As Black Lives Matter protests sweep the UK, calls for improved education have also become increasingly amplified.
I think the recent Black Lives Matter movement has helped us a lot. Lavinya and the team helping her spread awareness of black history. Petitions for changes to the curriculum are also being shared widely online, including this one calling for the correct teaching of British Imperialism, and this one suggesting updates to the GCSE reading list. Of her aims, Alexander said: “My concern is the need to mainstream this across the curriculum. I also set up a society called Art and the African Mind to focus on education and improving the experience of black students at university and from there I set up The Black Curriculum. A proposed remedy suggested that the ‘government should ensure history lessons are relevant to all young people in Britain’.
It definitely amplified our message. Growing up in South London, I definitely wish we had an organisation like The Black Curriculum then. Lavinya Stennett on the need to have Black British History on the school curriculum, 17 best children's books to help teach kids about diversity, Black-owned fashion and beauty brands to support on Black Pound Day and everything you need to know, A post shared by Lavinya Stennett (@gottabelavin_ya).
"Change can only begin to happen when society understands the facts of colonialism and how it still underpins current economic and legal structures, as well as beliefs and patterns of behaviour present in our society.
A statement on The Black Curriculum website reads: "The outcomes of young people in the UK are affected by the implicit racial bias within the curriculum.
We have had so many schools we had contacted previously to say 'we need you now!' The history behind the gesture, UK protests for Black Lives Matter: 2020 dates and how to get involved, calling for the correct teaching of British Imperialism, suggesting updates to the GCSE reading list, Show{{#moreThan3}} {{value_total}}{{/moreThan3}} comments, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. Black history was taught as part of Black History Month, but this was mainly limited to the topics of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement in the US: “It really is just to do with slavery – which is an important part of history, we do need to learn about it. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Our aim is to empower all students with a sense of identity. We want to empower everyone and to recognise that this country has always been diverse. Stennett has similarly called for centralised government support in implementing these changes, arguing that the onus should not be placed solely on schools faced with budget cuts and teachers who are not confident in teaching the topics correctly. Her calls are being echoed nationwide, with initiatives such as Fill in the Blanks receiving a surge of interest on social media. The Black Curriculum wants to embed black British history into the national curriculum by working to support teachers in schools. Teaching Martin Luther King and the US civil rights movement offers a valuable entrance point for conversations about race, racism, and anti-racism in both the US and the UK. One such initiative is The Black Curriculum, launched in January 2019 by Lavinya Stennett. We push for that diversity across the curriculum because it's not just history that has been whitewashed, it's all subjects. During my degree, I studied indigenous culture at a Maori university in New Zealand for three months in 2018 and I saw how important it was to them to learn their history. Black Lives Matter protestors in Hyde Park, Calls for black history to be added to the national curriculum rise as protests sweep UK, {{#singleComment}}{{value}} Comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{value}} Comments{{/singleComment}}, {{#singleComment}}{{value}} comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{value}} comments{{/singleComment}}, Hundreds flock to Hyde Park for anti-racism protest after Floyd death, Why are people taking the knee? This petition is to call for British Black History to be made mandatory throughout schools in the UK. We think about experiences that are historical that can be fitted into different subjects. By registering to HELLO! I was learning Swahili and being set up to go into the world and be an active citizen who has knowledge and speaks several languages - but there are many young people that don’t always have that experience, particularly when it comes to African history. I started to get very involved in social activism at SOAS – I won social activist of the year in 2019 – and a lot of my work was around improving access for working class students. In light of current events, The Black Curriculum have been increasing pressure on the government to implement educational change.
They are worried about saying the wrong thing.
Visit The Black Curriculum website to find an outline of their proposed topics, and more information about how you can get involved with their mission.
Petitions have been widely shared on social media, The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates, Register with your social account or click here to log in. But I don’t think that’s enough for young people.". So we do art history or music, politics, sociology. Black history can be taught as part of the history and English curriculum in secondary schools, but whether pupils get to study it depends on the modules chosen by schools. History, UK. And I think without that awareness, our work wouldn't be at the level that it is today. Keep summer going with Molton Brown's fragrances and bath & body indulgences, Why Cornwall's CLC Trenython Manor is top of our UK staycation wishlist. That gave me the motivation to want to spread the information that I was learning.
