BY RICHARD REDDIE
Black History Month more than just Black and White
I
have always been an avid supporter of Black History Month (BHM), which I consider both necessary and relevant in this country. There is little doubt that since its inception three decades ago, countless numbers have been educated of, and inspired by, the vast contributions made by people of African origin. It is my contention that BHM has always presented Black Christians with an open goal to propagate their faith. Back in the early days when BHM largely revolved around the teaching of African enslavement and the life of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, those within Black Majority Churches (BMCs) could wax lyrical about the role Christianity played in ending slavery – pointing to the Christian African abolitionists Olaudah Eqiano, Quobna Ottobah Cugoano and the Sons of Africa – and the massive Christian dimension to the US Civil Rights struggle. Equally, Black Christians could use this celebration to highlight the prominence of BMCs, which have transformed the socio-spiritual landscape of the UK. These religious institutions are the real Black “success stories” over the last 60 years, and history reveals that some of the larger Pentecostal congregations, which began in a front room over 50 years ago, are now national organisations with churches in every major English city. If these churches were franchisedstyled businesses, rather than places of worship, the pioneers who established them would be considered captains of industry. Moreover, in many neighbourhoods and communities, church leaders, who can count their congregations in the hundreds (and in some cases,
proverbial 30 pieces of silver.) Likewise, a good number of Black Christian households still refuse to play the music of Bob Marley, whose songs eulogized the Rasta faith and whose rebel philosophy critiqued western (Christian) values and extolled the usage of ganja. Marley’s message of Black unity and African pride proved very persuasive and during the height of his fame, many youths abandoned the church to follow the Rastafari faith. I could continue by citing the likes of other BHM stalwarts such Claudia Jones, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Dr Walter Rodney, Bernie Grant MP, George Padmore, Angela Davis, Olive Lewin, Nanny of the Maroons, Kwame Nkrumah and others. These men and women of all faiths and none believed that their religious principles, political ideas or rational thoughts inspired their involvement in the struggle for Black freedom and equality. the thousands), are the de facto community leaders. It should be noted that key figures within the BMCs were pioneers of the Supplementary School and Black Housing Association sectors in the UK. Equally, BMCs have been behind such initiatives as Street Pastors, the Pentecostal Credit Union, Excell 3 (education), which are rightly mentioned when talking about BHM. Despite these sterling efforts, there is no shortage of detractors who argue that churches ought to be doing more, given their reach and influence. The common criticism is that BMCs could have done more to tackle gang-related issues as well as address the concerns of those with mental health problems or the incarcerated. While BHM presents the BMCs with an open goal, a good number of Black Christians are still reluctant to engage with this celebration. I cannot tell you the numbers of times I have been invited to a well-known Christian radio station in October to debate the importance of BHM with some of its irate Black listeners. I am convinced that one of the reasons for this reluctance is the prevalence of Black heroes and she-roes of other faiths or none. For instance, some Black Christians are often in a quandary over Malcolm X, the articulate, firebrand champion of Black rights and self-determination because of his faith. (This is not helped by Malcolm’s stinging denunciations of (Christian) Dr Martin Luther King as “Reverend Chickenwing” - an Uncle Tom figure who was selling out his fellow African Americans for the Street Pastors
40 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2017
Claudia Jones
Kwame Nkrumah
In my opinion, any failure to engage with BHM because an individual was/is not a Christian is both myopic and unhelpful. Black Christians have much to be proud of, but they should also be cognizant and embracing of the equally outstanding endeavours of their Black brothers and sisters, who are also ‘made in the image of the God’ they worship.