Why Black History Matters

Child being pursued during the Haitian Revolution

As October is Black History Month/African Heritage Month in the UK, I have been posting lots of Black history events on Nurture Success Events – even more than usual.

Of course, many of us know that every month is Black History Month.   BHM in the UK was started in the 1980s as an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of African people.  It was never intended to be the only Black History Month – just the one observed by local authorities and other statutory bodies.

Tony Warner of London Black History Walks runs events all year long, not just in October. So do Black History Studies.

I attended “What Were Black People Doing in WW1” on Saturday – an excellent presentation.  I have seen it at least three times now, and I always learn something new. Brother Tony breaks down the whole context of how Africa and its people got involved in the two World Wars.

So why does Black history matter?   For one thing, in order to know who we really are, we need to know our history.  We need historical context to understand the events of today, and to understand why Africa and African people are in the position we are in.  For example, check out my recent blog about how people are recovering from the Rwandan genocide. To understand how and why the genocide happened, we need the historical context.

That's just one of many, many examples I can give. 

In order to subdue and control our ancestors, the enslavers did everything they could to steal their cultural identity.

 

When we understand how Black people were robbed of our dignity for many generations, we can begin to see why we behave in ways that are so self-destructive. And these behaviours will continue until we undergo a profound healing process. And of course, that's what my work is all about.

You may also be interested in my recent blogs about the First World War.  More about this soon.

There are loads more Black history posts on this blog, so feel free to explore. 

Organisations such as Black History Studies and London Black History Walks are making a  crucial contribution to us as a people and this needs to be acknowledged more.  Enjoy Black History Month and please share this blog with your networks. Please leave your comments below.

Lest We Forget: The Haitian Revolution

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Lest we forget, the 23rd of August is African Remembrance Day, marking the day when enslaved Africans on the island of Haiti rose up against their oppressors and freed themselves.  

The Haitian people, under leaders including Toussaint L'Ouverture and Jean Jacques Dessalines, fought off the French, British and Spanish armies, and then fought off the French again under Napoleon.  The Haitians were never defeated.  

The use of traditional African spirituality was a significant factor in the victory of the Haitian people and their emancipation from slavery.  Click here to read more about the use of African spirituality. 

However, a treaty signed by Haiti required them to pay reparations to their former masters, which has led to the impoverishment of people in what was once the most prosperous island in the Caribbean.  The devastation of the Haiti earthquake in early 2010 was greatly compounded by the impoverishment of the population and the lack of resources in Haiti. 

Click here to read more about the Haitian Revolution.  

Click here to read more about modern Haiti. 

Egalite for All

I recently saw this excellent PBS documentary about the Haitian Revolution, which was screened by Black History Studies.

Egalite for All was chock full of factual information, as was the subsequent presentation by Charmaine at Black History Studies.

Click here to read some of what I learned.

This is important information for all African people. And there is always more to learn. See also:

The Haitian Revolution and Practical Spirituality. The book entitled The Logical and Historical Significance of the Haitian Revolution was mentioned by Panyin on What U Need to Know. Click here to read more and listen to the show.

Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution

On Saturday, we were honoured to have Sister Panyin as our guest on What U Need to Know.

She spoke very eloquently about African Remembrance Day and the Haitian Revolution.

Panyin emphasised the role of traditional spirituality in the revolution, in which the Haitian people under L'Ouverture's leadership defeated the armies of France, Spain, Britain and France again.

Click here to listen.

We talked about practical spirituality, which is the basis of my book Success Strategies for Black People.

Practical spirituality is what helped African people to survive during slavery, and we can use practical spirituality to achieve our goals.

My parents taught me about Black history and heroes and sheroes like L'Ouverture and Harriet Tubman. We cannot rely on the schools to teach our children about our history and heritage.

Panyin also shared information about a book by Clinton A. Hutton entitled The Logic and Historical Significance of the Haitian Revolution and the Cosmological Roots of Haitian Freedom

To read more about Haiti past and present, see Two Films about Haiti.