{"id":6527,"date":"2015-10-29T13:17:16","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T13:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=6527"},"modified":"2015-10-29T13:20:13","modified_gmt":"2015-10-29T13:20:13","slug":"everyones-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=6527","title":{"rendered":"Everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s history"},"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>Majid Rahman <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Majid Rahman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s great grandfather, Abdul, fought for Britain during the First World War. Unfortunately records of his involvement were lost after India\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s independence in 1946.<\/p>\n

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Abdul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s British Army service, like many other black and Asian histories of significance to the UK, has quietly disappeared.<\/p>\n

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While there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t much to be done about Abdul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lost records, says Welsh BAEM committee member Majid, other opportunities are available to honour the contributions made by ethnic minorities to Britain.<\/p>\n

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Remembering the forgotten sacrifices of the Indian soldiers in both world wars, many of them the relatives of born and bred Britons alive today, is just a case in point.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople seem to think ethnic minorities suddenly arrived in Britain in the 60s and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not true,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 says Majid.<\/p>\n

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Hundreds of years <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bAsian and African people have been living here for hundreds of years. Take Cardiff for example. The city had been trading with India and Bangladesh for a long time before that \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but it would be hard to find someone in Wales that would know about these links,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he adds.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy friend\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grandfather came over from Bengal on a trading ship and decided he wanted to live here because it was so beautiful and the people were so lovely.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bHis grandfather arrived in the 1950s but his family was trading in Wales well before that. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fourth and fifth generation Welsh families that are still considered newly arrived immigrants.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Along with the Bengali community, Somalis have also long resided in Wales. In fact they are the oldest Welsh ethnic minority community, after arriving in Cardiff more than a century ago to establish trade links.<\/p>\n

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Despite this it took until 2013 for Wales\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 first Somali councillor, Omar Ali from Newport, to be elected.<\/p>\n

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Majid pointed out that reinforcing the long and varied history of black and Asian people within the UK, is an important part of breaking down barriers that may exclude full and necessary participation in the life of our country.<\/p>\n

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It serves as a reminder that Britain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s success is dependent on many different contributions.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bPeople are realising now more than ever that we just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hide certain aspects of history.<\/p>\n

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Diverse <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBritain has always been diverse \u00e2\u20ac\u201c right from the time of the Roman Empire. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just been forgotten. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just important for ethnic minorities. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important for white people as well.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBlack History Month is about the history of this country \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that’s everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s history,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he says.<\/p>\n

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Unite is committed to increasing a common understanding of the invaluable and important roles people from ethnic minorities have played in improving and enriching British society.<\/p>\n

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While there is a lot more to be done, Majid says progress is being made to improve racial diversity.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn Wales we have a lot of banter, which I love. But sometimes, without knowing it, a person can cross a line and say something that may offend someone from an ethnic minority,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Majid said.<\/p>\n

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\u00e2\u20ac\u015bUnite helps inform employees, employers and organisations about where that line is. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s helps to educate and inform people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to make sure everyone is on the same page.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

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Photo of\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>a Benet\u00e2\u20ac\u201cMercier machine gun section of 2nd Rajput Light Infantry of British Indian Army in action in Flanders, during the winter of 1914\u00e2\u20ac\u201c15. The soldiers are not related to Majid.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

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