Ahmet Gürhan Kartal
11 October 2018•Update: 12 October 2018
By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for black history to be taught in schools alongside with the history of the British empire, colonialism and slavery.
Speaking at a ‘Black History Month’ event in the city of Bristol, Corbyn said it was vital for following generations to understand the role of black people in the country’s history as well as their struggle for racial equality.
“Black history is British history, and it should not be confined to a single month each year,” Corbyn said.
“It is vital that future generations understand the role that Black Britons have played in our country’s history and the struggle for racial equality,” he said.
Corbyn said: “In the light of the Windrush scandal, Black History Month has taken on a renewed significance and it is more important now than ever that we learn and understand as a society the role and legacy of the British empire, colonization and slavery.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May in March 2018 had formally apologized to 12 Caribbean leaders for the U.K. government’s treatment to a group of citizens who arrived from Commonwealth countries decades ago.
The apology came after reports that some citizens, who are called the Windrush generation -- after the name of a ship that carried thousands of people from the Caribbean to the U.K. -- were identified by the Home Office as illegal immigrants due to lack of proof of their citizenship status.
Corbyn also set out plans to support a new Emancipation Educational Trust to educate future generations on slavery and the struggle for emancipation via various school programs, visits to historical sites and focusing on African civilization before colonization.
Black History Month celebrates, recognizes and values inspirational individuals and events from within Britain's BME (Black and minority ethnic) communities according to a supporting publication, bHM Magazine.
Every year in October, various meetings, shows and performances contribute to mark the month in major U.K. cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Belfast.
