October is Black History Month and dedicated to celebrate the black contributions to the history of Scotland, UK and the world. But does it still need to be singled out?
Blog by Mette Nielsen, Digital Communications and Information Officer
It’s been 206 years since slavery was abolished in the British Empire as the first place in the world. There was never official segregation here. No Apartheid. We have had no Rosa Parks, no Martin Luther King Jr. and no Nelson Mandela. So why do we even have a Black History Month in the UK?
The US and Canada have had a Black History Month each year in February since 1976. It was created to honour the history of black people with the purpose of not letting history repeat itself. It expanded a tradition of a “Negro History Week” that had existed in the states since 1926. In 1987 the UK version was built on the American model, and ever since October has been dedicated to the cause. Since 2001 Scotland has had its very own version.
The concept of “Black History”
Today Black History Month is no longer limited to the history of the African-British. It commemorates the stories of people from India, the Middle East, the Far East, South America and Africa – basically all ethnic minorities, and definitely not limited to “black people”. So the concept has changed.
And so has the content. If you take a look at the Black History Month Glasgow events programme you will find talks and events about Scotland’s role in slavery, yes, but you will also find an excellent exhibition about Iranian refugees living in Glasgow, and an Indian cultural celebration called Navaratri.
So both concept and content have changed – but why not the name?
A separate history?
Another criticism that is often raised about the concept is based on the question “Is this black history not really “just” a part of British history?
In America a similar debate rises every year, and the most prominent advocate for letting go of the Black History Month is the Oscar winning African-American actor Morgan Freeman. Back in 2005 said the exact thing on the CBS show 60 Minutes:
“I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”
And in fact, the historian Carter G. Woodson who stood behind the very first “Negro History Week” back in 1926 created it with the aspiration that it would one day be eliminated — when black history had become fundamental to American history.
The questions left are, if the “black history” actually has been adopted into British history by now? And if the history lessons to be learned really are actually all in the past?
The need today
The truth is, we ARE still letting slavery happen in Scotland today in the form of trafficking. Our communities are still not completely mixed and integrated. There is still a lot of racism to fight.
Without undermining the power that lies in knowing our history, maybe what we need to do is to look more at what is going on now and figure out how we turn that into a better future. And maybe a Multicultural Heritage Month instead?
My final point must be: Although this blog has turned a little critical, I want to make it clear that you should check out this year’s Black History Month Glasgow programme. There are loads of interesting things going on – also about the present and the future.
So please go check it out!
