Reflections on Black History Month 2023 | Saluting our Sisters
Julia Ross, BASW UK Chair
BASW proudly supports Black History Month, which recognises and celebrates the influence and contributions of Black people throughout history.
The twin themes of Black History Month 2023- eliminating prejudice and honouring the achievements of Black women by Saluting Our Sisters- is dear to our hearts in BASW.
Watching “Three Little Birds” on ITV last week strongly brought home to me how incredibly hard it was for individuals and families emigrating from the Caribbean to the UK in the 1950s. The period drama is inspired by Sir Lenny Henry’s own family experiences after his mother, Winifred moved to Britain from Jamaica in 1957.
The prejudice, hostility and violence faced by the Windrush Generation upon their arrival, and while attempting to settle in Britain, was horrifying.
While this week’s episode thankfully ended with an elderly white woman making the three sisters feel welcome, the reality for many was very different. From experiencing overt racism and discrimination to living in desperate poverty, life for the Windrush Generation was far from easy.
And yet, their contribution to British society is seismic. From their rich influence in arts, food, culture, literacy and fashion to helping to shape the NHS and re-build post-war Britain. A legacy made more impressive still given the scale of adversity they overcame. And which we should rightly remember as part of Black History Month.
BASW has a range of resources dedicated to promoting Black excellence and anti-racism in social work and society more broadly, including blogs, podcasts and events. Find them in our Black & Ethnic Minority Professionals Symposium here.
Janet Walker, Chair of BASW's International Committee
Black History Month and its theme of ‘Saluting our Sisters’ has led me to reflect on the influence of black women writers on my own perceptions, ideas, and experience of black women, particularly the intersection of race and gender.
‘Intersectional feminism‘ (Crenshaw 1989[1]), recognises barriers and various forms of inequality and discrimination which often operate together and exacerbate each other. bell hooks [sic] (25.09.1952-15.12.2021) was a groundbreaking feminist thinker.
She recognised that social classifications are interconnected, and that ignoring their intersection creates oppression towards women and change the experience of living as a woman in society(1987)[2]. hooks’ highlighted that a woman’s race, political history, social position and economic worth to her society are just some of the factors which comprise her value.
None of these can ever be left out in considering the totality of her life and her freedom. Whilst the experiences of all women are shared, divergent histories, for example in labour force participation and racial-gender stereotypes, and the inter section of race and gender have created unique experiences for Black women.
Socio-historical differences in Black and White women’s options for work, family, and domestic labour, as well as experiences of discrimination and stereotyping, have created a set of race-related gender norms that are likely to influence how women from these groups perceive and value their own gender
Whilst hooks was a feminist, she was also a critic, a provocateur, and an interrogator.
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BASW is proud to support and celebrate Black History Month. Our 'Voices for Black History Month....and Beyond' blog series is available to view in our Black & Ethnic Minority Professionals Symposium.
[1] Crenshaw, K. (1989) Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics, University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989 (8) 139–67.
[2] hooks, b. (1987) Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism. London: Pluto Press.