserts more than ever that ‘Black History is World History’! Schools need to continue to underline that the histories of all peoples and nations are linked so that learning about one alone gives a distorted and incomplete view.

Schools in Britain can now change tack and reassure their cynical populations that cultural difference, individuality and genius can go hand in hand.

Seemingly irrelevant Shakespeare plays can now be viewed in the light of David Dabydeen’s assertions of a black populated London in his day and even a black Shakespearean muse Lucy Negro. Yr 10 and Yr 11’s can be temporarily muted with Lawrence Fishbourne’s agonising Othello (if you can get hold of the DVD!).

The annual ritual expression of Black History Month in many schools has evolved out of necessity.

Our celebration of our history is a necessary spiritual affirmation for the wider society and its communities.

What if all we learnt was about the contributions of women and not men in history?

Leslee Wills is a Secondary School Teacher who also has experience in teaching and arranging cross cultural activities during Black History Month - Leslee is available in East/West Midlands and London for BHM planning and activities. Leslee is also currently working on an art and textile range linking black history with several curriculum areas. Contact: Email: willsdamara@aol.com, mobiles: 07907 670 428 & 07948046414.

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