Black History Month in the UK

Linda Bellos

Linda Bellos introduced Black History Month to the UK in 1987, she was born to a white Jewish British mother and Nigerian father and grew up in London.

As a child she heard white people tell her mother that she had betrayed ‘our boys’ by marrying a black man after the sacrifices White people had made in 2nd World War.

Linda later discovered that her father had volunteered for the Merchant Navy to help the mother country.

She also discovered that during the 2nd World War 2.5 million Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan/Bangladeshi men and women where involved in the War efforts and 1.5 million during the 1st World War.

Among her findings Linda also learned that during the 2nd World War, £23 million was given to Britain in Interest Free Loans by the Caribbean, Africa and India.  Also millions of non-white people in villages and towns around the world raised money to support this war.

This information, she believed was a big part of Britain’s hidden history. She got involved in creating the ‘We were there’ exhibition with the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces to expose and celebrate that fact.

The World Wars were supposed to be Wars of Liberation. Linda wanted to see inclusive politics that addressed racism, so people were not discriminated against because of the colour of their skin. Being Black defined you by the colour of your skin, not from where you came.

Linda wanted to ensure the experience and contribution of black peoples to the UK was no longer ignored and marginalised as it had been for centuries. She introduced the idea of Black History Month from America, to celebrate the achievements and movements of people of African and Asian origin and their descendants across the world and in the United Kingdom.

Black History Month UK is about equality, understanding differences without feeling threatened and being respectful of the histories that many communities have endured by being ignored and marginalised.

Linda Bellos was awarded an OBE in 2006 for services to diversity.

 

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