Review of Black History Walks in London Volume 1 by Tony Warner

If you think you know Black history, you may need to have a re-think. There is always more for us to learn.  Brother Tony Warner’s talks are always jam-packed full of information, and he updates them so that each time he gives any given  presentation, it’s never the same.  Like his talks, this book is loaded with information and fascinating facts.  

I have attended these talks for many years and I was very excited to learn that Black History Walks in London Volume I had been published. Holding it is like holding history in my hand. This is a very strong experience. 

If you are a parent, a teacher or educator, a Black history buff or just someone who wants to increase your knowledge about Black history, you need this book. And Brother Tony’s work makes it clear that Black history is world history.

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com

 

If you buy it from one of these links, I will gain a small commission.

In addition to the many Black history talks by Brother Tony Warner which I have attended   over the years, I have also attended many of the African Odysseys films he helps to curate at London’s Southbank Centre. I have thoroughly enjoyed loads of them, although some were very challenging because of the subject matter.

Brother Tony's presentations are always packed full of useful and intriguing factual information.  He is making Black history accessible to us through his detailed research and his presentations, which are always very engaging.  His work, although London-based, gives a global perspective on Black history.

Go here for my recent conversation with Brother Tony Warner.

Like his talks, Black History Walks in London Volume I very much reflects Brother Tony’s ongoing commitment to seeking out, researching and sharing detailed Black history information. In other words, he is a griot.

Brother Tony’s work deals with slavery, pre-slavery and post-slavery issues in Africa, the Caribbean, and all of the Americas, as well as London, Britain and Europe.

Of particular interest is his section on the Second World War, which he covers from several angles. Again, it contains loads of useful and fascinating factual information.

For example, did you know that.during the Second World War, German submarines targeted the waters around the Caribbean?   Or that Trinidad was home to the largest oil refinery in the British Empire? 

Or that, during the First World War, Black troops from the Caribbean were put into cold accommodation and made to stack boxes, while German POWs - the enemy - were housed in heated rooms?  

Or that, in 1919, Black troops in Washington, D.C. fought against mobs of racist white sailors who were attacking Black people?  

If you want to know more, buy the book today. It will also make a great present for the holidays or anytime. As we know, every month is Black History Month. Bring your copy along to the next Black history walk or talk and get it signed by the author (he has already signed mine).  

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com

Go here for my blog post about Black soldiers in the First World War. 

Go here for lots more Black history blog posts.  

What interests you the most about Black history? Please comment below and please share this blog post with your networks. Thanks for your help.  

Give Thanks

My Dad died a few days ago. He was 94 and had been ill for a long time, so it was not entirely unexpected.

It took awhile, but the grief has started to hit. As today is Thanksgiving, I want to talk about how much he meant to me, and how much I am grateful to him for being my Dad. 

Check Out Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

 

70th Anniversary of D-Day

Josephine Baker

As we all know, tomorrow, the 6^th of June, will be the 70^th anniversary of the D-Day landings.   We will commemorate the day when, after much long-term planning and military strategising, Allied forces stormed the Normandy beaches for the first major turning-point in the Second World War.

The men and women who fought in the war were incredibly heroic, and are rightly being celebrated for their efforts. But as the BBC screens interviews with veterans, has the Black contribution been overlooked by the major media once again?

My Dad is a WWII veteran who fought in the Italian campaign, one of many thousands of African American soldiers who did so. Little has been mentioned about their war. Check out my blog: The Negro Soldier. 

Tony Warner of London Black History Walks has given many presentations about the Black contributions to both World Wars. Did you know, for example, that the troops that liberated Paris were mostly made up of West African soldiers, as most white French soldiers had been either killed or captured? But when the triumphant march into the city was filmed, the Black soldiers were ordered to the back, so they are not seen on the footage we usually see.  

 

The lady pictured above, Josephine Baker, was an African American dancer in Paris. Impossibly glamorous, she became the toast of Paris, She was later decorated as a war hero by the French for the part she played in the French Resistance.

