Black History Month

Black History Month takes place in the UK throughout October, and here at Charters we are taking the opportunity to both celebrate the contribution Black people have made to our freedoms, culture and society, and educate our students about the history of derogatory language regarding the people of African / African-Caribbean origins.

Ms Parris led an assembly for each year group this week which informed and educated our students about her experience of growing up as a young black woman. She spoke about how she asked her best friend in primary school if she would like to be her friend only out of school, as she was worried about the targeted abuse she was experiencing. She told the students that her friend showed great integrity by standing firm and refusing to give in to the bullies, as the two friends continued to walk to and from school together and remain best friends both in and out of school.

All Year 8 students learn about the transatlantic slave trade, and despite the work of her colleagues in the History department,Ms Parris explained how disappointed she felt when the 'n' word was found on the school site. She told the students that the word, which is rooted in slavery, has been used for centuries to dehumanise black people and make them feel inferior, and that it should never ever be used, and especially not by white people. She spoke about the large number of racial attacks that have occurred in the UK in recent years and how the 'n' word was probably the last word that some of these people heard.

Ms Parris then talked about the use of the 'n' word by black rap, grime and drill artists. She played a video of American musician Jay-Z who when asked about why he used the 'n' word in his songs, said that he was 'taking the power out of the word'. She explained that this view is not universally held by black people and that many feel that if the word is never used, it will eventually cease to be heard by anyone. She encouraged the students to be an ally and skip the word if they are singing along with a song.

Finally, three students spoke to the year groups about their experiences of growing up as a non-white student and how we can all show our support to anti-racism and be an ally.

To compliment the assemblies, students will be hearing about the contribution of black British women during Personal Development lessons this week to highlight the 'Celebrate our Sisters' theme of Black History Month, and are able to borrow books from the Black History Month curated display in our Library.

Our thanks to Ms Parris for delivering such an insightful presentation, which highlighted our Character pillars of Resilience and Integrity.