Member of Youth Parliament, James Lawson wanted to talk this Black History Month about the erasure of important figures through history due to them being people of colour. It’s an eye-opening article that we could all learn a few things from.
October is black history month, and it is really important that we celebrate it because often the story of history was changed by the white settlers who sadly destroyed many communities in their search for power. For example, we often celebrate old British explorers achievements of sailing around the globe and ignore the destruction to foreign communities that they caused. Furthermore, many of our 21st century historical literature conveys inaccurate facts about the roles of black people in the past.
Who is the richest person ever? Elon Musk? Bill Gates? As a matter of fact, the richest person ever was a black, African, Muslim ruler called Mansa Musa.
He ruled for 25 years over the Mali empire, between 1312 and 1337. The empire should be regarded as one of the most successful empires ever but is often overshadowed by the “might” of the British Empire. Although, we can’t be exact he amassed the equivalent of TRILLIONS of pounds!
The reason that we don’t know about him is because we look to the white men for examples of historical success. This is due to the white victors ignoring the successes of the African and Asian empires that ruled before them. Thus, their stories have been forgotten.
It’s so important to broaden our view of history – and away from just the white people’s experience and perception, but also so that everybody can have role models to look up to from their own ethnic background. Everybody should celebrate Black History Month because you can learn so much from it, and it stops any unconscious stereotype in your mind.
James
If you want to find out more about Black History, Black History Month and its importance (now more than ever) here in the UK, visit: www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/
If you want to support black lives in Somerset visit: @BLMTaunton | Linktree
