October is Black History Month – first introduced in the States back in the 1960’s to raise awareness of social issues, there is now a global movement to publicise the contribution of black people. Philosophically, culturally, educationally and geographically, the issues that confront non-whites in Britain today are dealt with on the BHM website through looking at case studies. People who have made remarkable contributions in British society are highlighted, and there is plenty of political discussion examining whether things are getting better or not.
The jury remains out; the statistics harvested as part of the Civil Society Report suggest that BME groups still suffer poorer outcomes in health, housing, education, employment, immigration and criminal justice. In stark contrast the Commission on Race & Ethnic Disparities denied the existence of systemic racism in British Society, saying that “we no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”. The truth surely must lie in between these end points somewhere, and the fact the UK had some of the largest BLM protests outside of the USA last year has prompted many businesses and schools to look at what they do. Bishop’s is no exception; we are systematically reviewing our curriculum across the board to ensure that we are doing what we can to educate youngsters about equality, and the roots of racism and disadvantage.
One of the case studies that shines out, inevitably, from the internet is that of Marcus Rashford. One of the wealthiest footballers in this country, and sublimely gifted for the beautiful game he has also used his profile and celebrity to good effect in improving the life chances of others. Having experienced disadvantage while growing up, he was absolutely determined that he could do something to ensure that youngsters would not be hungry at school – forcing the government into two changes of heart, and changing lives as a result. It is hard to think of any other 23 year-olds who have had a similar impact across this country in the past couple of years; he is a brilliant role model for youngsters country-wide whatever their skin colour or aptitude for sport…
The strap line for Black History Month is ‘dig deeper, look closer, think bigger’. Hopefully by the end of October we’ll all have done that.
SDS
