{"id":6470,"date":"2015-10-27T14:53:31","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T14:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=6470"},"modified":"2015-10-27T15:56:07","modified_gmt":"2015-10-27T15:56:07","slug":"where-were-the-black-kids-then","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=6470","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Where were the black kids then?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
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To celebrate Black History Month this week on UNITElive, every day we meet a Unite member who tells us of their own experiences. Today we meet <\/em>Tracey Liburd<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tracey Liburd will never forget when the TV show How We Used To Live<\/em> came to her Leeds primary school.<\/p>\n

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The producers asked the group of enthusiastic seven and eight-year-olds to dress up in Victorian period costumes and be extras on the show.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt was dressing up time and everyone was excited. They dressed me up but then said they couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t show me on the television because there weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t any black kids around then,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Tracey said.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt felt like they put me and the other black kids in a corner. I asked them where were they then? But nobody would answer my question. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always stuck with me.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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In the 35 years since things have improved; from 2014 there has been some provision for black history within the national curriculum, something Tracey has confirmed herself by asking her young nieces and nephews.<\/p>\n

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But the ignorance that led the producers to wrongly declare that there were no black people in Victorian England is still prevalent. Most adults in the UK will have never been given any sort of education on the subject.<\/p>\n

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A rarity <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why Tracey, who is a Unite rep at Barclays Bank, has been promoting Black History Month at work \u00e2\u20ac\u201c although she is certain that similar measures are a rarity in Britain.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn schools they are more involved. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still a push that needs to happen. If I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take the Unite leaflets into my workplace, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be nothing.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI gave out badges and some people were very reluctant because they felt they could only wear them if they were black. But I told them that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about recognising there is black history among us,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 explained Tracey.<\/p>\n

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Engaging people who are unaware that you don’t have to be black to appreciate black history is just one side of the struggle. Tracey worries that many black people are put off from talking about their heritage.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to be stigmatised as somebody who wants to be treated differently because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re black. I do think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what people fear at the moment,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she said.<\/p>\n

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If from a young age you are singled out as different because of your ethnicity, avoiding discussions that highlight those differences might be a way of coping.<\/p>\n

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The problem is, says Tracey, with certain subjects out of bounds some black people “naturally assume they can’t be themselves”.<\/p>\n

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It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an understandable reaction to a world where prejudice and discrimination are still rife and one of the reasons Black History Month is so important: it breaks the silence and helps dispel an awkwardness for both black and white people that is often there for no real reason.<\/p>\n

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“I would definitely say that if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the only black person at your work and you want to talk about black history, then talk about it. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not forcing an issue. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quite factual \u00e2\u20ac\u201c there is black history. It’s not just about the slavery part; it’s about the good parts as well,” said Tracey.<\/p>\n

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Unite is there to support any member who wants to promote racial equality at work, whether through Black History Month or any other initiative.<\/p>\n

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For Tracey, the union\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s role in supporting BAEM members is positive \u00e2\u20ac\u015bbut there is a lot more work to be done.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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