Maurice Mcleod: ‘Once again, marginalised groups are left to fight over scraps’

That my own local authority, Wandsworth, is among those diluting and rebranding Black History Month comes as no surprise.

The south London borough, which changed Black History Month to “Diversity Month” some time ago, said: “We are proud to celebrate the historical achievements and successes of all the diverse communities that make up our borough and who all contribute so much to life in our city.”

This is public-sector speak for “all lives matter”. Of course all cultures should be celebrated, but why does this have to be at the expense of specifically black-focused celebrations? We wouldn’t expect Chinese New Year to be rebranded as “Asian New Year” or change Gay Pride to “Everyone be Happy Day”. Marginalised groups seem to always be left to fight over the scraps at the civic dinner table.

In an ideal world, celebrating black history would just be part of a nuanced and globally minded programme of public education. All education would look at history from a worldview with lots of different narratives presented. But we don’t live in an ideal world.

And while there have been massive improvements, the teaching of history still focuses too much on kings and conquests. The establishment can’t help but lean towards stories that suit its purposes, and this leads to the erasure of black voices.

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Of the 60 councillors who make up Wandsworth council, I am one of only two black members. The lack of African-Caribbean involvement in almost all parts of local civil society is pretty deflating. Back when the 2011 census was carried out, black people made up around 11% of Wandsworth’s residents, and the Asian population was roughly the same size. Yet on the boards of charities, on school governor boards and other tools of society, there is a persistent lack of BAME involvement in general, and black engagement in particular.

Like much of London, Wandsworth has a big problem with street crime and violence, which for a number of reasons massively disproportionately impacts black communities. For many working-class black kids, gloomy prospects, a lack of resources or support, and having to watch parents who are themselves struggling all help to diminish self-worth. This seems like exactly the wrong time to be breeding an ignorance of cultural history.

As Marcus Garvey said: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Now is the time to be nurturing the roots, not pulling them up.

• Maurice Mcleod is Labour councillor for Queenstown Battersea, and director for Media Diversified

Linda Bellos: ‘If councils want to erase black people, offer us a council tax discount’

It is evident that neither Hillingdon nor Wandsworth councils know nor care about the history of black people in the UK. When I was leader of Lambeth council, we started doing Black History Month events in the late 1980s to recognise the contributions of countless black people who have made a positive contribution to the UK over hundreds of years (so we can leave out the Roman ruler who was black).

I would be supportive of moving on if there was a sound record of these achievements and contributions now being acknowledged or respected. I think that British history includes the parts that some “chaps” don’t notice – contributions and ideas from people who do not look or sound like them, ie black and ethnic minority people and white women.

Black history includes old and young, men and women, many of whom make positive contributions to the workplace/community and broader society, but who are omitted when the records are logged. It is as though we are for ever children never to be recognised or acknowledged in the history of Britain, even when it is about sport or music, and even more so when it is in classical music or law – Rudy Narayan comes to mind. If these councils wish to omit the contributions of black people, they had better start offering us a discount – after all we pay our council tax as well.

• Linda Bellos is a founder of Black History Month

Chanté Joseph: ‘With Windrush and the far right, BHM has never been more necessary’

Young British black people are robbed of their history every day and often sold a highly biased Americanised version of their identity. This happens in education, with black history being virtually nonexistent in schools and even in our media.

Slowly we have seen the recent platforming of alternative black British narratives and identities, such as the recent Black is the New Black series on the BBC, and an increase in publishing black British authors. Black History Month has always been a way to counter the lack of black British historical education and the negative portrayals of the black experience.

Seeing local councils declare that Black History Month is a form of discrimination is not only embarrassing but completely invalidates and erases the black British struggle for equality. It sends a message to young black people that they don’t deserve to take up space because the very act of celebrating their existence is threatening and too disruptive. It plays into stereotypically racist British attitudes that black Brits should be grateful and subservient.

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It is a form of symbolic violence that the contributions of black Britons are slowly being erased from the public conversation. Having a greater understanding of those who came before you and the strides they made is truly affirming. It tells you that despite existing in a society that doesn’t see you as equal, you are able to achieve and overcome. These are the narratives that we should be using Black History Month for, instead of erasing blackness full stop.

Every day we are forced to consume the sometimes vulgar mistreatment of black bodies on social media – it is demoralising and soul-destroying. Necessary celebrations such as Black History Month have managed to galvanise groups of people to collectively push an educational and uplifting message about black British identity. Following the mistreatment of the Windrush generation and the with rising scaremongering caused by the far right, Black History Month has never been more necessary.

• Chanté Joseph is a freelance writer