On 7th February, there was another screening of Small Island at the Imperial War Museum, followed by a Q&A with the Producer, Vicky Licorish.
This was part of the ongoing Black history presentation series with Tony Warner of Black History Walks.
In case you have not had a chance to see it, Small Island was a film commissioned by the BBC, based on the novel by Andrea Levy. It will be screened again by the BBC and on PBS in the States, and Tony is planning to screen it again at the Imperial War Museum.
Small Island depicts the lives of Black men and women from the Caribbean during and after the war, and their interactions with white people whom they meet when they come to Britain.
This was a very beautiful, lavish programme. It was clearly produced with love. The Producer spoke about her commitment to honouring the book. She made sure that Levy was involved with the film from a very early stage, and in every aspect of the production.
The film tells the story of Gilbert, who comes to Britain to fight in the RAF and befriends Queenie, a white woman. After the war, he returns to Jamaica, where he meets and marries Hortense. He then goes to London, arriving on the Emperor Windrush, and sets out to make a life here.
The story is filmed in muted colours and we get a sense of London before, during and after the war, struggling with rationing and austerity. Queenie finds that her horizons are narrowed by the war, although it broadens Gilberts.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It answered some questions that have always been on my mind, such as, why did African Caribbean people (they identified themselves as West Indian at the time) feel so strongly that England was their mother country? Why were they so determined to come here to fight and die for their country?
Tony raised similar issues in a recent presentation, Why Fight for England? I will blog about this soon.
In the film, Gilbert explains that he and all the people he knew in Jamaica were taught at school about Britain, all of the cities and towns here, and all of the industries. But when he arrived in the UK, he found out that most of the people here had never heard of the Caribbean and had no idea where it was. So while the Black people adored their mother and came to assist her in her hour of need, as he says, "she doesn't care a fig about us".
Many Black people experienced a similar sense of disillusionment when they arrived on these shores.
Another question I had, which was not answered by the film, was, why did Gilbert not tell Hortense, his bride, what it was really like here? He told her there were light bulbs in every house and, in fact, in every room. But he did not tell her she would experience racism on a daily basis. Nor did he advise her that she would not be able to pursue her chosen profession as a teacher here unless she retrained.
He states that "things were better during the war. They needed us then".
Hortense is horrified to find that the house where they live is infested with mice. "They're bombed out too," Gilbert explains. "There's been a war".
Period details like that are very poignant to those Black British people who have lived here since that era, and those of us who have read and heard about those days.
Vicky Licorish explained that the BBC kept wanting to make Hortense's character more likeable, but she insisted that the character remain as she was - haughty and snobbish. Licorish stated that we all know a Black woman like Hortense (and some of us are that Black woman).
When she was halfway through the book, Licorish knew she wanted the film rights. The book won the Orange Prize, the Whitbread and the Commwealth Prize.
Licorish was proud that the film was produced alongside other BBC period dramas based on literature by Dickens and Jane Austen.
To see more dramas like this, we should write to the BBC, both to complain and to praise. One person we can write to is Ben Stephenson, the Head of Drama.
The executives working on a project are normally all white, as are the team. Licorish stated that the power is behind the camera and she would like to see more young Black people working in TV and film production.
In my book, Black Success Stories, Trevor Phillips talks about how to pursue a career in TV.
Click here for the next Black history presentations with Tony Warner.
Click here for London Black History Walks.
Click here to read more about Black history films in London.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
First Black Woman to Win the Pulitzer Prize?
Who was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for literature? For the answrs to these and other Black history questions, visit: Black History International. I am changing these frequently throughout Black History Month, so grab them quick!
Monday, February 08, 2010
Join Us on the Radio Again
I hope you were able to listen to the broadcast on Saturday. If not, you can still listen. Click here for the Waking Passions Show.
We talked about Black success, the importance of loving ourselves and helping others, and taking responsibility for transforming our lives.
We also talked about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and my new book, Write Your Book in Two Days.
To hear more about transformation, and how we can transform our lives and our communities, see Healing Our Communities.
Click here for more radio interviews.
We talked about Black success, the importance of loving ourselves and helping others, and taking responsibility for transforming our lives.
We also talked about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and my new book, Write Your Book in Two Days.
To hear more about transformation, and how we can transform our lives and our communities, see Healing Our Communities.
Click here for more radio interviews.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
President Obama's First Year in Office
President Obama has been compared with FDR many times. Like Roosevelt, President Obama has come to office at a time of great economic upheaval. Unlike Roosevelt, President Obama and his administration have decided that in order to rescue the economy, it is necessary to bail out the banks financially.
