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We’ve Got to Teach Students About Race and Racism in History Lessons
Failing to teach students about the history of race and racism robs them of a more sophisticated understanding of history and it excludes and marginalises BME students. This must change.
I was teaching History to a group of 11 year olds. The topic was the Norman Conquest. I’d just got to the point of the story where the Normans invade when a black boy put his hand up and asked:
“Were there any black people in Britain at that point, Sir?”
I didn’t have a ready answer, but I guessed (correctly as it happens) that, since the Roman Empire included northern Africa, then there must have been black Britons in Roman times. I therefore reasoned that it was possible that there were small numbers of black Britons in 1066.
As I reflected about this, I came to the conclusion that the point of the question was much deeper than I had at first considered. What he really seemed to be asking was:
“Where do I fit into this story you’re telling?”
It was a jarring moment for me, exposing my own ignorance about an important part of the story of Britain. Because of this, it has remained with me ever…
