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“Black British” An identity or an insult

The term ‘Black’ British has become the generic description for people of African descent that hold British nationality. The majority of people born in Britain prefer to be British rather than have the term ‘black’ attached to it. Asians living in Britain in the 1960’s were considered to be ‘Black’, this did not last for long, with British born Asians developing a new sense of identity and eager to show the differences between Africans and Asians soon escaped the clutches of the term ‘black’ and became known as British Asians. Why have Africans born in Britain been unable to escape the term ‘Black’ British? At the official level, the term ‘Black’ is divided into two categories, ‘Black’ British – African and ‘Black’ British – Caribbean but are we not all Africans? In the United States, Americans of African heritage are referred to as African Americans. Why can we not apply the same concept to our census forms? Perhaps we feel people of African descent are not worthy of a proper identity. If we are to answer some of these questions, we must first understand the origin of the term ‘Black’ British and the mentality of those behind its introduction to mainstream society.

England saw its first African inhabitants in the early 16^th century when Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII brought her African attendants to Great Britain, the growing trade routes between England and Africa saw more and more Africans and Moors come to live in England, with a particular concentration in London. These people were referred to as ‘Blacks’ or Negroes. The population then like now grew weary of the increased African presence and Queen Elizabeth I worried that this will cause unrest and ordered the expulsion of all Negroes. The term ‘Black’ British was first used to describe the descendants of Africans who had previously lived in England during the 18^th century and had emigrated to Sierra Leone, it was also used describe freed American slaves. These people considered themselves to be British and were allowed to retain their status as British subjects as part of the condition of their immigration to the West African nation of Sierra Leone, then a British territory owned by the Sierra Leone Company and protected by the Royal Navy. In the 1950’s Africans from the commonwealth nations of the Caribbean and Asians arrived in Britain, these new arrivals were labelled as ‘coloureds’ or ‘Blacks’ both terms were meant in a derogatory fashion. The anti-racism and civil rights movements of the 1960’s saw the term being positively reinforced, examples of such positive reinforcements are black power movements like Southall Black sisters that consisted of both Asian and African women. It was a war in those days, a war for rights, a war for a positive identity, and a war for basic survival. The term ‘Black’ was now in mainstream use; Africans and Asians were now officially ‘Black’.

It seems ironic that Africans from both Sub-Sahara and the Caribbean have fought their entire life to put a positive outlook on their identity, in most cases having to construct new ones only to discover that they have affected the identity of future generations not yet born. The census of 2001 now makes provision for the division of African people, designating some African, the rest Caribbean under the umbrella ‘Black British’, their argument; this is how people of African descent describe themselves. A poll conducted by the Pan African human rights group, Ligali states that 80% of the people polled prefer to be called African British than ‘Black’. Does the census today a really reflect how we see our national identity? People of European descent are now experiencing an identity crisis pointing out that they rather be called English than ‘White’. The terms ‘White’ and ‘Black’ as designations for a person’s identity were born in a time of racism, civil rights battles and a fight for general human rights. This begs the question, why is it, children of African descent, born and educated in the UK are not simply referred to as English? England has always been a nation of immigrants, with the Normans and Vikings invading in 1066, prior to that the Saxons and Romans and more recently Jews and Eastern Europeans from the Second World War. All these different groups have ditched their previous identities and now gladly call themselves English. Our European counterparts France, Germany, Holland even Russia offer a single nationality to its people regardless of colour. In Liverpool today some people of African descent can trace their lineage ten generations back, all residing in England, that is more generations of their family having lived in England than most people today who can easily claim Englishness off the back of being ‘White’. My friend is mixed race and his ex-wife is European their son looks very much European therefore considers himself English. Is Britain saying to people of African descent that we are not fit to assume English nationality? The answer to this question is complex, one that I alone cannot answer. One thing I can say is, ‘Black British’ is not a proper identity nor is it an ethnicity rather, an attempt to simply emphasise the difference between people of African and European descent and disregard any similarities we may have in relation to language and cultural experiences. This not only robs British people of African descent of a proper identity, it robs Europeans in Britain of their identity. This can only lead to one thing, the decline of society on both social and economic fronts supplemented by the rise of fascism and racism.

By Emeraldorc.

Urban Views