However, Obama is very aware of history and he has taken a page from FDR's book. (Of course, he is being criticised for this as well.) To read more, see: Rescue from the Brink of Economic Collapse.
Many people in the media have been criticising Obama. This is nothing new. They say he has reneged on his campaign promises. But I remember what he actually said. To read more, see: President Obama's Inauguration Day.
However, Obama is very aware of history and he has taken a page from FDR's book. (Of course, he is being criticised for this as well.) To read more, see: Rescue from the Brink of Economic Collapse.
Many people in the media have been criticising Obama. This is nothing new. They say he has reneged on his campaign promises. But I remember what he actually said. To read more, see: President Obama's Inauguration Day.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Join Me on the Radio: Understanding Black Success
I hope you will join us on the radio this Saturday, 6th February, when I will be interviewed on Waking Passions on the subject of Understanding Black Success.
Just click on this link to listen in: Understanding Passions.
Please join us in the chatroom or feel free to phone in with any questions. The show will air at 2:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. UK time.
Just click on this link to listen in: Understanding Passions.
Please join us in the chatroom or feel free to phone in with any questions. The show will air at 2:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. UK time.
The Black Queen, Charlotte Sophia
Happy Black History Month/African Heritage Month, everybody!
Of course, some people say every month is Black History Month.
What was the relationship between the Black Queen, Charlotte Sophia, and Queen Victoria?
I will be publishing Black history questions and answers over at Black History International. I will update these frequently, so please keep coming back.
Of course, some people say every month is Black History Month.
What was the relationship between the Black Queen, Charlotte Sophia, and Queen Victoria?
I will be publishing Black history questions and answers over at Black History International. I will update these frequently, so please keep coming back.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
More Help for Haiti - African-Led Initiatives
For African-led initiatives to help Haiti and donate for relief, supplies and more, see:
More News from Haiti
Haiti Grassroots Initiatives
For more ways to donate to Haiti, see:
Help Survivors of Quake in Haiti.
More News from Haiti
Haiti Grassroots Initiatives
For more ways to donate to Haiti, see:
Help Survivors of Quake in Haiti.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
150,000 Reported Dead in Haiti
The current death toll in the Haiti earthquake disaster is 150,000 people. Many more are still buried under the rubble. Click here to read more.
Many more are at risk of death due to
Click here to read more about grassroots organising for Haiti.
Click here for more about how you can help.
A lot of the devastation was preventable - the infrastructure of Haiti has literally been crumbling for many years. Let us work together to bring about a more positive future for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Many more are at risk of death due to
- starvation
- thirst
- serious injuries
- lack of medical care and supplies.
Click here to read more about grassroots organising for Haiti.
Click here for more about how you can help.
A lot of the devastation was preventable - the infrastructure of Haiti has literally been crumbling for many years. Let us work together to bring about a more positive future for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
More News on Haiti + Grassroots Organising
The Hairoine Haiti Fundraiser tomorrow, Sunday 24th January
My fellow AfroSpear member African American Political Pundit (AAPP) on his Political Slugfest radio show asks some key questions including:
- Is the U.S. doing enough to help Haiti?
- What are the Black churches doing to help Haiti?
He makes the point that the response to the Haitian crisis mirrors the response to Katrina.
Alkebulan are organising via Voice of Africa Radio.
Wyclef Jean argues that food aid to Haiti must be sustainable.
People being treated in hospital have been lying in beds without being fed for four days or more. Many of them have had to have limbs amputated. And when they leave hospital, they will be homeless. Click here to read more and to watch the videos.
For more videos on the Haiti crisis, see Africa and Africans on Film.
United Haitins UK (uhuk.org) are organising on the ground. They have sent a representative to Haiti who has a wide grassroots network. People in the UK will be liaising with them.
They report that there is a need for wind-up radios so that people can remain in communication.
The people of Haiti are largely unaware of how strong the response has been around the world. The need to be aware of the love and care that is coming from African people everywhere.
The Israeli response has also been phenomenal.
Feminine hygiene products are also needed.
Next Saturday, 30th January, there will be a follow-up meeting to the press conference last weekend. The meeting will be held at Southwark Town Hall in South London.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Help at Last for Haiti
At last, some aid is getting through to the people of Haiti.
The U.S. armed forces are dropping supplies. This has been criticised as the supplies are not necessarily reaching the people who need them most. At least, this is a start, although some say this will lead to riots as people fight over food and other supplies.
