Over the course of this week and next, our Prep Boys are celebrating Black History Month and honouring the too-often unheralded accomplishments of Black Britons in every area of endeavour throughout our history and Black culture around the world.
Each day during tutor time, through short films, fun activities and class discussions, boys learn about and explore Black History through a wealth of past and contemporary Black individuals. John Blanke – the African trumpet player who played music in the court of Henry VII and Henry VIII; Lilian Bader – one of the first Black women to join the British armed forces; and Mia Mottley – the Prime Minister of Barbados, are just a few of the many individuals featured. The boys also explore Black culture by looking at past civilizations, modern-day events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, and key historical moments, such as the Bristol Bus Boycotts.
Following last week’s online celebration of Nigeria Independence Day with pupils from Holden Park School in Lagos, boys linked up again with pupils to explore the differences and similarities in their daily lives. Whilst there were some differences, boys were delighted to find that they had more in common than apart in the fun question and answer session. The similarities were clear from familiar subjects taught each day to coloured ties with blue, red, yellow and green to indicate their school house to a love of computing and sport. Poignantly, one pupil in Nigeria explained why history lessons were so important to them, they said, “History tells us about the past, the present and the future.” We could not think of a more fitting observation for Black History Month. We look forward to developing our relationship with Holden Park School, which Mr Silk established when he visited Nigeria earlier in the year.
Boys have also enjoyed house assemblies (with more to come) on the Black History Month theme for this year: Time for change: action not words, and are looking forward to the publication of the Global Citizen Group’s first newsletter, which will spotlight a range of Black figures from history, as chosen by the boys.
We hope that Black History Month sparks many conversations and encourages boys to explore, share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture, diversity and inclusivity. These are valued lessons and conversations, which, while they come to the fore this month, continue across the curriculum throughout the year.
* “To get to a better tomorrow, we can’t just focus on the past. The past is in the past. We can acknowledge and learn from it, but to improve the future, we need action, not words. We need to come together around a shared common goal to achieve a better world for everyone.”
*Black History Month website