Black History Month: all year round in Islington?
Passionate speech: Cllr Claudia Webbe - Credit: Archant
Black history could be integrated into the curriculums of Islington schools.
This month Islington Council has been promoting the annual Black History Month with a number of events promoting black culture and heritage.
But at a meeting of the full council in the town hall on Thursday, Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz, the authority’s equalities champion, said this was not enough.
She proposed a motion calling for an “all year round approach” in schools, warning any progress made by Black History Month would be “severely limited”.
Cllr Comer-Schwartz was backed up in a passionate speech by Cllr Claudia Webbe, who pointed to only 85 university professors out of 18,500 being black.
“What kind of message does this send out to young black people? What does it say about education?
“What about Parliament? If it reflected society, there would be over 100 black parliamentarians.
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“Black history is a grassroots movement to challenge lack of progress. We cannot underestimate its importance.”
The motion was passed, and the council will now consult with schools and offer partnership.
