Black History International

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October is Black History Month in the United Kingdom. See below for resources.

This year, with the election of President Obama, we have even more to celebrate than usual.

The President has just made history again - by winning the Nobel Peace Prize after only 10 months in office!

International Significance 

It is important for us to celebrate our African heritage internationally - in the U.S.A., the UK, Africa and the Caribbean.

Click here to listen to an interview about the need for us to work together internationally
. (It's in the second half of the show, so please be patient!)

The History of Black History Month 

Black history is the history of people of African heritage. Stolen from Africa, our ancestors were taken to the United States, the Caribbean and Europe.

Our culture was stolen from us. We were told we were no longer Africans, that we had no history or culture.

But we remained Africans and we are rediscovering and reclaiming our culture. We celebrate this in Black History Month/African Heritage Month.

Black History Month began as Negro History Week. Founced by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the son of former enslaved African American people, its aim was to document and celebrate the contributions of African American people.

The identity of a people is dependent upon that people's knowledge of its history. In Africa, the griots were responsible for keeping the stories of the people, spinning them, weaving them into a cloth which preserved the collective memories for future generations. Black History Month can be seen as a continuation of this tradition.

Black History UK 

October is Black History Month in the UK. Check out these links about people of African heritage in the UK and Europe. A film based on Zhana's choreopoem, "Harriet", will be screened as part of the festival.
London Black Film Festival 2009
Black Filmmaker (bfm) International Film Festival (IFF) is the leading and longest running platform for Black World Cinema in the UK. The short film based on "Harriet: A Choreopoem by Zhana" will be screened.
Wordpower Literature Festival 2009
International Black Literature Festival And Book Fair.
Europes largest collection of Black Writers, Poets, Speakers and Seminars
Black History Month 365
The premier all year round independent comprehensive portal; Celebrating and highlighting Caribbean and African activities, with profiles, articles and news.
More BHM UK Events
Black Women in Europe lists some key BHM events including film screenings and Black British Perspectives: Music.
Queen Charlotte Sophia
The consort of George III, this German princess had African blood and is an ancestor of Elizabeht II. .
Black History with Tony Warner
Blog from last year about Tony Warner of London Black History Walks. Includes link to radio shows.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present (Criminology and Justice Studies)

Amazon Price: $33.94 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

When We Ruled: The Ancient and Medieval History of Black Civilisations

Amazon Price: (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Soul Survivors (Black Classics)

A collection of narratives by women in the U.S.A. and the Caribbean about their experiences during slavery. This book spans over 100 years of the history of enslavement in the African Diaspora.

Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Celebrating the Positive 

It's important to celebrate the positive aspects of our history whilst we commemorate the struggle and the suffering we have endured.

Positive cultural identity is key to our self-esteem and sense of self-worth. For more on this, see:

The Key to Confidence

Success Strategies for Black People

Learning history can be fun. This was the idea behind the Nubian Jak board game. Its creator, Jak Dodd, is interviewed in the book Black Success Stories. For more on this, see Do You Think Like a Success?

Black History Lenses 

Celebrating the achievements and positive contributions of people of African heritage.

Black Heroes and Sheroes Lenses 

Lenses that Celebrate the Black heroes, sheroes and freedom fighters who laid the groundwork so we could have better lives.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela : With Connections (HRW Library)

Mandela talks of his life and places his commitment to liberate South Africa from apartheid squarely within his family and tribal traditions.

Amazon Price: $14.60 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Harriet Jacobs's narrative of being born into slavery and later escaping her slavemaster by holing up in an attic for seven years.

Amazon Price: $23.99 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm Little describes his life as he goes from petty criminal to Black Muslim and inspirational African American leader.

Amazon Price: (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

The autobiography of Paul Rusesabagina, who sheltered refugees during the Rwandan genocide.

Amazon Price: (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Soul Survivors (Black Classics)

Narratives by women about their experiences during slavery in the U.S. and the Caribbean.

Amazon Price: $11.01 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Hotel Rwanda 

Hotel Rwanda tells the story of one man, Paul Rusesabagina, who stood up and, with extraordinary courage, protected people during the Rwandan genocide.

Black History Films 

In London, Tony Warner, the founder of Black London Walks, gives free film presentations examining and celebrating the lives of African Caribbean people.

During the Second World War, people of African heritage from the United States, the Caribbean and Africa signed up to fight for the Allied powers. After the war, many Black people chose to settle in London and other UK cities, which they considered to be their home. England was seen as the "mother country", but it did not welcome its Caribbean children with open arms. For more information, see Black History Films.

See also: Africa and Africans on Film.

Black Writers and Artists 

Celebrating African American literary and artistic traditions.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Song of Solomon

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Sula

Amazon Price: $9.89 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hurston's classic of a young woman discovering herself.

Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... And Then Again: A Zora Neale Hurston Reader

Edited by Alice Walker

Amazon Price: $12.98 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose

Alice Walker's collection of essays on rediscovering personal African American history and Black women's creativity.

Amazon Price: $10.88 (as of 11/28/2009) Buy Now

Black History Lenses 

Recent blog posts about Black History Month 

Black History Month Speaker
Black History Month Speaker - Invite Speaker, Entertainer and author, Wambui Bahati, To enlighten and enliven your Black History Month event.
The Black Friday/Black History Month mix up.. : Dog and Pony Show ...
It's black friday not black history month... we should show respect every day, i say "let's blur the lines, shall we?"
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
Black History Association, ... Click here to view. President Barack Obama's proclamation of. February 2009 as. National African American History Month! Click here to post your condolences to. Dr. John Hope Franklin ...
Presenting: Mr. Black History Month!!! « PostBourgie
omg its still black history month! had you forgotten yet?? i hadnt, in spite of what my sparse updating may otherwise suggest. i didnt forget; im just exercising my right to be blatantly shiftless without having a white man cracking a ...

Resources 

Black History Arts Project
Kuumba-Survivors: interviews with artists of African heritage about their responses to the bicentenary of the end of the slave trade
Hidden Histories: Black People and World War II
Often, we are not told about aspects of our history. Every time I attend one of Tony Warner's presentations, I learn more valuable information.
Black History on Amazon
Books about the achievements of people of African heritage.
Black History on Amazon UK
Books about the achievements of people of African heritage.
Next Black History Events
Lists future Black History events with Tony Warner.

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by Zhana21

Author of The Key to Everything, Success Strategies for Black People and Black Success Stories.

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