Black History Month runs throughout October and is the a time we recognise the vast history, contributions and achievements of black peoples from across the world.
Why do we celebrate Black History Month at Thomas Tallis?
Although we know history has no race, we are recognise that the way history has been recorded and retold is neither completely honest nor completely fair. Factors such as race, class, gender and religion have been used to create structures in society that benefit those who have power whilst oppressing those who do not.
The consequences of this power imbalance has meant that racism has played a big role in shaping our understanding of the world. Black history has been erased meaning that we have a very "whitewashed" view of how the world came to be what it is today. This is not fair or honest and is very harmful.
To address this, we implement our Tallis Character traits to increase our knowledge about black history and culture. By being fair, honest and respectful throughout October, we can elevate and empower our all members of our community to have equal representation, regardless of race. But why BLACK history month and not Asian or Eastern European?
Black history month does not exclusively refer to the experiences of Pan-African decent, (black people). In Britain, the term black was previously used to describe ALL people of colour. It didn't matter where you were from, if you had black or brown skin, you were referred to as black and experienced the same discrimination.
This means at times we will consider the experiences and contributions of all people of colour in Britain. If we really are FAIR, shouldn’t we have a White History Month too?
For some Black History Month doesn't seem fair at all. To understand why we at Tallis think it is so important we must first consider what 'fair' means.
EDUCATION TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT FOR THE BETTER
Change for the better starts today. Register your interest to be part of the Tallis Black History Month Student Team and follow us @TallisBHM
Let's take the image below as an example that explains how equality works. All three people have a box; one each seems like equal treatment. In the middle of the image the boxes are distributed so that the boxes a shared based on need. This means that although they are not treated equally they have an equal experience; known today as equal opportunities. On the right of the image we see how things really are. There are people many people who benefit whilst others struggle. This applies to education too.
Black History Month is an example of social equity. It is a chance to talk about why black people are often portrayed negatively in the media, why there is so little diversity in the national identity when we are such a global nation and why sharing these stories is useful for all ethnicites.
Some members of our government who decide what you should learn do not think that minority history holds much value.
The American Civil Rights movement and the Transatlantic Slave Trade make up the entirety of Black contributions in school education.
This is problematic as our history shapes our identity. How you see me and how you see yourselves is linked to the way we are portrayed in history. If you do not see a balance of minority groups in images, we do not get a balanced view of people. How can we challenge our own prejudices when history itself, discriminates?
Black History Month is about changing these views embedded in us at an early age.
We are committed to being antiracist. This means we stand up for the fair and equal treatment of all.
It is everyone's responsibility to keep learning about injustice and say something when we witness injustice.