From the 18th century Jamaican poet who studied at Cambridge to the white women at the forefront of the abolitionist movement—school curriculums are excluding a large part of Britain's own history. Post-George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, calls have been growing for a more inclusive education system. Wales has acknowledged the issue by becoming the first UK nation to introduce Black, Asian and minority ethnic history in its schools. Here's where the matter stands today.
"The only figure I remember vividly being taught about was Harriet Tubman. There wasn’t anything else." Most of us go to school on autopilot: attending lessons, polishing off assignments and sitting exams till we’re no longer obliged to. You implicitly trust the curriculum – it’s school, right? – …
Knowing about our history is important; our modern society didn't happen by accident, it's the result of a series of events and it's vital that we know about them. But what about all the history we weren't taught? The more I studied, the more I began to notice something: there were gaps in my …
Teachers have accused the government of dragging its feet on including Black history in the national curriculum. As Black History Month begins, the …
Sir Lenny Henry is backing a Daily Mirror campaign launched today calling for the teaching of Black history to be made compulsory in our schools. The …
Is it OK that students only learn about Black history during Black History Month? In a word, no. Of course, “something is better than nothing”, but …
I can say precisely where and when I first read Black England because I made a note of it on the flyleaf: Zadie Smith NW2 ’99. I was in the habit back then of using the books I bought as a record of the places and times of my life. Can’t remember what I hoped to gain by it – but I am grateful now to …
Free resource proves widely successful with more than 2,000 schools across the UK signing up When 12-year-old Rose learned about the Bristol bus boycott in her history class, she felt an immense sense of pride. She knew there was a civil rights movement in the US, but wasn’t aware of the UK’s own …
Lewis Hamilton has been named a Black History Month hero; the seven-time Formula 1 world champion has campaigned for racial equality, along with …
Bristol group have written new music for Cargo Classroom project, which they describe as ‘a perfect piece of activism’ Members of the renowned Bristol band Massive Attack have collaborated on a new educational project aimed at increasing the diversity of the school curriculum in England. Cargo …
Black History Month, which celebrates the achievements of Black Britons, has been marked in the UK every October since 1987.
