"Black History Month" has hit Britain. Is it appropriate?

Question

I think that the concept is devisive and patronising to black people. I think that it has more relevance in America, due to its history. Why should Britain set apart blacks and celebrate "their history" and no-one else's? (Also, who qualifies as "black"?) Is this just another example of Britain pandering to America?

Answer 1

that is very very odd. it's not necessary because there are much less blacks in UK, and they weren't degraded years ago like in the US.

Answer 2

History is history. It doesnt matter where we come from or what colour we are. Are we pandering to the French when we learn about Napoleon, Marie Antoinette or the French revolution? Are we pandering to the Italians when we learn about the Romans.

At school we learn European History, history of the British Kings and Queens (many of which were foreign), Social and Economic history, the French revolution, our part in the slave trade, and we accept it all. I've never heard of anyone bemoaning learning about the Romans, the Saxons, the Angles, the Jutes, The Celts, the Danes, all of them from foriegn shores - need I say more!

My son has just come back from his honey moon in Kenya and the first thing he said was how much he had learned about Kenyan history and how it had amazed him. Do we have to go abroad to learn it.

When I was in New Zealand I learned about the Treaty of Waitangi and how the British tricked the Maori chiefs into signing away their land to the British. Do we ever learn about that here?

I say lets all learn a bit more about black history in the same way that we should about all cultures. Bring it on.

Answer 3

I think it is very important for people to know their routes, you say that it has more relevance in America, due to history.

During that history who do you think it was that owned the slave ships, who was it who was that profited off the cotton and other materials that were grown, the USA in particular were not allowed to process materials in america until after the War of Independence everything had to come back to England. It was england that took all the money. Or do you just want to forget that the USA was ever part of the empire?

We do celebrate our history in the UK, St Georges Day, St Andrews day, etc! We all know where we have come from, unfortunately for most of the black population they have little clues of their true heritage!

Answer 4

Any sort of history is interesting in my opinion, we all like to know our ancestors right? But the whole thing about black slavery being bought up again is stupid, dedicating a month to it, please! I personally am fed up with black people making out they are so hard done by because 100 years ago there ancestors were mistreated. Yes, I'm sorry they were it was appalling but what gives them the right to go around Engalnd now like they damn well own it? We all have to be careful what we say in case we cause offence but if they want to go around smoking weed with their trousers around their ankles, walking with a limp and their music blaring well then thats fine isn't it because somewhere along the line my great great great great great grandfather may have whipped yours, so now I must suffer and listen to how hard by you were done. An example of a race suffering are the Jews, they were tortured as far back as the Roman times and then look at the mass executions to the cruel Hitler, do you hear Jewish people complain? Do they have an attitude, no! If anyone has **** to carry its them yet they are the most hospitable hardworking people going. Lets celebrate world history and drop this ancestrial grudges and live for the generation we have now.

Answer 5

It isn't Britain "pandering" to America as most Americans find black history month to be divisive and exclusionary. It is Britain pandering to the black community.

Answer 6

Like America black people in Britain come from all over the world. Any one who IS black qualifies as a black,like a WHITE qualifies as a white no matter where he comes from.Remember some of the black people in your country came from countries Britain invaded in the 1800s like India, Hong Kong.Like the American blacks , the British blacks came from ever where. So YES they are intitled to know the history of where they came from If I was to study my history I would have to study about the English,French Canadians, Irish, Scotch & Native Amaricans of Kansas. So you see I need to know a lot of history/

Answer 7

I don't really see why it would be a problem in principle, if it was just about teaching school kids about black history for a month, but if it is being run by the government then it is bound to be really badly organised, hugely patronising, and very, very expensive.

Answer 8

To be perfectly honest I consider it quite naive, black people come predominantly from Africa as we all know, Africa however is not a country, it is a continent comprising of over 56 countries. Each (dependant on their geographical location mainly) with a very different culture and history, Think how silly a 'white' history month would be Americans, Australians, British, Dutch, French, German, etc etc etc. You could easily spend a month on each country............?

Answer 9

African history was not just in America. Do you think all blacks living in British colonies came from America. You should spend more time on reading some history than asking in-appropriate questions.

Answer 10

At least it's not February like it is in America - the shortest month of the year and too cold for a parade!

Answer 11

you are able to desire to prepare this to any way of existence interior the worldwide no longer your very own. Why do no longer we study approximately jap historic previous? Or Swedish? Or Cambodian? historic previous features a good style of stuff, there purely isn't time to check approximately each and every thing! You ask an English schoolchild to call six English kings, and that i wager they does no longer be able to. possibly babies could study approximately colonialism in Africa and the outcomes it had, yet how do you p.c.. and chosen what area of historic previous is important and what isn't? What one person considers significant yet another does not. And confident, you are able to argue that studying approximately historical Ghana and Zimbabwe etc is purely as exciting as Kings and Queens in England, yet truthfully ignoring one way of existence for yet another could create precisely an identical undertaking any other way around? human beings could understand the place they arrive from and their own cultural historic previous. And if that incorporates African historic previous, or Indian historic previous or Australian aboriginal historic previous or notwithstanding, then straightforward sufficient, it would study. individually, i think of that's greater significant that English babies have a draw close on English historic previous than the historic previous of the dominion of Ghana. that's greater appropriate to who we are. that's to no longer say that African historic previous isn't significant, that's purely greater significant to three human beings than others, purely like the dominion of Ghana and historical Nigeria is doubtless greater significant to you than English kings and queens. the actuality that babies think of Africa is one vast usa isn't the historic previous instructor's fault. what's the geography instructor been doing with them? and truthfully, it rather is frequently spoke of as Africa, purely as England is spoke of as England, and China as China. in the event that they have not been advised, how do they understand that's no longer one vast usa? I actual used to think of it became, alongside with the Americas, till i began college. even with the undeniable fact that, difficulty-unfastened geography whilst a toddler starts college could tell them that it rather is a continent, no longer a rustic.