The persistent ignorance of Black British history in Britain

Following the popular uprisings and demonstrations in 2020, as part of the Black Lives Matter campaigns, which occurred in in Britain and other parts of the world, there were feelings among many people that this might herald another period of renewed national interest in the Black presence in Britain. The killing of George Floyd Jr and the subsequent court case in the USA were closely watched around the world like a blockbuster movie. It seemed as if a line had been crossed and, citing Sam Cooke’s song, ‘A change was gonna come’. How strange, then, to see a report pointing out that rather than encouraging the wider British population to find out a little more about the history and experiences of Black people in the country, more than half the population could not name a Black person in British history. If most people can name at least one White person from a few hundred years ago, (even though Africans lived in England hundreds of years before the Anglo-Saxons) it raises questions about the reasons for this level of persistent ignorance, lack of acknowledgement and respect for Black people’s presence and contributions to British history and society.
In the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Premiere League footballers in Britain took the knee before matches for most of the following season. Certain institutions like the Church of England also made very bold statements about atoning for their involvement in the former slave trade. It seemed many people were genuinely shocked at the level of blatant racial injustice demonstrated in the George Floyd case. The problem, however, was that the shock, like a medical sedative, soon wore off. People have now moved on to the next item on their life’s agenda.
It is little wonder, then, that a report in the Independent Newspaper (2023) found that more than half of the people living in Britain could not name a single Black historical person. The research which was commissioned by Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), found that the UK knows ‘shockingly little’ about this area of the country’s history. Only seven per cent of people surveyed could name more than four Black people from Britain’s historical past.
Black people in Britain will continue to struggle in many circumstances to gain recognition and respect if the contributions of earlier generations are not known. Public gestures like taking the knee help to raise some awareness but this must be tackled at the root of our society, which is with children and young people. One way to address this is by ensuring more general aspects of this history is included in the national curriculum. In addition, teacher training institutions will need to focus more on this area as part of their training and delivery. Perhaps then, we might be able to join Sam Cooke in the belief that a ‘change is gonna come’.
Dr. Tony Talburt is a Senior Lecturer in Black Studies at Birmingham City University, UK.