Learning about your own background helps to root you and knowledge gives you that sense of purpose in life. But there is still a long way to go. Historian David Olusoga tells CNN's Nina dos Santos that the country's curriculum has long upheld half-histories and half-truths.
Stennett developed her organisation after studying for a degree at SOAS University of London, and was driven in part by the glaring inadequacies in her own school education. But The Black Curriculum has argued that even twenty years later, "no significant advancements" have been made in this area.
The Black Curriculum explains that this step is crucial to both improving "social cohesion between young people" and in making sure that every young person in the UK is provided with "a sense of belonging and identity" within the context of their national history. The Black Lives Matter movement has shone a spotlight on the UK's education system, with calls for Britain's colonial history to be made a mandatory part of the curriculum.
Activate HELLO! Historian David Olusoga tells CNN's Nina dos … ", "Black history, in a consistent and nuanced way is a solution to institutional racism, allowing us to come to terms with a history that has informed our current society.". 's newsletter, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted hellomagazine.com's privacy policy, the cookies policy, and the website terms of use, and that you consent to hellomagazine.com using your data according to the established laws. READ: 17 best children's books to help teach kids about diversity. Activists want to make Black history compulsory in English schools, What could happen after EU launched legal action against UK, How the world reacted to Trump and Biden's debate, A look back at the reign of the Emir of Kuwait, Millions in China are traveling again. “Black history is an important topic which schools can teach to children of all ages as part of the history curriculum. Our Migration Story, a website run by Claire Alexander, seeks to tell the stories of the migrants who have shaped British history. In the last few years the way history has been taught has been very narrow. Weâre giving five readers the chance to win a skincare transformation! Here, we recognise that Black history is British history and therefore aim to reflect this in our work.”. Black History Month runs throughout October.
The Black Curriculum wants to embed black British history into the national curriculum by working to support teachers in schools. Many argue that education is a critical tool in remedying the nation's structures of systemic racism. . Stennett wants a more consistent focus on Black British history in school curricula. It shines a spotlight an issue which many people aren't aware of. The campaign has won support from the likes of JLS and Olympian Denise Lewis. It is my passion so I had to do what I could whilst I could! A lot of young people feel empowered that they are learning something new, some say they want to do it again or start something similar for themselves; one boy even started his own book club on black history. With this in mind, initiatives focusing on school curricula are demanding that current gaps in the syllabus be addressed by including a more balanced account of Black British history. Black History Month starts on October 1 and I think it's great as it's important to educate and raise awareness about different parts of black history. And I think you need to identify with positive role models; when you look in textbooks, if there is a lack of positive imagery and narratives around black people, it makes you feel like you don't have anything to give, so seeing your ancestors on the curriculum in positive ways gives you a more positive identity into society. If you wish to change your mind and would like to stop receiving communications from hellomagazine.com, you can revoke your consent by clicking on "unsubscribe" in the footer of the newsletter. Really, it should be as important as learning Shakespeare. I remember I did a topic about African-American inventors at primary school and that was a really important moment to me, but when I got into secondary school I didn't do anything particularly focused on black British history.
For those that don't know about the issue, and there's a lot of people that don't, it's a good introductory month but it's not final. See what it is like, Russia's top state TV anchor weighs in on US elections, Worldwide pandemic draining resources from Al-Hol camp, See how police spotted a missing boy at night from a helicopter, New York Times: Trump paid $750 in income taxes in 2016, How China's Ant Group built a $17 trillion payments machine, Germany's ex-royals want their riches back, Africa's CDC chief explains continent's low death rate, Teenager stages Arctic school strike for the climate, Hear Justin Trudeau's sobering message on second Covid-19 wave, Inside one of the world's largest virtual cities, Lena Headey: Moria refugees left in "hell on Earth". We deliver workshops where we go in and work with teachers to deliver our message through a variety of subjects, including history and PHSE [Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education], or through the medium of poetry or drama. You can find our Community Guidelines in full Independent think tank Runnymede Trust has supported these calls, with senior policy office Kimberly McIntosh claiming that a better appreciation of Black British history has "never been more urgent." In Primary school and First Year of secondary education, we are tau We have found that, if some young people are not taught black history more accurately, they find it very hard to identify themselves as part of Britain. You are able to make better connections and better choices because you actually feel like you belong in society. I thought: 'Well, why aren't we doing the same thing in the UK?'