black history week

I am posting this,very aware that I might step on some feet, and cause some comments such as "racist", but I'd rather stir up some emotion and ask some sensitive questions than pretend. Maybe someone might even enlighten me, for which I would be very grateful. So here we go...

To be honest, I have a serious problem with the whole concept of having a Black History Week, since it, in my humble opinion, only creates deeper gaps and separation, rather than a sense of unity and acceptance. It is almost as if it is a week for, not uplifting famous black historical figures or point out great achievements of such, but rather a week where it is ok for blacks to scold whites. Where it is ok for blacks to blame whites for any misfortune they may have ever encountered. Not a week just for questioning the patriarchal white way, but rather a week ofconfirming it, and pointing out that we will always be different and that white poeple apparently always will be racists. All this, in my opinion is rather unconstructive.

I see how some black people might have the need to create an identity and therefore need to feel some sort of grouping together, in order to define what it means to be black-Caribbean living in England. But when grouping together you are at the same time excluding the outsider, it is inevitable and unfortunate.

So as it is now, at least here at Newbold, I personally cannot see this week having a constructive influence. What is the purpose of this week lead by teachers and staff. If it is to create unity and acceptance, I would argue that the opposite is happening.

However, today in Fine Arts Sandra Rigby-Barrett showed us a video of something that for once gave me some hope about the Black History Week at Newbold.
It was a video based on a theory by a Willie Ruff, a black music expert at Yale University, who is suggesting that Gospel Music has some of its roots in Gaelic church singing. (The video was called "The Gospel Truth?")

"Willie Ruff believes that "precenting the line" - the traditional unaccompanied singing of psalms in Gaelic in the Presbyterian churches in the Hebrides - is the ancestor of "lining out", still practised in black churches in the South and, therefore, that Gaelic psalm (salm) singing lies at the root of all black American music." Taken from here

Now this might sound appalling to some. How can you take away the very heart of black people's achievement in art; gospel music and everything that has come out of it?
I would argue the opposite. It is not taking away the very heart. It is merely pointing out, that today; we are all a blend of something. I would claim that there is no such thing as a purely black or purely white person in the modern world.
We all have struggles when it comes to who we are and finding a place were we can feel we belong in the obviously fragmented societies and the postmodern mindset of at least the Western part of the world.
So why shouldn't one of the influences in black music come from a white Scottish tradition? Why is that a terrible statement to make? Is it really racist to claim that?

Read more here and here

I would personally rather hear about how different cultures contributions might have lead into somewhat of a movement, than have a whole week of "propaganda" of a fact that we all hopefully know already, that black people contributed to development and progress.

Yes, education and honestly everything in our society has been dominated by white male opinion and theory. And maybe Black History Week is an attempt to put everything "on its head" so to say; to have a new and different perspective become the norm in our mini-societ; Newbold College(for a week at least). I can see how this can be healthy; challenging our set norms and expectations of and on society. But at the same time I wonder if challenging is enough for change? Should we then not have Jewish History Week? Or why not Women's History Week? Or to be absolutely crazy Muslim History Week? (Please note the irony)

Maybe I'm being naive when I claim that unity and integration sounds more appealing than splitting up and separating into groups? Maybe integration doesn't exist in reality, maybe it is merely one culture giving up and giving space for another? Or is it possible that two cultures could become a third?

I have no answers, only questions.