Stand Down

being black in england.

❝THE REALITY OF BEING BLACK IN ENGLAND❞

This chapter was inspired by an English lesson which later on progressed to a heated discussion with my blacks friends.

In our current English unit, our work currently revolves around poetry and we've travelled all the way back in time to the beginning of the twentieth century where soldiers participated in the World War to gain both honour and respect from their countries and its citizens.

I cannot stress the numerous amount of times I've learnt this, the sympathy I'm supposed to feel for them (which I fail to not feel, all will be revealed, however) and how I'm meant to worship these British soldiers.

Noticed how I emphasised British soldiers? Because that's who the British media ever worship when we're reminded of the World War, if not British soldiers, then American soldiers and all it's allies.

Yet what about the many PoCs in the Commonwealth countries who fought alongside British and its many allies to successively win both wars? What about those who fought out of their own free will despite it still being a period where discrimination still remained amongst the whites? Why aren't we reminded of that?

Let's not neglect the fact that West Indians donated large amounts of money to aid the war effort or Tirailleurs Senegalais who thought alongside the French army who later caused the Kaiser elite troop to draw back. Let's also not forget the fact that Indians sent over 1 million men to fight in the war.

Every year when BBC news reminds us of the world wars, they always fail to remind us of the good deeds we did in order to help the allies win against the axis (although they were a few black soldiers who though alongside the German which was a great shame since Hitler disliked Jews and blacks!).

Earlier this year, I had picked History as a GCSE course because I was (and still am) intrigued with the past (hence my heavy obsession for the 70's, 80's and 90's!). I'll often drown myself in piles of articles regarding the past for an unhealthy number of hours. When studying History, I was unhappy. We learnt about the white male consistently yet we never learnt how PoCs helped construct the England we have today. I was over exceeding yet I concluded I didn't want to suffocate in piles of homework hence my decision to sadly drop the subject.

In contrast to America, we can't learn about blacks or any other PoCs at all, it's not part of the national curriculum. We're not taught about how our national dish (fish and chips, loved especially by the whites) was actually a Jewish dish, instead, we're lead to believe that it was Christopher Columbus who discovered our Mother Land. And it frustrates me.

It's ridiculous how in my school we're not allowed to celebrate a whole evening to ourselves because it's supposedly "segregating" yet it's totally not segregating when they provide me with false, inaccurate information about some old white men I do not give a damn about.

We're continuously taught about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks yet we're not taught about other great leaders such as Fredrick Douglas (don't laugh, but I only discovered who he was last week. We don't receive the same education that Americans do...), Tupac, Mary Seacole etc.

Now diverting back our attention to the World War. After the World War, England wasn't England at all. We went from this:

To completely being demolished and looking like this:

This was a result of all the bombings.

England had a significant labour shortage and prior to that, Jamaica was hit with a devasting hurricane that led to the loss of crops and other economic loss. This prompted Jamaicans to migrate to other countries in hopes of a better life for their families and opportunities. Job posters flooded the country offering jobs in the NHS, British rail etc. Eventually, on 23 June 1946, 492 Jamaicans were invited to work in the UK.

Upon arriving, they immediately were faced with heavy discrimination. Neither of the Caribbeans who had arrived for the sole purpose of finding work were welcomed by any British citizens, therefore having to work harder in order to have a living.

Now fast forward to now where the Black British community dominates areas in London such as Peckham, Catford, Lewisham, Deptford etc. Although sometimes there's thick tension between our communities, we're able to have banter and converse simultaneously relating to certain issues.

We're faced with a racist party (otherwise known as UKIP) and ran by a party who couldn't care less about the well-being of middle-class and lower-class citizens but more about its white rich citizens.

People who tend to live in Northern England (and those are cities and towns in England that are normally not populated at PoCs at all!) are often racist. They have a burning anger towards immigrants.

I'm honestly tired of this country. Because of the way the black youth is depicted in the media, going to the corner shop to buy myself some milk even grants me an inquisitive stare from the shop owner, making sure that I do not steal his items.

They want us immigrants to leave, yet the vast majority of us on the British Olympic team is black.

If World War three is to ever to come, I think we should let them battle it out this time. So many of our people died because of a man who had a deceased hedgehog below his nose refused to obey simple commands. PoCs fought for them yet the white soldiers are worshipped regardless of that and they still demand that we depart "their" land (although the first existing Briton was indeed black, I rest my case).

Best believe I'm going to be chilling in Wakanda questioning why I'm not yet married to T'challa nor Killmonger fine ass.