Black History Month

Square One Magazine attends Black History Month at York St John University.

By Tia Byer

On Wednesday 25th October lecturers from York St John University’s School of Humanities, Religion and Philosophy spoke about Black History Month. This talk was entitled Black History Month and the Atlantic Imagination. The showcase of information included staff engaging in personal responses to Black cultural History and important events that have impacted on Black identities. From discussions about Marvel comics and diversity to the Funk legacy of the Belville Three, I came away from the event feeling like I had learnt a lot.

My favourite response came from Dr Helen Pleasance’s, ‘Cotton: Touching Transatlantic Lives’. This section of the showcased looked at the connection between the American Civil War and cotton production here in the North of England. The discussion focused on Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 ‘Letter to the Working-man of Manchester’. Lincoln thanked mill workers for their anti-slavery stance. During the height of slavery cotton production resulted in great fortune on both sides of the Atlantic. However, Lancashire mill workers joined the protest against the Slave Trade. They showed support for the Northern Union of the United States war against the evils of slavery by refusing to touch any cotton picked by slaves. It was an extraordinary gesture. Protests would have come at a personal sacrifice to the workers, and the families that they had to support.

This event not only made me think about the ways certain transatlantic moments helped stimulate the Black History Month, but it inspired me to engage with the ongoing movement. Going forward, I intend to read, watch and listen to the films, records and scholarly work staff identified as vital to understanding the significance of this month and all that it celebrates. It was a thoroughly enlightening discussion; well researched and immensely interesting. I give it ten out of ten for inspiration.