Daniel Nwankwo: What Black History Month means to me

To me, Black History Month represents all the shared experiences we have as black people. In principle, it is a great opportunity for the younger generation to understand the importance of this history and develop a stronger connection to it, but in practice, I believe this is a hurdle that has yet to be fully overcome.

Many young people are put in a situation where, without taking a self-guided approach to studying black history, it is unlikely that they will be aware of countless events that have shaped the world they live in.

This means that the majority will only partially know of significant black contributions to life in the UK and elsewhere. Ultimately, this may be because of learning in the West. For instance, too many of us in the younger generation are unaware of key milestones and breakthroughs beyond the most notable acts of liberation associated with Harriet Tubman. The reality is that many are less likely to be aware of other significant events, such as the Bristol Bus Boycott, the Nigerian civil war, as well as other key moments in history that are entirely unrelated to struggle.

Knowing this, I feel much more can be done to bring a community-based outlook to it where people like me are concerned. Black History Month is a chance to educate others about the trials of black people which almost seem to be swept under the rug as time goes on. I am always shocked to learn that black people that lived through segregation and Jim Crow are still alive, meaning it has barely even been a full generation since.

I believe programmes and events can be vehicles to promote greater awareness around Black History Month. They would allow us as a community to learn from the past while also sharing our stories that run through to today. This is hugely important because there are still trials that we as black people seem predetermined to face, whether knowingly or unknowingly, by others.

Above all, I believe that the most important sentiment to convey when we engage with Black History Month is a sense of community amongst black people. We are still, in my opinion, too divided. I am Igbo, Nigerian, and have spent a significant portion of my life in Nigeria as well as part of the diaspora here in the UK but I feel that as Africans we can have a very deep ethos of every man for himself. This means that we can sometimes struggle to help our own.

This is what I believe can have the biggest impact where Black History Month is concerned, as whenever it comes to rallying as a community, we as black people need to be much better. Recent times have seen an improvement, however, more could be done.

Daniel Nwankwo