Controversy: Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano

Greetings,

Controversy has arisen in the UK regarding plans to remove the histories of Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano from the British National Curriculum. According to reports, British children will learn about traditional historical figures such as Oliver Cromwell and Winston Churchill. The histories of Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano will be options. 

Erased From History: Seacole Could Be Wiped From Schoolbooks - The Voice, Monday January 14. 2013

I remember, to some extent, my history lessons at high school in the UK. The teacher (a very knowledgeable gentleman on his subject matter) who taught my class history, spoke at length about the Vikings, William the Conqueror, Wars of the Roses, Henry the VIII, The Battle of Hastings (1066), The Domesday Book,  Bayeux Tapestry, Magna Carta,The Duke of Wellington, the Battle of Waterloo, Lord Horatio Nelson, the Battle of Trafalgar, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, Queen Elizabeth I, The Spanish Armada, Oliver Cromwell, The Reformation, and other British historical figures, sites and events.


Gove faces war with equality activists as he axes Labour's PC curriculum that dropped greatest figures from history lessons - Mail Online, Saturday December 29, 2012

I must say though, in all fairness, the history lessons were very interesting and very informative. However, as a curious twelve-year-old British born Jamaican pupil listening to the information being imparted to me, in my mind were the questions: Where do I fit in to all of this? Who in British history represents me?  

'You should be concerned' - Jamaica Observer, Tuesday January 15, 2013

 Don't Consign Mary Seacole to history, Michael Gove is urged - The Independent, Friday January 04, 2013

My parents had experienced a different kind of history. Later on in their lives they learned some of their true African/Caribbean history. They told me as much as they could about British colonialism, and slavery. I was told also about my connection to the African ancestors who were captured in their West Africa homeland by the slave traders. They were shipped to Britain, Europe, North America, and the West Indies, to be sold and used as a slave workforce. I mention this because it is important to bear in mind that in my parents' day, Jamaican schoolchildren living in colonial Jamaica, were taught about Queen Victoria, William Wilberforce, David Livingstone, and Florence Nightingale.

In a peculiar kind of way, it is possible that history may repeat itself.

Readers who may not have a clue about Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano, and their relevance to Black History (Africa/Caribbean) AND British History, please click on the following:

Mary Seacole  

Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, by Mary Seacole   

Olaudah Equiano

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, by Olaudah Equiano

Please see petition to retain Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano in the British National Curriculum, on the Operation Black Vote website

Blessings,

Grace 

P.S: since this posting,  "VICTORY! MARY SEACOLE STAYS ON THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM"         (see press for details)    

To the black-led churches in the UK: Don't just sit around and mope - VOTE!

Greetings,

Interesting report on the black-led churches in the UK and British politics (see BBC News UK - "Black-led churches to wake 'sleeping giant' of British politics",13 October, 2012).

The Church of God movement played a large part in my childhood and young adulthood in the UK. My mother and father were committed Christians and members of the movement from their youth in Jamaica. Their commitment continued when they migrated to England.

From my experience, black-led churches, of which The New Testament Church of God is the largest body, have always been well aware of the political and social issues which concern the black community. This has been the case since the early 1950's. 

Now there appears to be an even greater political awareness in the church, especially among the younger generation. In spite of this, there seems to be the view, that because of limited or no-action taken by successive governments on issues affecting the black community, apathy, reluctance, and even a complete refusal to vote has set in. This position not to vote, is a position, of no constructive use whatsoever. In my opinion, for some members of the  black-led churches/black community to refuse to exercise their constitutional and civic right to vote is akin to allowing the powers that be to do whatever they wish with the black population. For years certain Members of Parliament elected to represent their constituencies, which often had a large black community within it, struggled to achieve their objectives while negotiating the obstacles they encountered along the way. By not voting, it is saying, in effect, that efforts by those Members of Parliament to win equal rights and opportunities for not only black people, but for all their constituents, was all for nothing.  

I believe, today, more than ever, the leadership and the congregations of the black-led churches in the UK are in a position to influence, and impact, the political process. This is possible based on: (1) the Christian principles which form the foundation of these churches, and with increased knowledge, creates a platform for learning, understanding, clear thinking, and rational discussion of  emotive political/social issues upon which informed decisions can be made: (2) the black-led churches/black community's refusal to yield to the expectation of non-achievement, lack of progress, and/or to be static; (3) history will prove that the black vote, collectively, has had a significant impact on the outcome of general elections in the UK.

The black-led churches can learn lessons from its early pioneers. West Indians migrated from the Caribbean to England in the 1950's and 1960's on the ship 'Windrush', the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), and the British West Indian Airways (BWIA), bringing their faith with them. Once they understood the political and social environment that they were in, they did not allow what was happening around them prevent their participation in what could help to make their lives better. They did not find an excuse not to participate in elections as long as they were able to do so, However, the pioneers may well have suspected, at times, that their vote was of more benefit to others than themselves. 