See London Black History Walks for details of the Black Spitfire pilots, How Black People Won World War Two, and more.

Obama in Berlin

Yesterday, 25th July 2008, the streets of Berlin were lined with people wanting to hear Presidential candidate Obama speak.

He spoke of freedom, and of the need for American and German people to unite.

He spoke of duty and of victory over tyranny. He spoke of a common destiny and of our common humanity. He made reference to a new hope, and to the fall of the Berlin wall.

Senator Obama’s central message seemed to be that we need to unite in the fight against terrorism – get behind the armed conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was saying that wee are all together in this fight. He repeatedly addressed the “People of Berlin, people of the world”. I am sure he is eager to demonstrate his grasp of foreign policy.

However, his statement that the purpose of the NATO mission in Afghanistan was to “help them rebuild their nation” was, at best, disingenuous. It sounded very much like Bush and Blair’s justification for the invasion of Iraq. It made me wonder whether Obama's foreign policy will be "business as usual" if he is elected President.

In Britain, the U.S. is largely characterised as an invading and dominating force. The speech may have been meant to allay that perception, but if so, I am not clear about how far it went in achieving that aim.

I was heartened to hear the Senator speak of the need to tear down walls between Christians, Muslims and Jews.

I was also encouraged by his statement of the need to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and reduce the arsenals, and to bring the Iraqi war to a close. This was a dove message in what was largely a hawkish speech.

Although the candidate made repeated reference to the Berlin airlift, he only mentioned briefly and in passing the two world wars we fought against Germany. Living in London, I see nearly daily reminders of the Second World War and the devastation it caused. Work on construction sites still regularly unearths unexploded Nazi bombs that were rained down on the people of London and other British cities. Senator Obama’s speech contained only the briefest mention of that conflict.

The Senator used many of the right words, but I am not sure he conveyed a good grasp of the international situation. And although his speech was very idealistic, I did not personally find it particularly convincing.

To watch the video, go here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/berlinvideo/

As the author/publisher of Black Success Stories, I am well aware of the importance of positive Black role models. If he is elected President, what impact will this have on your life – your home, your family, your health, your job, your business? Join my Obama phone-in on 19th August. Click here to register Click here for more details. Your opinion matters.

Remembrance Sunday

Here in the UK, it was Remembrance Day on Sunday. Veterans’ Day in the States?

I was watching The Wright Stuff last week Friday. Well, I don’t actually watch it as my eyes are on the computer screen, which means my back is to the TV. But it was on. They were talking about whether or not to wear a poppy in the days coming up to Remembrance Sunday. Somebody made reference to ‘poppy fascism’.

Being from the States, I did not grow up with poppies, and I don’t wear one now. I certainly don’t need to wear one to remember the honoured dead.

My Dad was in the war. Obviously, he didn’t die, or I would not be here. But he and his comrades risked their lives so that we could have a better world. To me, those men are heroes.

I note Ian Hislop’s excellent series, “Not Forgotten”, about the people listed on First World War memorials, is being given another airing on Channel 4. One of the many things I enjoyed about the series was the fact that he devoted an entire programme to those from the Empire who served in the British forces. Those whose experience and sacrifice are usually consigned to one sentence – something like, ‘And many people from the empire joined up to serve King and country’.

I do recall one programme some years ago – also on Channel 4 – about soldiers from the Caribbean who were recruited into the British Army during the First World War. The ship that took them to France sailed via the North Pole, but the Caribbean soldiers were not issued with the winter uniforms that were on board. Many of the men suffered frostbite and had to have limbs amputated.

So much for serving King and country.

The Black soldiers were not issued with rifles. I don’t know whether the white people thought they were too stupid to use them, or were afraid of finding themselves at the business end of them.

That programme went on to say that German prisoners were kept in heated barracks, whilst the Caribbean soldiers, from the tropics, shivered in unheated quarters.

So I feel somewhat ambivalent when I see a Black person sporting a poppy. I want all of those who served their countries to be remembered, along with their suffering and sacrifices.