White girl, black history lessons

In honour of Black History Month, History student Kate McCaffrey is delving into the missing pieces of her curriculum.

Having studied History for fifteen years, I can’t help but notice how anglicised, Eurocentric and – in a word – white, the names and faces in my textbooks have always been, I have chosen eight black historical figures who I think deserve a more prominent place in the curriculum both in school and at University.

While the majority of Black Britons today can relate their family history back to the widespread labour migration that took place after World War Two, there has been a black presence in Britain since at least 2 AD, when African soldiers were stationed at Hadrian’s Wall during the Roman Empire. In 193 AD, the world had its first black leader in Septimus Severus, a Roman emperor born in modern-day Khoms, Libya. Septimus was responsible for the expansion of the empire into North Africa, and died in York, England in 211 AD.

There has been a black presence in Britain since at least 2 AD, when African soldiers were stationed at Hadrian’s Wall during the Roman Empire.

The only black history I was ever taught was the African-American civil rights movement in 20th century USA. So while I knew that black historical presence extended far beyond this tme period, I have to say that I was struck that there have been black leaders in Europe as far back as the Roman Empire. Septimus’ only mention in University of Warwick course content appears to be on a Classics module entitled ‘Antoninus Pius to Constantine’.

Another surprise was the number of important black women who have been forgotten to the national curriculum. The most intriguing figure that I research was probably Phillipa of Hainault, queen consort of England’s King Edward III. While I was aware of Phillipa before, as a bit of an English monarch geek, I had no idea that she was, according to a report delivered by the man Edward II sent to secure his son’s prospective bride, “brown skin all over, much like her father”. While some sources suggest that she was of Armenian heritage, surviving portraits of Philippa depict a very standard white medieval queen, suggesting that she was literally white-washed throughout history.

Black women in Britain have also played a significant role in shaping their own history, such as former slave Mary Prince. Born in Bermuda in 1788 and later brought to London by her master in 1828, Prince existed at a time of abolition, when slavery was no longer legally recognised in Britain, but had not yet been abolished in the colonies. Therefore, she was technically free when she arrived in London, but had no means to support herself and could not return to the British West Indies for fear of being enslaved. In 1831, three years before the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act, she became the first black woman to publish an autobiography with The History of Mary Prince, an account of her life as a slave. The book had a large effect on public opinion and was both a unique and influential contribution to the debate surrounding abolition and anti-slavery in the British colonies. Prince’s autobiography is not on the National Curriculum, but is studied on several modules in History and English at the University of Warwick.

Black women in Britain have also played a significant role in shaping their own history, such as former slave Mary Prince.

But do not be mistaken, Black Britons do not only exist within a historical context of slavery. William Cuffay, a mixed-race tailor in early Victorian London, became one of the leaders of the first working-class revolt to take place in the city. Chartism was a national protest movement for political reform in mid-19th-century Britain that demanded Parliamentary reform and improved workers’ rights. Cuffay, alongside his fellow tailors, went on strike in 1834, demanding fairer working hours and a minimum wage of 6 shillings and 5 pence a day. Cuffay was subsequently dismissed and blacklisted from working. He became a leader of the Chartist movement, but was discouraged by the faint-hearted approach of his fellow protesters, and began to lead a more radical faction with a focus on direct action. He was eventually arrested, convicted on charges of preparing acts of arson and sentenced to 21 years penal transportation, living out the rest of his life in Tasmania. He appears to be neither a part of the national curriculum nor feature on any University of Warwick modules.

Finally, this experience has opened my eyes to a complete abyss in our curriculum and in our perception of the last hundred years: the black soldiers of the world wars. Although it may seem obvious when you think about it, we don’t tend to think about it as faces of colour have been erased from our collective cultural memory. When did you last see a war film which depicted the presence of Black British soldiers? By the end of World War One, 15,500 West Indians had joined the armed forces, many taking pride in serving their ‘Mother Country’. However, after the war, in spite of what they and their families had sacrificed for Britain, the commitment and bravery of these black soldiers was ashamedly met with hostility, and race riots in 1919.

To me, black history is not separate, but a part of the world’s collective, shared history which ought to be taught and celebrated accordingly.

Statistics for the Academic Year 2015/2016 show that 6.1% of Warwick’s undergraduate population identify either as black or mixed race, demonstrating a need for a curriculum that represents our student body. In taking the time to research black history, it has become clear that even as a long-time history student, my knowledge of the contribution of black historical figures to the world that we live in today is disappointingly less than my knowledge of a white contribution. To me, black history is not separate, but a part of the world’s collective, shared history which ought to be taught and celebrated accordingly.