When Black History Month was promoted with pictures of Zayn Malik and Sadiq Khan,it threw the highlight on to ‘political blackness’. Does it still have a role?Kent University student union has been criticised after using images of former One Direction singer Zayn Malik and London mayor Sadiq Khan to promote Black History Month. The university’s students branded this an “embarrassment”; Black History Month traditionally celebrates the culture of Britons of African and Caribbean descent.
The union apologised and said that in the planning stages Kent Union worked with students to develop a campaign that “celebrated a range of ethnic cultures, following the National Union of Students’ position on Black History Month, or which is to “recognise and celebrate the immense contributions that people of African,Arab, Asian and Caribbean heritage construct to humanity”. This definition has roots in the thought of “political blackness”, and a term which was used by many in the British anti-racist movement during the 1970s – the thought that anyone from a group affected by racism could identify as politically black,to form a united group. But is this thought still relevant today? Related: Student union promotes Black History Month with Zayn Malik picture Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com