Black History Month - Beyond History: A Movement for Community and Change

Divine Raphael

As part of Black History Month, young people from Partnership for Young London are sharing short blogs that explore what this month means to them. Through their personal stories, they reflect on their lived experiences of BAME culture, heritage, and identity. This initiative celebration of our diversity as young Londoners, embracing dual heritages and highlighting the richness that comes from different backgrounds.

As a young, black woman living in a country where less than 4% of the people around me look like me, Black History Month means more than people know. It is a month dedicated to celebrating black artists, politicians, change makers, and anyone else who ever made a difference. It is a month to encourage people like me that though we may feel it at times, we are not alone, we are not forgotten, and our struggles are not forgotten. It is a month that celebrates diversity by acknowledging history while looking towards a better future.

Some of my fondest memories have been during Black History Month. Engaging in intellectual conversations with friends as well as cultural gatherings and evenings of song and dance can heal the soul. You do not have to be black to participate. In fact, I encourage expressions of interest from a variety of races and ethnicities to celebrate this month.

But Black History Month is more than just a month, it is a movement. It goes beyond just our history and calls for community and collaboration between all races and people from all walks of life. It is not a time to dwell on the past, but celebrate the change that we’ve made since then, while pushing for more. 

With all that’s going on in the world right now, the darkness of the past seems to constantly loom over us and it seems impossible to completely drown traditional ways of thinking under its years. But it is not impossible. The future can be bright if we let it be. Even the smallest actions, like calling others out for something that might be racist or stereotypical, even if they didn’t mean to be, can make a ripple. Similarly, checking on the person affected makes the movement so much stronger. 

Embrace the wonderful and vibrant community around you. Colour is a wonderful thing which should be celebrated widely, rather than shunned.