Click here to donate blood for Haiti.
Click here for more about how you can help.
The current death toll is reported as 200,000 but this is sure to rise due to shortages of water and other supplies, as well as medical help. Many people are suffering serious injuries.
Historically, Haiti has been impoverished from slavery onwards. However, the people of Haiti have always fought back against oppression. Check out this video posted on All about Race, in which the Haitian Ambassador to the United States describes how the Haitian Revolution liberated South America. Simon Bolivar travelled from Haiti.
The whole region and the European powers, which held colonies which were worked by slave labour, as well as the United States, were all shook up by the Haitian Revolution. The country has been used as a political football ever since. To read more, see Two Films about Haiti. See also, African People's Self-Liberation.
The U.S. armed forces are dropping supplies. This has been criticised as the supplies are not necessarily reaching the people who need them most. At least, this is a start, although some say this will lead to riots as people fight over food and other supplies.
Click here to donate blood for Haiti.
Click here for more about how you can help.
The current death toll is reported as 200,000 but this is sure to rise due to shortages of water and other supplies, as well as medical help. Many people are suffering serious injuries.
Historically, Haiti has been impoverished from slavery onwards. However, the people of Haiti have always fought back against oppression. Check out this video posted on All about Race, in which the Haitian Ambassador to the United States describes how the Haitian Revolution liberated South America. Simon Bolivar travelled from Haiti.
The whole region and the European powers, which held colonies which were worked by slave labour, as well as the United States, were all shook up by the Haitian Revolution. The country has been used as a political football ever since. To read more, see Two Films about Haiti. See also, African People's Self-Liberation.
Friday, January 15, 2010
More News from Haiti
Remember, we can help by sending money. We can also help by sending energy. To read more, see Healing Our Communities.
Reports are that 30,000 or more people have been killed in the current earthquake. People are seriously injured and the local hospital has collapsed. The medical services are overwhelmed.
Lack of electricity means people are having to be rescued by hand and planes are also having to be unloaded by hand.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100115/ten-haitian-star-wyclef-jean-pulls-bodie-9700fcb.html
For up to date information, see the Haiti Support Group.
There are many places you can donate money, including the relief fund set up by Wyclef Jean. This blog also gives some historical context.
See also: The Haiti Earthquake Response Group.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Wyclef Jean Sets Up Haiti Relief Fund
In case you haven't heard, international music star Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, has set up a website to raise funds for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
You can read his statement and donate to the relief effort at Yele Haiti.
Other places you can donate are:
Direct Relief International
International Medical Corps
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. The great military leader Toussaint L'Ouverture defeated Napoleon's armies and the British Army, thereby liberating the Haitian people from enslavement.
Haiti was surrounded by slave-owning nations and their colonies, including the United States, Jamaica, Cuba and other Caribbean islands, and Brazil. Although L'Ouverture's victory over the Napoleonic and British forces sent shockwaves around the world, in the treaty that followed, Haiti agreed to reimburse France for the loss of this lucrative colony. As a result, the Haitian people continued to be shackled by the national debt for approximately 200 years. This contributed to the extreme poverty and political instability of the country.
To read more about recent Haitian history, see Two Films about Haiti.
Within the past two years, it has been reported that some Haitian people were reduced to eating mud pies as they could not afford to buy food.
Two years ago, most of the buildings in the capital Port Au Prince were condemned as unsafe.
The current earthquake has added to the country's troubles. Many of Haiti's people have been made homeless. They are in need of food, clothing, shelter and medical attention, all of which are in very short supply.
Please give genererously.
Please note, in 2004, there was another devastating earthquake in the Caribbean but this was largely forgotten after the Tsunami, and was not mentioned again in major news coverage.
Let us remember our brethren and sistren in Haiti in their time of need. Please give generously.
Remember, we can also send healing energy. The more of us who do this, the greater the effect will be. For more about this, see Healing Our Communities.
You can read his statement and donate to the relief effort at Yele Haiti.
Other places you can donate are:
Direct Relief International
International Medical Corps
Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. The great military leader Toussaint L'Ouverture defeated Napoleon's armies and the British Army, thereby liberating the Haitian people from enslavement.
Haiti was surrounded by slave-owning nations and their colonies, including the United States, Jamaica, Cuba and other Caribbean islands, and Brazil. Although L'Ouverture's victory over the Napoleonic and British forces sent shockwaves around the world, in the treaty that followed, Haiti agreed to reimburse France for the loss of this lucrative colony. As a result, the Haitian people continued to be shackled by the national debt for approximately 200 years. This contributed to the extreme poverty and political instability of the country.