Nevertheless, their contribution to change and progress is recorded in the annals of British history.

Now, it is up to the black community and black-led churches of today, to take up the mantle.
This is why I give my full support to Bishop Jonathan Jackson of the New Testament Church of God, Ladywood, Birmingham, England,  who "believes it is a 'Christian duty' for his congregation to vote" (see above link to BBC News UK report). 

Passivity will never achieve anything. Church, are you aware of the fact that you are a unifying and influential force that can create change? Do you know that the church congregation, and in particular the committed believers,  has a responsibility to the government of the country? Let me explain in simple terms. In the Bible it is clearly stated in First Peter Chapter two versus 13 to 17 (1st Peter 2:13-17) that the citizens in the church body should do what is expected of them such as paying taxes, obeying the law, praying for the government to make the right decisions so that we can all live a peaceful life (believe it or not), and, yes folks, cast the vote.  

Imagine if Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not take a stand for civil rights, and did not decide to fight against segregation, but just accept the status quo. Think about it. (see link: Martin Luther King's Speech - 'I have a dream')


Regardless of the frustrations, and lack of progress on issues, it is crucial that the citizens in the black-led churches,and the black community, make their 'voices' heard. Just complaining about the situation, faultfinding, and making excuses to do nothing is counterproductive, and a hindrance to the individual, and the advancement of the society. So please, use the power that you have. Take part in the political process. Do not waste time and mope. Exercise your right  to vote!

Happy 2013.

Blessings,  

Grace  

PS. For those still not in the know, please take note of Operation Black Vote
      

Response and Affirm: A learning process

Greetings to all,

 In July 2012 John Terry (Professional footballer) was acquitted in a British court of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand (Professional footballer). Read judgement. (See BBC News - John Terry cleared of racism against Anton Ferdinand, Friday 13 July 2012).

As far as I am concerned, this case should never have been brought to court.

Why?

It is not going to make a scrap of difference in the behaviour of those who feel 'obliged' to verbally insult a person of colour for whatever reason, intended or not.

That's the first thing.

Next.

What I want to understand is, in light of the problems with racism in Professional Football, why oh why does a footballer of colour set himself up for an argument on what appeared to be a contentious issue? Could it not be seen, when one looked at the other, that the conflict would very likely end up with the verbalizing of an insulting racial comment regardless of the context?

I may have missed something here, but I think a good injection of commonsense was needed.

I have said before, and I will say it again, sometimes I wonder if the positive approaches used by my parents' generation to combat racial prejudice in the UK is being built on by those who succeeded them.

What do you mean by that? - you may ask.

It is quite simple.

In any racially charged environment, it is useful for a person of colour, (and the footballer of colour is no exception), to know when to speak, and when to shut up, who to ignore to avoid an argument, and when to walk away from the situation. Most of all, it is important to maintain a sense of humour, and positively and confidently affirm who one is, and make no apology for it. In other words, be the wiser man (or woman) and rise above the racial conflict quagmire.

In my view, going to court to settle an issue of a racial nature has its place if the facts of the case warrant. However, where it is evident that the odds are stacked against one being the victor, and the stage will be set for a very different play to the one expected, with an even more unexpected eye-popping ending, then all I can say is that the whole charade will be a waste of time and money. Moreover, it will do nothing for equality in race relations.

Nevertheless, smile, all is not lost. 

Here is some advice for those not in the know.  

Investing time, and even some money, to make oneself versed in the history of racism in the UK and Europe, could provide useful information to better 'position' oneself, and be more 'focused', when considering what response, action, reaction to give/not give, to start/not start or when to affirm oneself, in a racially sensitive situation/environment. What also may be of interest is the book:

'A Sense of Belonging' in which a British born Jamaican reflects on the early part of her life and experiences in the UK.

 Copyright 2012 Grace P. Pinnock

The book 'A Sense of Belonging' by Grace P. Pinnock is available online at Amazon Books.

Why am I giving this advice? 

What use is it?

Let me answer these questions with questions. 

On the subject of offensive racial issues: 

when insulted about one's skin colour, is the, 'get defensive approach', working? 

Is it really believed that the powers that be in Professional Football in the UK will stamp out racism in the game?

I think enough time has been wasted waiting on something effective to happen in that regard. It is now time to get on with something that makes sense.

So, for a practical example of the above advice, and to get the gist of this post, please note the following.

