The London Breed
by Benjamin Zephaniah
I love this great polluted place
Where pop stars come to live their dreams
Here ravers come for drum and bass
And politicians plan their schemes,
The music of the world is here
This city can play any song
They came to here from everywhere
It’s they that made this city strong.
A world of food displayed on streets
Where all the world can come and dine
On meals that end with bitter sweets
And cultures melt and intertwine,
Two hundred languages give voice
To fifteen thousand changing years
And all religions can rejoice
With exiled souls and pioneers.
In June 1948, the Empire Windrush sailed from the Caribbean to Tilbury Docks near London and its arrival marked the start of mass migration to the UK. Post war Britain was in desperate need of workers but despite their commitment to what they regarded as the mother country, many of those who had left their homes in the West Indies to work here were very poorly treated. However, black history in the UK began centuries before the arrival of Windrush and indeed those with a whole variety of ethnic backgrounds, have been part of the history of this country for a very long time.
In 250AD, Rome sent a contingent of black legionnaires, drawn from the African part of the empire, to stand guard on Hadrian’s Wall. Several centuries later, the Vikings had influence over northern and eastern Britain. The Normans, descended from Vikings who had settled in France, brought with them their early-French language and during the two world wars, hundreds of thousands of troops who fought alongside the British, came from countries across the world which were part of the British Empire, as it was then.
But in the centuries before that – and indeed before Windrush – the British economy had been transformed by the Atlantic slave trade. Whilst in 1700, most British trade had been with Europe by 1800, 60% of British trade went to Africa and America. Ports such as London, Bristol and Liverpool prospered as a direct result of involvement in the slave trade and other ports, profited from the tobacco trade or cotton – the production of which often used slave labour. The UK’s relationship with people from across the world has not always been one with which we can look back with pride – indeed, most of us would agree our treatment of slaves, directly or indirectly, was abhorrent.
Some of you will have read about the research that the Guardian newspaper has commissioned recently following the discovery that the paper’s founders had links to the slave trade. You can read about the connections for yourself, the apology that the paper has issued and the programme of restorative justice to which the Guardian has committed, through an organisation called the Scott Trust.
However, what lessons might there be for us – as we think about history and indeed the future society in which we will play a part?
We might reflect that the history of a country like the UK cannot be considered in isolation – British history is not just British. When we learn about periods such as the industrial revolution, the wealth that was generated as a result of newly invented machines turning raw materials into valuable products, we should also ask where those materials came from, who produced them and how those people were treated.
Or we might reflect on the ethnic makeup of people who live in the UK today, ¾ of whom would describe themselves as white British, but that figure is dropping as the population becomes ever more multicultural.
But perhaps the most important question to ask is how we can make our society fair, kind and one in which all feel that we belong? How can we learn from those whose family background is different to our own; how can we better appreciate those who may have a different faith to us and how can we be more inclusive so that all are able to contribute and feel valued.
In the poem by Benjamin Zephaniah (who is from Handsworth and whose poetry is on our stained glass window in Big School), we were told about a city in which all the world can come and dine, cultures intertwining, religions (plural) rejoicing and hundreds of languages having a voice. What a fantastic place that would be – where all, regardless of background, could feel welcome and included.
In the UK, October was Black History Month, and it is an opportunity to celebrate the stories of black people from around the world who may well link to our own history. This year’s theme was Saluting our Sisters, and the black women who have been at the heart of social justice movements throughout history, fighting oppression and advocating for change. Some have made incredible contributions to the arts, industry, sport, politics, academia, social and health care, and far more. This work must continue.
Stay well and safe.
Be kind to yourself and others.
Best wishes,
Dr Bird