To read more about recent Haitian history, see Two Films about Haiti.
Within the past two years, it has been reported that some Haitian people were reduced to eating mud pies as they could not afford to buy food.
Two years ago, most of the buildings in the capital Port Au Prince were condemned as unsafe.
The current earthquake has added to the country's troubles. Many of Haiti's people have been made homeless. They are in need of food, clothing, shelter and medical attention, all of which are in very short supply.
Please give genererously.
Please note, in 2004, there was another devastating earthquake in the Caribbean but this was largely forgotten after the Tsunami, and was not mentioned again in major news coverage.
Let us remember our brethren and sistren in Haiti in their time of need. Please give generously.
Remember, we can also send healing energy. The more of us who do this, the greater the effect will be. For more about this, see Healing Our Communities.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Where Do You Get the Information You Need?
I have some questions for you. Please take a few moments to read this.
The most important questions I have are:
What do you need information about? What questions do you have? What problems are you facing in your business and your life?
Where do you get the information you need for your business?
To read more, see: The Best Content for Your Ebook.
To read my free ebooks, visit: Books for Truth-Seekers
If you would like to submit an article, please contact me at the email address on that page.
To read my articles, see:
Black Success
Achieve Fabulous Success
Here's to Your Success!
The most important questions I have are:
What do you need information about? What questions do you have? What problems are you facing in your business and your life?
Where do you get the information you need for your business?
To read more, see: The Best Content for Your Ebook.
To read my free ebooks, visit: Books for Truth-Seekers
If you would like to submit an article, please contact me at the email address on that page.
To read my articles, see:
Black Success
Achieve Fabulous Success
Here's to Your Success!
Friday, January 01, 2010
What Is Your Vision for 2010?
Click here for Healing Our Communities. You can send your positive energy to help the people of Haiti. This will make a real difference.
What is your vision for 2010? What change or improvement do you most want to see?
I know that real change is possible. I’ve seen it and I’ve created it myself, in my own life and in other people’s. You can create it too.
My vision for 2010 is for everyone to have a better life. Yes, I do mean everyone. Including you.
A world in which everyone has enough to eat, to spare and to share, in which children do not go to bed hungry.
A world in which there is no conflict in
A world in which violence is not seen as a solution. In which there is no domestic violence. Where parents do not beat their children or use intimidation to control them.
A world in which there are no so-called "honour killings".
A world in which women and children are not trafficked for the sex trade.
A world in which people do not exploit each other.
A world in which children are not drugged and forced to fight as child soldiers, amputating people’s hands or killing adults and each other.
A world in which the economies of whole communities do not depend on the drug trade.
A world in which tasers and other forms of police violence are not used to control the population.
A world in which people are not executed, where human life is respected, and all life is treated as sacred.
A world in which we find solutions to resolve our differences in ways that respect the needs of all concerned. In which we all live together in peace and harmony.
My vision for 2010 is for peace on earth. I’m sure you share this vision. I sure know I can’t do this on my own. We need to work together on this one.
Peace on earth is totally achievable. By us. Together.
We can heal our families. We can heal our communities. We can heal the world.
When people of African heritage succeed and prosper, everyone all over the world benefits from our success.
Peace on earth begins within – within each of us. When we create inner peace, this points the way to how we can create peace on our planet.
This is not a vision just for 2010, it’s for the rest of my life, and yours, and your children’s lives, and their children’s, and so on.
We can change the world. We can create global prosperity and global peace. Together, we can achieve this.
To read more, see:
Getting Past the Hate (to Have More Love)
7 Reasons Why We Break Our New Year's Resolutions
If you are willing to join with me to create our shared vision, join:
Nurture Success for people of African heritage.
The Key to Everything for everyone.
Here’s to your success in 2010.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Happy Kwanzaa!
Happy Kwanzaa, everybody.
Kwanzaa is a festival which is observed from December 26 through January 1. This is a time for people of African heritage to focus on traditional African values including family, community responsibility, creativity and faith. The word Kwanzaa means "first fruits" in Swahili.
Celebrating Kwanzaa helps us to build our self-esteem and confidence. To read more, see Kwanzaa - Celebrating Traditional African Values.
Click here for listings of Kwanzaa events. I've got events all over the UK, as well as Paris and the U.S.A.
Click here for books about Kwanzaa and lots more. Click here in the UK.
