Not Forgotten - Soldiers of Empire

While on the subject of Ian Hislop, I very much enjoyed his Not Forgotten series which was shown on Channel 4 several years ago, in which he investigated different people who had served during the First World War.

He has since made additional programmes, which are now being aired. On Monday night, I watched the episode about Empire troops, i.e. those from African and Caribbean countries, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It was made to the same high standard as the earlier series.

Empire troops are often mentioned only as a footnote to the main event, but Hislop’s programme showed footage of Black troops on the front line, while he interviewed the grandchildren of one Caribbean man who had served on the Western Front.

I had previously seen the story of the Black men from the Caribbean who sailed on a ship via the North Pole but were not given winter uniforms. Many of them had their limbs amputated due to frostbite.

Those troops who arrived fit to serve were not allowed to fight, or even carry arms. They were put to doing heavy manual labour such as moving large amounts of ammunition, and were under fire from the enemy but were not given the means to defend themselves. Seeing the footage is always a strong experience.

Another excellent programme, well worth watching.

I also recently attended a screening of “A Small Island”, a BBC programme based on the novel by Andrea Levy, at the Imperial War Museum. I shall blog about this soon.

On Sunday 15th November, Tony Warner of Black History Walks will be doing a presentation on How Black People Won World War II. Come along if you can - I'm sure it will be both educational and entertaining. Click here for more details.

It is so important for us to have a sense of our own history and cultural heritage, and our contribution to world history. This is an essential part of having high self-esteem and confidence. For more about this, see The Key to Confidence. See also, Success Strategies for Black People.

The Power of a Black Skin

Further to my previous blog about the BNP on the BBC, many people have said that when the head of the BNP appeared on Question Time lately, he came across as a bumbling idiot.

However, around 100 viewers phoned the BBC to complain that he was treated unfairly and even “bullied”.

I still say we need to learn the lessons of history and stop giving these people free publicity.

I felt torn about blogging about this issue and giving it more energy. Although there are other, better ways to overcome difficulties and create the things we want, sometimes we have to engage and directly confront.

Mr. BNP Head himself said that he had been treated unfairly because there were too many African and Asian people in the audience as the programme was broadcast from London, which had been “ethnically cleansed”.

It’s useful to know that we can “ethnically cleanse” an area – just by turning up! That’s the power of a Black skin.

But the final word has to go to the folks at the quiz show Have I Got News for You the same week as the broadcast. During a photo quiz, when asked to identify a photo of Mr. BNP Head, Ian Hislop, Paul Merton and their guests all shook their heads and said “We don’t know who he is”. At which point the host, Martin Clunes, moved on to the next item without identifying him either.

In other words, treat this man as the nonentity he should be.

One Year Ago

Check out this video from the President.

I was watching a programme about Beyonce the other day. She said, her young nephew doesn't understand why it's a big deal that the President is African American. This is the future we are creating - to the next generation, a Black President will be no big deal.

As he says, this is an historic moment. But we are not just interested in history, we are interested in change.

Click here to watch the video.

See also: Barack Obama, African American Success Story.

BNP on the BBC

You have probably heard that the head of the BNP will appear on Question Time tonight. The BBC has been milking this for all it's worth.

Watched The Wright Stuff this morning. Everyone was saying the BBC have to have this man on the show because this is a democracy, people have voted for the BNP, yadda yadda.

Surely the BBC have a responsibility to respect equal rights for all. This is the opposite of what the BNP represent.

We fought a world war against fascism. My father fought in that war. Now the licence payers are being made to pay for the BNP to be given a platform as if they were a legitimate political party.

What do you think? Should the BBC be giving these people air time?

Do we really need to watch them in order to know what they think? If they had their way, none of us would be here now.

Has this country really grown so complacent that we are happy to give air time to these people? Or is the majority population just looking for scapegoats in a time of economic difficulty?

Remember, Hitler was elected. Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

Resources for Black Parents

Free online activities for children, crafts, make a kinara, African recipes, plus books and resources for parents - get all this and more from the new Black Holiday Gifts Guide 2009. Click here to download it now.

New, Free Ebook - Finding Your Purpose

The new issue of More Black Success is now available, hot off the press!

MBS 6 features an article by Diana Broomfield on Finding Your Purpose. And much more.
Click here to hear me interviewed by Diana on her radio show tomorrow, Saturday 17th October.

If you are involved in mentoring young people, or want to be, check out Dena Strong's very moving piece which includes 10 Tips for Mentoring.

As always, MBS contains loads of resources for your personal and professional development.

Click here to grab your free copy of MBS 6.

Click here if you would like to submit an article or success story .

Black History: Telling Our Stories

October is Black History Month in the UK. For BHM events and resources, see Black History International.

In my recent interview with Loretta N. Green, we talked about the importance of telling our stories. Harriet Jacobs recorded her experiences in her book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and I have told her story in my choreopoem, Harriet. A film of Harriet will be shown as part of the BFM London Black Film Festival.

Click here to read more and hear more radio interviews.

One Person Can Make a Difference

This is so inspiring. Check out this article posted on the Black Books Blog about how a librarian made a huge change in one young person's life.

Boy Lifts Book