MOVING FORWARD
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2020
Celebrating Black History Month
Black History Month is Every Month!
October, 1, 2020 101 Comments
Black History Month has been marked in the UK for more than 30 years. It takes place during the month of October.
It happens because so often in the past, the contributions made by black people to the community were ignored or played down because black people weren’t treated the same way as other people because of the colour of their skin.Black History Month aims to address this unfairness, by celebrating the achievements and contributions of the black community over the years.
Significants of Black History Month
For many, Black History Month is a way of reflecting on the diverse histories of those from African and Caribbean descent, an opportunity to take note of the achievements and contributions to the social, political, economic and cultural development of the UK.
Why do we have a Black History Month?
We celebrate Black History Month because we believe, that African and Caribbean students and communities need to feel affirmed;
They need to be aware of the contributions made by other Blacks in the United Kingdom.
They need to have role models;
They need to understand the social forces which have shaped and influenced their community and their identities as a means of feeling connected to the educational experience and their life experience in various regions of Essex.
Black History Month is not without its opponents, though. Some people argue that it’s hardly justified to teach black history in the space of one month and are advocating to integrate it into the mainstream education system instead.
The ZOOM Meeting platform has allow Black history Month to be shared with more schools than ever before. At the end of November, we sent out invitations to local schools offering them a Black History Month presentation for their students. The response has been surprisingly incredible, with requests still coming in.
The presentations are talks about Black History Month and why we do it, Introduces Role Models of Men and Women who have made history in the UK and the Black Lives Matter Colchester movement, in a clear and simple way for them to better understand the issues that they’re hearing so much about. We can’t say enough about how pleased we are with these outcomes.
Colchester Castle are celebrating Black History Month this year with exhibition the WindRush Migration.
Oct. 6th Black History Month in Colchester Castle – An Exhibit of the WindRush migration of their arrival in Tilbury, Essex and their experiences of a life in Britain. A series of panels displays and narratives marking the Windrush Generation and it descendants. It is recommend you phone in advance and book a slot during the day and evening visits after 4pm. Free entry to just see the exhibit, booking would be essential for anyone wishing to see the exhibition.
We are also celebrating Black History Month Colchester with a series of ZOOM presentations entitled “Being Black in Essex” Where local people can request a place in the program to have their say. We want this to become a platform for black and white people to have a voice during Black History Month. This is to be a regular feature of BHM as we take it into the new year of Black History Month is Every Month 2021.
Details of all the events and presentations are here on the website in Events section.
“BLACK LIVES MATTER”
Now is the time to represent!
WHY ARE WE STILL FIGHTING RACISM?
There’s an ANSWER to this question.
We are still witnessing and experiencing the struggles of oppression, discrimination, marginalisation and racist behaviour. We are still and will continue to challenge racism and racist behaviour because…
Racism is a global system of control of all economic, financial, and social behaviour. It is the glue that holds together the society that we survive in today. Racism will continue be a part of our lives in this society. Systems of support that addresses the symptoms of racism need to be greater developed throughout our communities. Racist Behaviour is a direct symptom of RACISM, and therefore any work, efforts or projects that are aimed to offers a national solution should never be a racial threat towards the powers that be.
But it always has been considered Radical and Anti-government.
This work should be embraced to help us to develop a more inclusive society.
The work, the people, or not even a political movement that can offer a national solution to Racism could never be a threat, nor is it radical, because it will never overturn the existing system that RACISM allows the most privileged and other, so called extremist in our society. And with this thought in mind, This year’s program will look at how best we can address the symptoms of Racism. Addressing these symptoms with issues of self- awareness, pride in ones self and ones culture.
In the words of Marcus Garvey, “We must know where we’ve been, in order to see how we can reach our desired destination. We can only hope that you all are will to join the fight against Racism and racist behaviour in our communities.