My father, who is a peaceful, law -abiding, and respectful gentleman, told me his life story of living in England from 1958 to 1990. He emphasized how his work colleagues constantly 'discussed' and 'analysed' his skin colour, which is black (this is my delightful way of describing what was in fact continuous unprovoked racial insults!). Instead of getting on the defensive which would get him nowhere, but would certainly encourage his colleagues in their activity, he decided to take a novel approach, and made the following statement:

"I am glad I was born in Jamaica. I am glad I was born a black man. I am proud to be a Jamaican, and I will die a JAMAICAN". 

According to my father, for some reason, from the moment he spoke those words, and during the rest of his working life, the 'black issue', was never raised again by his colleagues in any conversation.


Get the point?

I say to the footballers of colour in the UK, although at times it is challenging, stand firm on the principle of respect for others, move forward, waste no time with the racists, but strongly and proudly affirm who you are in spite of...your predecessors have been through this before. Keep the faith. You will surely overcome! 

Blessings,

Grace

Whither race relations?

Greetings,

Since the end of World War II, it is over sixty years that West Indian immigrants have been present in Britain. They struggled under difficult circumstances in an anti-immigrant social society, to rebuild Britain, to build their own lives, and to create a better life for their children.

Were they successful? 
In many cases, I would say, yes. 

Has British society become more welcoming to immigrants whatever the hue? 
That remains to be seen. 

You know, there are some situations in life that regardless of what action is taken to seemingly make matters better, it continues to be a revolving door. During my time in, and since I left the shores of Britain, race relations continues to be an issue that has been, and still is, the thorn in the side of the Black Caribbean Community.

In my view, to determine whether there has been any improvement in a particular situation or change in a certain type of behaviour, it is useful to retrace what has happened in the past, as far as one is able, to make a comparison between then and now.   

So let's begin at... 

Then.

 West Indian immigrants were 'invited' to Britain (after World War II) to rebuild it, and were employed to do the worst low paid jobs. They were expected to be satisfied with whatever they got, because it was believed, that their pigmentation, and where they were from, qualified them for lowly positions and limited achievement.

When the 'invitees' had the nerve to take umbrage with their situation, and decided to improve their lot,  it was met with  annoyance, frustration, irrational behaviour, and total confusion by the British.  

I can only imagine that their silent thought was: 'Why on earth are these people getting so het up about what is reasonable for them to do?

In addition, and in a race relations context, there was the business of name substitutions or the use of pseudonyms, which is more commonly known by the term, racial insults. I understand from those who experienced such utterances on a daily basis, (for example, my father, a retired telecommunications engineer, was one such person) learned, that those who practised this derogatory name calling considered their behaviour quite normal. It was believed that the offended party should just 'take it on the chin' even though the one affected is hurting deeply within.

Laws on race relations were put in place to pacify the complainers who objected to the use of such derogatory racial terminology, and to 'stamp out' other forms of contemptible racist behaviour. Nevertheless, just like a revolving door, the same words and behaviour came around again and again with no intention of ceasing.

Believe it or not, these 'pseudonyms' have historical significance. On reading a renowned English novel this was brought to light. Surprise! surprise!    

It also will surprise readers of this post to know, that to my knowledge, the use of racial insults by the West Indian immigrants to Britain in the 'opposite direction' was virtually unheard of, as they knew the importance of respect for your fellow man. The British experience opened their eyes to the distasteful side of humanity.

I am aware that this will make uncomfortable reading for some. However, the intent is to be informative.

I will continue.

Getting PROMOTION on the job. This is where the West Indian immigrants were considered to have taken leave of their senses. However, if one was so lucky to achieve this 'high accolade' they had better watch out, as the minefield was not too far away.


 And now?
    

On reading of the concerns of the Black Caribbean Community in Britain, it is intriguing to me how little has changed. For example, high unemployment among Black Caribbean youth, and the low academic achievement of black children in British schools (which I spoke about in a previous post), is reminiscent of the 1970's and 1980's. To this, an opposing argument may well arise suggesting that the issues surrounding high unemployment and low academic achievement within this particular group today are different to what existed in the past. Even if that is so, one would be wise not to be thrown off by any attempt at sidelining the problem. 

It is often found that there is always a new style, but the same intent. 

 

 Copyright 2012 Grace P. Pinnock

It is very sad to know that there are those in Britain who have, shall I say, shortcomings, in the area of race relations. Yet, immigrants are still invited in to do the jobs that the British do not want to do. At the same time, these same people, do not wish to have any immigrants living amongst them. Talk about confusion of the mind.

One would think the penny would have dropped after all this time, in that, it is not the immigrants that should be the focus of attention. In fact the distress (if I may call it that) needs to be directed to the Government of the day. For many years decisions were made by past Governments in Britain to 'send out invitations' to non-English 'guests' around the world inviting them to come to Britain, without informing the British population. I believe, it would be more constructive, and even productive, for the  British population to have a chat with their Government on the issue. This, in my view, would be a more sensible approach, rather than seeking out immigrants and their descendants to provoke because their hue and culture does not blend in with the norm, they are considered easy targets, and their defensive reaction will provide an excuse to say immigrants are disrupting the British way of life.