Kwanzaa is a festival which is observed from December 26 through January 1. This is a time for people of African heritage to focus on traditional African values including family, community responsibility, creativity and faith. The word Kwanzaa means "first fruits" in Swahili.
Celebrating Kwanzaa helps us to build our self-esteem and confidence. To read more, see Kwanzaa - Celebrating Traditional African Values.
Click here for listings of Kwanzaa events. I've got events all over the UK, as well as Paris and the U.S.A.
Click here for books about Kwanzaa and lots more. Click here in the UK.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Day of Blogging for Justice against Taser Torture
I did not blog on the Day of Justice this time because I feel all blogged-out about this issue. I want to focus more on solutions rather than dwelling on the problem.
Having said that, I fully support my fellow AfroSpear members in their continued work around this issue. Their blogging around this issue is highly important in raising awareness and mobilising and galvanising for action. Unfortunately, we will probably have to keep having these Days of Justice until real change occurs.
I am a Buddhist. I am against all violence on principle. I am also aware that it is perfectly possible (although often not easy) to find nonviolent means to end conflicts. Where there's a will, there's a way. To read more of my thoughts about this, see my previous blog: Ending the Violence through a Creative Response.
See also: Healing Our Communities.
Some of the blogs of note on this most recent Day of Blogging for Justice include:
So when will the cops start using tasers in Beverly Hills?
Tasering of another 10-year-old Black Women in Europe: Stop Taser Torture
Purple Zoe: Ban Taser Torture Eddie Griffin: Stop Taser Torture
Lots more are listed at AAPP's blog Stop Taser Torture.
Check them out and add your voice if you would like to - this is an ongoing issue.
Having said that, I fully support my fellow AfroSpear members in their continued work around this issue. Their blogging around this issue is highly important in raising awareness and mobilising and galvanising for action. Unfortunately, we will probably have to keep having these Days of Justice until real change occurs.
I am a Buddhist. I am against all violence on principle. I am also aware that it is perfectly possible (although often not easy) to find nonviolent means to end conflicts. Where there's a will, there's a way. To read more of my thoughts about this, see my previous blog: Ending the Violence through a Creative Response.
See also: Healing Our Communities.
Some of the blogs of note on this most recent Day of Blogging for Justice include:
So when will the cops start using tasers in Beverly Hills?
Tasering of another 10-year-old Black Women in Europe: Stop Taser Torture
Purple Zoe: Ban Taser Torture Eddie Griffin: Stop Taser Torture
Lots more are listed at AAPP's blog Stop Taser Torture.
Check them out and add your voice if you would like to - this is an ongoing issue.
Small Island
As I'm sure you know, tonight, the BBC is screening the first part of A Small Island, the beautiful, lyrical piece based on the novel by Andrea Levy. I was privileged to view this when Brother Tony screened it at the Imperial War Museum during Black History Month. He will be screening it again next year, when the producer will be present. I urge you to watch it either on TV or at the museum, or preferably both.
Click here for the next Black history events with Tony Warner. He holds them every month - not just in October!
Click here for loads of books about Black history and Black achievers.
Black Victims of the Germans and the Nazis from 1904 Onwards
I attended another excellent Black history presentation with Tony Warner at the Imperial War Museum yesterday.
Black Victims of the Nazis traced the history of the atrocities committed by the German military and settlers in Namibia from 1904 onwards.
One important point which Brother Tony emphasised is that the atrocities committed by the Germans against African people set the stage for the Holocaust and significantly influenced postwar events.
In order for us to heal ourselves, our families, our communities and our world, we need to know our history. See also: The Importance of History.
For future events with Tony Warner, see London Black History Walks.
See also: Small Island.
In my book Black Success Stories Volume 1, I interviewed Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives in South London. He describes how, when Black people in the 1970s started offering to donate their artefacts to museums, they were told "We are not collecting this type of material". So, off his own bat and without any funding or training in this area, he set up the Black Cultural Archives.
Click here for more information and to buy Black Success Stories.
For more books about Black history and Black achievers, go to African American Holiday Shopping.
Black Victims of the Nazis traced the history of the atrocities committed by the German military and settlers in Namibia from 1904 onwards.
One important point which Brother Tony emphasised is that the atrocities committed by the Germans against African people set the stage for the Holocaust and significantly influenced postwar events.
In order for us to heal ourselves, our families, our communities and our world, we need to know our history. See also: The Importance of History.
For future events with Tony Warner, see London Black History Walks.
See also: Small Island.