Food for thought?...

My post on this subject of race relations is not to make the generalization that all British people  have a race relations problem. No doubt there are those who find the whole business of racial conflict disturbing and would want to see an end to it. However, there is a real problem here that cannot be denied. Racism, whether overt or covert, is so institutionalized in Britain, that there is neither the will of the British population, nor the political will from the powers that be, to stem the practise of disrespect shown towards those  'invited' from other parts of the world into Britain, regardless of the efforts of the 'invitees' to adjust and adapt to the new environment.

I wish to point out here, to adjust and adapt to a new environment does mean that those of another race and culture should abandon their traditions and beliefs which are sacrosanct, and represents all that one is. Commonsense and wisdom will guide how to negotiate the new country in order not to create offence, and to live in peace.

Maybe, by some chance, if there is a concerted and collective effort by the British population to respect those, from around the world, who are contributing to the productivity of their country to a much greater extent than they, I believe they would be greatly enlightened as to the respect they would get in return. 

 Peace

Grace

  

  

Education, and children from the Caribbean community in the UK: A personal perspective

Greetings,

Jamaicans are among some of the most creative, innovative, talented, skilled, and well educated people in the world today.  
On reading Jamaica's history, one will learn that education was once not equal for all Jamaicans. The colonial power of that era was of the view, that the same standard of education for all was not in its best interest. Simply put, the colonial ruling class of the day was not prepared  to establish an education system which could place the 'masses' in a position to compete, and to challenge them. 

It is interesting to note how history tends to repeat itself by acting out what has happened in the past, by taking on a new style and form.

For many years much has been said in the UK about the supposed low academic performance of West Indian born/British born West Indian children, particularly the boys. This assumption has been conveniently bandied about since the 1960's and 1970's, and supported by ethnocentric oriented research which gave no serious thought to West Indian cultural factors. Looking back in hindsight, it seems this negative preconception held by the powers that be in the British education system, helped to create an excuse to 'shelve' these children when problems arose that the educators and administrators did not understand, did not want to understand, and did not want to deal with.

Kudos to those parents within the UK Caribbean community back then who, through much persistence, were able to get a good understanding of the British education system and followed their children's education through to university. Unfortunately, not all parents were aware that they could take that route. It was assumed their children's teachers would take an active interest in their children's learning, and would inform them if anything was wrong that needed to be discussed. Generally, parents from the Caribbean then, saw the role of the teacher in the UK from their own cultural perspective. This different approach, inadvertently, gave the impression that West Indian parents were not concerned with the education of their children. I can say here that this was certainly not the case at all. 

At this point, I would like to share some of my 'memories' of what I experienced as a British born Jamaican child in a British high school, which may give some insight into how 'equal' the British education system was, and how West Indian children, British born or not, were perceived:

I was never encouraged to fulfil my potential in whatever I sought to achieve.
Being a child of West Indian origin I was not expected to be ambitious.
I was placed in the last class of the weaker stream along with other children of the same origin as me. The real purpose behind this was 'cloaked' by placing indigenous children in the class too.
I saw boys of West Indian born/British born West Indian origin chosen for participation in sport, rather than to teach and prepare them well for examinations which would likely give them a good start in life.

Grace P. Pinnock

Copyright © 2012

So...fast forward to the twenty first century! What of education and the children from the Caribbean community in the UK today? Is there going to be a continuation of the rhetorical discourse merry-go-round which says a lot, but says nothing, and the status quo remains the same much to the pleasure of those whose intent it is to be so?

In 2006 an article by a prominent British newspaper revealed that the low academic performance of black boys is still an issue. Furthermore, an unpublished report at the time, suggested that black boys are more likely to be excluded from school.

In my day the word was - expelled. What a difference a word makes!!!

It gets better.

As recent as 2011, a renowned Caribbean newspaper reported on a Caribbean Community Question Time session in the UK. It indicated that there is still much concern regarding the level of educational achievement of black children in British schools.

Is this a case of déjà vu? 
I say enough is enough. 

The fact of the matter is there are those who do not wish for any change, be it educational or otherwise, to take place. Time and again discussions on the issue have been navigated into oblivion, thereby forcing the struggle back to square one.

My suggestion to the Caribbean community in the UK, particularly Jamaicans, is to make a universal decision to cease the reaction campaign and START PROACTION. TAKE THE INITIATIVE. The educational achievement of your children in British schools depends on YOU.   

Blessings,

Grace