In my book Black Success Stories Volume 1, I interviewed Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives in South London. He describes how, when Black people in the 1970s started offering to donate their artefacts to museums, they were told "We are not collecting this type of material". So, off his own bat and without any funding or training in this area, he set up the Black Cultural Archives.
Click here for more information and to buy Black Success Stories.
For more books about Black history and Black achievers, go to African American Holiday Shopping.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
1st of December, Rosa Parks
On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white person. Her reason? "I'm tired". So began a revolution.
Click here to read more.
Click here for details.
Every day, ordinary people do extraordinary things.
Click here for loads of books on Black history and Black achievers.
See also: The Importance of History.
Click here to read more.
Click here for details.
Every day, ordinary people do extraordinary things.
Click here for loads of books on Black history and Black achievers.
See also: The Importance of History.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Importance of History
Click here to join me on the radio.
I often blog about history-related events, such as those with Tony Warner.
In case you were wondering why, it's because I think it is vital that we know our history. So much of our history has been deliberately hidden. This gives us a false impression of ourselves and our achievements.
I remember sitting in a self-styled Afrocentric bookshop one day talking to one of the workers, who insisted that "Black people haven't achieved anything". He sat there all day every day surrounded by Afrocentric books, but he still had the view that we had contributed nothing to society.
This is a lie which we have been told. Not only that, the dominant group and other races have been told the same lie. They, and we, have been led to believe that Black people have achieved nothing and contributed nothing.
As you can see from this article on Black people in World War II, our contribution has deliberately been hidden. This is just one example of what has been going on for hundreds of years.
Stealing our history and lying about it is just one way in which our cultural identity has been stolen from us. Whe we don't know our history and our ancestral heritage, how can we know who we really are? This leaves us subject to being defined by others.
When those in charge of the media consistently portray people of African heritage as lazy and stupid, or as criminals, this has an effect on our psyches as well as on how we are treated by the wider society.
Even now, Black children as young as three see themselves as ugly. Where did they get this message? It is being fed to them every day. It is being fed to their parents as well.
We need to change how we see ourselves and we are the only ones who can do this. We need to define ourselves, and reclaiming our history is an inherent part of this process. This is an essential part of our healing.
For more about this, read Success Strategies for Black People. For true stories of Black achievers, see Black Success Stories.
One of the people I interviewed for that book was the late Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives in South London. He describes how, when Black people in the 1970s started offering to donate their artefacts to museums, they were told "We are not collecting this type of material". So, off his own bat and without any funding or training in this area, he set up the Black Cultural Archives.
Click here for lots more books about Black history and Black achievers.
Click here for the next Black history events with Tony Warner.
See also: Black History International.
I often blog about history-related events, such as those with Tony Warner.
In case you were wondering why, it's because I think it is vital that we know our history. So much of our history has been deliberately hidden. This gives us a false impression of ourselves and our achievements.
I remember sitting in a self-styled Afrocentric bookshop one day talking to one of the workers, who insisted that "Black people haven't achieved anything". He sat there all day every day surrounded by Afrocentric books, but he still had the view that we had contributed nothing to society.
This is a lie which we have been told. Not only that, the dominant group and other races have been told the same lie. They, and we, have been led to believe that Black people have achieved nothing and contributed nothing.
As you can see from this article on Black people in World War II, our contribution has deliberately been hidden. This is just one example of what has been going on for hundreds of years.
Stealing our history and lying about it is just one way in which our cultural identity has been stolen from us. Whe we don't know our history and our ancestral heritage, how can we know who we really are? This leaves us subject to being defined by others.
When those in charge of the media consistently portray people of African heritage as lazy and stupid, or as criminals, this has an effect on our psyches as well as on how we are treated by the wider society.
Even now, Black children as young as three see themselves as ugly. Where did they get this message? It is being fed to them every day. It is being fed to their parents as well.
We need to change how we see ourselves and we are the only ones who can do this. We need to define ourselves, and reclaiming our history is an inherent part of this process. This is an essential part of our healing.
For more about this, read Success Strategies for Black People. For true stories of Black achievers, see Black Success Stories.
One of the people I interviewed for that book was the late Len Garrison, founder of the Black Cultural Archives in South London. He describes how, when Black people in the 1970s started offering to donate their artefacts to museums, they were told "We are not collecting this type of material". So, off his own bat and without any funding or training in this area, he set up the Black Cultural Archives.
Click here for lots more books about Black history and Black achievers.
Click here for the next Black history events with Tony Warner.
See also: Black History International.
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